Though it was celebrated long before that, the 4th of July has been an official holiday since 1941. In honor of Independence Day’s long history, here are some vintage photographs from 4th of July’s of the past. As you can see, you don’t always need fireworks to celebrate America’s birthday (but it helps!).
1920s
1923
1925
1939
1942
1956
1960s
1969
1970s
1976
1987
1996
by Erin Nicole
Today, on the day before the greatest country in the world celebrates its 250th birthday, let’s celebrate America with these pictures taken of its cities.
by William Klein
by Bill Cunningham
by Bill Cunningham
by Frank Larson
by William Klein
by Jules Aarons
by Jules Aarons
by Erin Nicole
by Erin Nicole
by Erin Nicole
by Helen Levitt
by Helen Levitt
by Carol Highsmith
by Carol Highsmith
In the days leading up to Independence Day, I always like to share these vintage firework ads. Most of these are from the 50s and 60s. Have you done your shopping yet?
“America was not built on fear. It was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
— Harry S Truman
by Alaz Mal
I love my country.
by George Gross
With the Fourth of July just a few days away, let’s celebrate the American countryside with the pulps! From the early days of the pulps, life in rural America has been a favorite subject. Here are a few portrayals of that life, courtesy of some of the best artists and illustrators to work in the pulp industry!
by Rudy Nappi
by Victor Kalin
by Rudy Nappi
by Saul Levine
by Lou Marchetti
by Sam Cherry
by James Avati
by Paul Rader
by Warren King
by Robert Bonfils
by James Meese
by TW McClean
Every 4th of July, I like to consider the diversity of America. We’re a nation of large cities but we’re also a nation of small towns and rural highways. We are one nation but we are also fifty states, each with its own identity. In honor of America’s 250th birthday, here are some photographs that capture America outside of the cities.
by Dorothea Lange
Photograph by Tim Richmond
Photograph by Tim Richmond
by Carol Highsmith
by Carol Highsmith
by Carol Highsmith
by Carol Highsmith
by Scott Wishart
by Erin Nicole
By Erin Nicole
By Erin Nicole
By Erin Nicole
by Erin Nicole
“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.”
— Calvin Coolidge
by Mitchell Hooks
Thank you, Mitchell Hooks!
With the 4th approaching, let’s celebrate the romance of the American frontier with these covers from Romantic Range. Romantic Range was a pulp magazine that ran from 1935 throughout the 1940s. The magazine featured love stories that took place on the range and the covers provided a break from the gunplay and deadly rattlesnakes that dominated most western magazines of the era. The covers are notable today for being romantic but surprisingly chaste, especially by the standards of the pulps.
Here’s a small sampling of some of the most innocent covers in the history of ranch romance.
by John Drew
by John Newton Howitt
Artist Unknown
Artist Unknown
Artist Unknown
by William Luberoff
by William Luberoff
Through the Shattered Lens 