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If you’ve ever taken a history class or caught a documentary on The History Channel, chances are you’ve heard of the period known as the “Roarin’ Twenties.” This era in American history was full of dramatic political, economic, and social change.
People were moving to cities, the nation’s wealth was skyrocketing, and jazz, flappers, and bootleggers were in their heyday. Click through this list to find some of the 1920s’ best photos, giving you a glimpse into what life was like in the Jazz Age.
Year: 1920s
Location: USA
Gym class, the bane of a lot of students’ scholarly existence, has been around since the mid-1800s. This photo from the 1920s shows a gym class separated by gender, and the outfits worn there appear to be rompers.
This photo looks a lot more poetic and peaceful than a gym teacher with a whistle yelling at you while you run the mile. You probably couldn’t order ‘20s-era rompers like these on Amazon, that’s for sure.
Year: 1927
Location: California, USA
Leo the Lion is the popular mascot for MGM, and he was also the mascot for Goldwyn Pictures, MGM’s predecessor. Here, you can see Leo posing for a picture, or, possibly, posing for a video of him roaring.
Leo was picked as the mascot in 1916 by Howard Dietz, who wanted to use a lion as a tribute to his alma mater, Columbia U. The lion here was named “Slats,” and he was born at the Dublin Zoo and trained by a man named Volney Phifer.
Year: 1920s
Location: USA
Of course, you couldn’t live through the ‘20s and not catch a vaudeville show. Vaudeville was the most popular type of live entertainment in America, beginning in the late 1800s. Vaudeville’s heyday ended by 1930, but it was a huge fad.
This was way before Netflix times, mind you. Vaudeville shows consisted of seven to ten live stage acts, one after the other. These acts featured all sorts: comedians, musicians, acrobats, dancers (like these girls), magicians, and even trained wild animals.
Year: 1920
Location: The U.K.
Let’s just say, you weren’t going to see any Instagram-worthy bikinis back in the 1920s. This photo, which was possibly taken in the United Kingdom (on one of the country’s many beaches), features a fun day in the sun in the ‘20s.
In Europe, the Roarin’ Twenties was known as the Golden Twenties. Swimming costumes, as they were called, were pretty modest for both women and men. Speedos were already taking off in the ‘20s in Australia, but these itty-bitty swim trunks had yet to catch on in Europe.
Year: 1925
Location: Coney Island, New York City, New York, USA
Pictured here from left to right are Marcella Miller, “Miss Coney Island,” Kathryn Ray, E.F. Til, and Agnes Leonard. These gals were part of the Miss Coney Island Beauty Pageant in 1925, and they looked so…natural.
Nowadays, the beauty pageants we see on NBC and other channels are full of heavy makeup, dark fake tans, and glittering outfits, giving the women participating a surreal effect. These ladies look very normal and natural compared to today’s time. Both eras have their merits, but the difference is striking.
Year: 1926
Location: USA
The Charleston was one of the 1920s’ most popular dances, and it would surely have gone viral on TikTok if it was around today. This dance was named after the city in South Carolina, and the rhythm came from a 1923 tune named “The Charleston.”
If you want to listen, you can find “The Charleston” on YouTube. Many people don’t know this, but the Charleston was actually based on “The Juba,” a dance invented in Africa and made popular in South Carolina by Black citizens.
Year: 1927
Location: Rosemead, California, USA
Mary Janes, Rock Candy, Peppermint Puffs, and Tootsie Rolls were traded across wooden counters in the 1920s. These candy counters didn’t just serve up sweet trades; they also sold soda.
These counters were part of a larger pharmaceutical store, and they were the place to be, no matter whether you were a kid or an adult. A white-hatted server would take your order, and, back then, sodas cost just five cents.
Year: 1920
Location: USA
These women were cooling off on a giant block of ice back in the 1920s, as the ’20s had some scorching summers. These summers would pale in comparison to what the Dust Bowl would bring, however.
Summer temps could still get quite hot back then, with New York City hitting highs of 88 degrees. These girls and their giant block of ice had the right idea on how to cool off from intense heat. Too bad we can’t buy a giant ice block like this from Walmart, as that would come in major handy during America’s scorching summers.
Year: 1921
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
We couldn’t have a list of 1920s things without including a submission from Ford. Here, we can see the famous Model T being driven painstakingly down a hill in San Francisco, California (a land known for its steep hills).
The Ford Motor Company produced the Model T from 1908 to 1927. This car was regarded as the first-ever, mass-produced and affordable vehicle, making car travel finally available to regular, middle-class Americans who wanted to get around.
Year: 1920
Location: Utica, Mississippi, USA
This photo features people gathered ‘round a small, Southern general store in Utica, Mississippi, a town in Hinds County. Utica has always been a tiny town, and, as of 2010, it has a population of fewer than 1,000 residents.
This general store is a far cry from Target, we can see that much. Back in the ‘20s, there were around 350,000 of these grocers, featuring dry goods, packaged goods, and a limited selection of perishable foods.
Year: 1920
Location: USA
Taken near Christmastime in 1920, this photo showcases what life was like in elementary school a century ago. Education in the 1920s was going through a lot of changes, as there was a population increase.
This increase led to a dramatically-larger enrollment of kids in elementary and secondary schools. Public school districts had a building boom that would reverberate for decades and decades.
Year: 1920
Location: Paris, France
Paris in 1920 was between the Wars (World War I and World War II), and art, music, and literature were allowed to thrive without the threat of Germans flying overhead or invading. Paris was the home of some of the world’s most foremost artists.
Paris was done with World War I, finally, and it was ready for some light-heartedness and joy. People embraced new technologies and extravagant, partying lifestyles. The latter became so popular, Paris’ 1920s had the nickname “the mad years.”
Year: 1921
Location: Winchester, Kentucky, USA
This football team was lining up for its team photo back in 1921 in Winchester, Kentucky. Alas, these men were still heavily affected by the Jim Crow Era, which was alive and well back then. An integrated football team was still decades away.
Winchester is historically-relevant to this day for a few interesting reasons. For one, its county is the birthplace of “beer cheese.” Winchester’s downtown still looks as it did in the ‘20s, with an elevated sidewalk and globe lamp posts.
Year: 1920
Location: USA
By the beginning of 1920, spiritualism was alive and well. It was thriving, and that modern-ish religion involved a lot of wacky practices, including hosting seances. That’s what is happening in this photo, taken in 1920 (possibly in America).
A séance was a meeting at which spiritualists tried to receive messages from the departed. More often than not, the séance host was a scammer using gimmicks to try wealthy residents into forking over money. But, who knows? Perhaps some were legit, able to reach across the veil and make money doing so.
