Vintage Photos Capture People Wearing Masks During the Great Smog in the 1950s – Design You Trust

Vintage Photos Capture People Wearing Masks During the Great Smog in the 1950s


Bettmann

In early December 1952, a thick layer of smog–a combination of cold weather, windless conditions, and sulfurous acidic smoke arising from the abundant use of coal–settled over the British capital. As London had already been infamous for its heavy fog, there was no panic.

However, it was estimated that up to 12,000 people had been killed by the toxic “pea-souper” and over 100,000 became ill. As the air was filled with dirt and the unpleasant acrid taste, people started putting on masks to protect themselves from the smog.

Take a look through 13 vintage photographs to see how people deal with the situation by wearing masks…

h/t: vintag.es


Mirrorpix


Keystone


Juliette Lasserre


Popperfoto


Juliette Lasserre


Juliette Lasserre


Monty Fresco


Bettmann


Bettmann


Terry Fincher


Bettmann


Monty Fresco

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