Utterly Unique Photos
Old and new photographs that can sometimes be odd or surreal but are always unique with an interesting backstory.
Oaxacan Beauty’s Side Eye: Vintage Charm in Oaxaca, 70s Style
Oaxacan young lady on her traditional dress notices she is being photographed and gives the camera a look, 1970s (from fashion of the background people). Oaxaca, Mexico.
Nixon Rallies in Sioux City, Iowa – October ’68
Richard Nixon campaigns in Sioux City, Iowa, October 1968
Delta Defenders: Youth Stand Strong Against Viet Minh, 1954
Young guerrillas wear grenades at their belts, preparing to fight the encroaching Viet Minh forces in the Red River Delta, northern Vietnam, 1954.
WWI hero’s facial reconstruction: Tubed pedicle flap in progress.
Walter Yeo shows the work in progress of the plastic surgery performed on his face after he was injured in WW1. The surgery was called a tubed pedicle flap and performed by Sir Harold Gillies. More images of Yeo’s recovery are in the comments.
106 Years Young: Avedon’s Portrait of Timeless Love
In 1963, Richard Avedon took a picture of a man named William Casby. William Casby, born in 1857, was 106 years old at the time. In his hands, he was holding his great-great-granddaughter, Cherri Stamps-McCray.
Lost on Aconcagua: Janet Johnson’s final photo (1973).
In 1975, three climbers discovered Janet's body, lying face up with a bone protruding from her degloved face after two years of exposure. Her ropes were tangled around her, and she was missing her ice ax. A rock rested on her body. The camera containing this image wasn't found until 45 years later. Article providing …
Santos Casani, 1930s dance icon: The REAL Shining star.
The dancer Santos Casani in 1930. He was the man Jack Nicholson was superimposed over in the original 1920s photo used at the end of The Shining.
Aconcagua’s haunting whisper: Last photo of Janet Johnson, 1973.
In 1975, three climbers discovered Janet's body, lying face up with a bone protruding from her degloved face after two years of exposure. Her ropes were tangled around her, and she was missing her ice ax. A rock rested on her body. The camera containing this image wasn't found until 45 years later. Article providing …
Elton John mourns Ryan White, AIDS activist, at his funeral.
Elton John acts as one of Ryan White’s pallbearers after the 18yr olds death due to AIDS-related illness. April the 8th 1990. Ryan had caught the disease via a blood transfusion while still a baby. He was ostracised by his community in Indiana and barred from attending school.