Historical photographs offer unique visual perspectives on the past

Collections of rare and unusual historical photographs offer unique perspectives on past eras through both color and unusual subject matter. Early color film captures everyday American life, including fashion, technology like the Apple II production line, and moments involving figures such as Barack Obama.

Other notable historical images include unexpected scenes, such as Japanese samurai posing near the Great Sphinx in 1864, early NASA Apollo program spacesuit testing in the Mojave Desert, and supporters of Boris Yeltsin moving barricades during the 1991 Soviet coup attempt.