Belfast in Amazing Rare Color Photographs, 1955
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
These amazing color photos of Belfast capture the shipyards, the lively streets, the everyday life, the fashion, and document a city worlds away from the one we know today. The pictures were taken by documentary and Press photographer, Bert Hardy, who’s best known for his work in the Picture Post magazine.
h/t: rarehistoricalphotos
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
There is the romance of long-forgotten times when Belfast trams still ran, and steam trains thundered to Derry, Enniskillen, and Newcastle while the Fintona horse tram was still in operation. There were only 60,000 phones so the telegram, letter, and postcard remained crucial to communication.
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
There were still 50,000 horses on Ulster farms and they remained a significant element in urban transport and outnumbered the 54,000 cars. In the home, central heating and double glazing were almost unheard of, and very few households possessed a fridge.
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images