One neat thing about the Flickr Commons is the ability to see what a decade in time looked like across the world. I went on a little mission to gather up photos across the Commons from a particular era: the 1860s. Why the 1860s? Because by then, photography had more or less taken off, as explained here by the University of Houston, and because there was a wider representation of 1860s photos across the Commons than earlier decades.

The U.S. underwent one of the most significant milestones in our history in the 1860s, the U.S. Civil War. This war is quite well documented in photos. One photo that stood out is this photo of Lincoln on the battlefield at Antietam in 1862.

Library of Congress

Sadly, here is Lincoln’s funeral procession in Chicago, 1865.

Library of Congress

Venturing away from the agony of war, we find so many interesting items about the 1860s: dress, transportation, architecture, even style of photography (think sepia!). This photo is of a rural scene in Australia.

State Library of New South Wales

And here we see the view over Lysekil old harbor, Sweden. I love the outfits.

Swedish Heritage Board

Here’s an intriguing tourist shot of León de San Marcos, Venice, Italy. Again, the outfits catch my eye.

National Galleries of Scotland

It’s great to see a woman photographer in that era. Here’s one from Julia Margaret Cameron.

George Eastman House

Here are containers of pottery being shipped along the Nile River, Egypt.

New York Public Library

The gelatin process was developed in 1871 — stay tuned for photos from the 1870s next time!