Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Philadelphia Then And Now Comparison Photographs

I have such a passion for studying vintage photographs and comparing them to the present. And to be honest, I almost always prefer the "then" photos over the "now". They seem much more interesting to me. 

I also have a passion for history. My favorite movies are documentaries and period films. I thoroughly enjoy seeing how people lived and dressed in the past. I believe that the past creates the present, which very often repeats itself when it comes to the design, style, and fashion of previous decades.  

When I was a kid, I loved looking at the photographs and illustrations in history books. As I got older, I would spend hours in a bookstore, flipping through black and white photography books depicting the past, imagining who all the people in the photos were and what their lives were like.

Last week I searched the internet for vintage photographs of Philadelphia and chose several locations throughout the city. I tried to take photos that would match (or almost match) each photograph I found online. Here is what I came up with.  

Please enjoy...  

Horn & Hardart Automat Cafeteria

 Then...

Now...

Automat cafeteria from a different view then...

Same view now...

Market Street Reading Terminal Train Station

Then...

Now (no longer a train station, it is a convention center and food market). The only thing that remains the same is the clock on the corner...

Elfreth's Alley (oldest street in Philadelphia)

Then...

Now...

Corner of 13th and Market Streets

Then (during the Christmas holidays)...

Now...

Second Bank of the United States

Then...

Now...

Independence Hall

Then...

Now...

And lastly, just for laughs. A "vintage" photo of me. 

Then (my afro and bushy eyebrows at 20 years old)...

Now (me and my dear friend, Kelly)...

P.S. This is one exception where I prefer the "now" over the "then" - LOL!

Thanks for taking this vintage tour of Philadelphia, folks! 💖

 

*post title photo credit