Everybody loves a creepy Easter bunny picture, but there’s a lot more to vintage Easter photos than terrifying bunny costumes.
Easter photos have long been a family tradition; in countries where Easter is celebrated widely, it’s a day when the entire clan dresses in their very best attire, attended church or a family gathering, and possibly exchanged small gifts – all of which are great photo opportunities.
And, of course, there’s the long-standing practice of sitting for photos with guys in suits and/or other animals/shapes/items associated with the holiday and spring in general, and you’re left with a pretty great trail of vintage Easter photos that are funny, odd, and yes, sometimes a little terrifying.
Here are just a few:
Around the early 1900s, compositing was crazy popular…and not quite as sophisticated as it is now. Which means you ended up with a lot of images like this Norwegian Easter card which features a little girl on a see-saw (balanced on an egg?) with some rabbits. Sure!
Here’s another great one from the National Library of Norway. Skipping the compositing and moving right toward fun props, this photographer decided to include all of the elements in the shot. And, of course, there are a lot of eggs. You can’t have an Easter photo without eggs.
All eggs everywhere. And…is this a taxidermied rabbit? It’s so hard to tell. The little girl seems excited either way.
Easter hats! Look at all these Easter hats. This photo was snapped on Easter in 1912 on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Here are some more Easter hats from the Library of Congress; this one is from 1914.
What’s that? You wanted more Easter hats? Here’s a photo that was used as an advertisement for a Whitman’s Chocolate sampler.
The facial expressions in this image are unstoppable. The bunny mask is a nice touch, too.
Ok, ok. Here’s a creepy bunny to satisfy all of your throwback Easter needs. We’re not sure why this particular rabbit is putting what appears to be a tiara made of flowers on this adult woman’s head, but, you know. To each their own.
Top image via.
