Photographer Captures Side-By-Side Portraits of People Over 100 with Their Younger Selves
Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101
Jan Langer
Vejdělek is a former metallurgical engineer who will never forget the taste of warm fresh goat’s milk.
Centenarians — people 100 years or older — are a rarity. Their lives are often scrutinized as holding the key to aging.
Czech photographer Jan Langer’s portrait series “Faces of Century” shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time.
In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven’t changed over time. That is the key to the series.
These are the rare faces of people who have lived through two world wars, a cavalcade of regimes, and the rush of advancements in modern life. These photos, and the stories of the lives lived by the people in them, show not only the beauty of aging, but how even as we age, we still remain essentially ourselves.
More: Jan Langer h/t: upworthy
Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103
Jan Langer
Originally born in Merano, Italy, Köhlerová wishes to visit Italy one more time.
Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102
Jan Langer
Chybík is a former postal carrier and says he will never forget the route he worked every day.
Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105
Jan Langer
Jetelina spent eight years in prison after World War II. Now, he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace.
Marie Fejfarová, at age 101
Jan Langer
Fejfarová burned all her material memories, including old photographs, when she decided to move to a long-term care facility. She lived a dramatic life, hiding from the Nazis and then the Russians, but eventually she was able to travel the world with her husband. Her experiences show there’s no such thing as too late in life to start a new chapter.
Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102
Jan Langer
Kovář is a former musician whose daughter comes to visit him every day. He wishes to play the clarinet once more.
Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102
Jan Langer
Vašinová will always remember the day her husband was taken away by the Nazis. She wishes to be reunited with him after death.
Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102
Jan Langer
Spáčil was an electrical engineer throughout his life and thinks that it’s too early in his life to think about the past.
Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100
Jan Langer
Pochobradská was a farmer. She now lives a quiet life and is thankful that her daughter visits her every weekend.
Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101
Jan Langer
Baldrman was a clerk early in life and keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper.
Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101
Jan Langer
Burešová loves talking to her family and wishes to have them all together again.
Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101
Jan Langer
Čížková cooked in the dining room at the airport in the small village of Vodochody. She’ll never forget reciting her own poetry at wedding ceremonies.
Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101
Jan Langer
Vysloužilová stays active every day by chopping wood, shoveling snow, and doing work around her house.
