Three Instagram Feeds to Follow if You Love Vintage Photographs

Posted by | · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 5 Comments on Three Instagram Feeds to Follow if You Love Vintage Photographs

Vintage vibes aren’t limited to Throwback Thursdays. Since nostalgia never goes out of style, everyone enjoys a daily dose of vintage photography! From abandoned Polaroids found in thrift stores to old family pictures unearthed during holiday gatherings, there’s a bevy of vintage photographs just waiting to be discovered. Here are three instagram feeds to follow if you love vintage photographs.

1. The Robert E. Jackson Collection

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If vintage photos could talk, they’d call Robert E. Jackson their caretaker. Indeed, he’s more than a curator; he’s a steward of snapshots. His collection is likely the largest in the world, boasting over eleven thousand exquisite photographs. The National Gallery even exhibited his collection in a special show called “The Art of the American Snapshot.” His knowledge of found and vernacular photography is vast, and his Instagram feed showcases select snapshots from his massive collection. (Hint: there are also two incredible books featuring his collection, The Seduction of Color and The Art of the American Snapshot. Pick ’em up!)

Robert E. Jackson’s collection is a treasure trove of analog photos, all created by amateur photographers who were simply documenting their daily lives. What’s so striking is how much these snapshots resonate with us years after their original context was lost. They’re simply captivating.

“For us, they evoke something even deeper: a feeling of shared humanity, a sense that we “know” these people. The impersonal gaze at the beauty of a face is an enduring fascination.” – Robert. E. Jackson

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2. Rescued Film

Ranging from quirky to mysterious, the found photos featured on Rescued Film’s feed are enchanting. In the curator’s words, this feed features “forgotten film the photographer never saw, but now you have.” The curators also punctuate photos with playful captions and hashtags, which add allure. Their collection comes from previously undeveloped film. All of the images were captured on film between the 1930’s and late 1990’s. When you scroll through their image collection, it feels like you’re stepping into a real darkroom. Just like the magic of seeing an image emerge from an old-fashioned film developing tray, each image shared seems like a brand new discovery.

And if you want to take an even longer look at the Rescued Film collection, they also have a full gallery online. In conversations with the team at Rescued Film, we learned that they have over four thousand images in their archive, most of which have not been made public yet. That means you should stay tuned to their feed for more beautiful photos and curious surprises!

3. Cotton Eyed Doug

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With an undeniably vibrant and vast collection of found photographs, Douglas Abrahamson’s Instagram feed will impress you with its colorful charm. Whether he’s curating color or black-and-white images, @cotton_eyed_doug carefully chooses a series of photos to share every week. One of the things we love most about this feed is the sheer number of faces depicted. From old-school photo booth selfies to family vacation snapshots, this feed will keep you staring, scrolling and smiling! Above all, the thousands of vintage photos in Douglas Abrahamson’s feed confirm the power of anonymous photographers documenting ordinary moments in everyday lives.

Whether you’re one of the many people who are captivated by those boxes of old photos in thrift shops, or just someone who enjoys well-curated visual art, you’ll be glad you followed these feeds. They’re all three consistently enjoyable and expertly-crafted. Plus, there’s tons of vintage eye candy to inspire you to take a closer look at those boxes of old family photos in your parent’s attic!

rachellacourBy Rachel LaCour Niesen, Steward of Stories & Founder of SaveFamilyPhotos.

Rachel is a Yankee by birth but a Southern storyteller at heart. When a much-loved uncle gifted her with her first SLR camera, Rachel found her calling in photography. In pursuit of her passion, she headed to the University of Missouri, where she studied Photojournalism and Art History. Since then her work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. Along with her business partners, she founded LaCour, a wedding photography studio based in Atlanta. As LaCour grew, the team co-founded ShootQ, a cloud-based business management application for photographers. In 2010, ShootQ was acquired by Pictage. When she’s not curating old family photos, she enjoys adventures with her husband and partner in entrepreneurship, Andrew Niesen.


5 Comments

Rachel Reeves says:

December 8, 2015 at 1:50 pm

Thank you for directing me to these feeds, Rachel! I’m following along!

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rachellacour says:

January 7, 2016 at 2:38 pm

You’re welcome, R. Happy New Year!

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