25 Photos of What Life Looked Like in 1930

Daniel Bonfiglio Published 01/23/2025 in wow

By 1930 the roaring '20s were at their end, and the world was about to find itself in the midst of one of the worst periods of economic turmoil ever.

However, for those with the means to ignore it, the '30s were still pretty good, and a time to put World Wars in the rear view mirror. (And the front windshield.)

Here are 25 photos showing what life looked like in 1930.

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1. Richard Nixon at Age 17
Playing football in 1930.
2. Vintage Showgirls
On a Night Train, 1930.
3. Construction Equipment
Working in 1930.
4. Student Protesting
Asking for higher pay for teachers, 1930.
5. Lou Gehrig
Spring training in 1930.
6. Two Waiters
Serving Two Steel Workers Building the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in NYC, 1930.
7. Dancers
Doing the Lindy Hop, 1930.
8. Young Indigenous Woman
Holding a baby at a train station, circa 1930.
9. Hedy Lamarr, 1930
Often dubbed the “most beautiful woman in the world,” she was also the inventor of a wireless system which became the basis for the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS systems we use today.
10. Alfred Hitchcock
Having tea with an associate, 1930.
11. A Diver
After being successfully hoisted, unharmed from a depth of 180 feet in 1930.
12. John Wayne
Looking good in 1930.
13. A Young Girl
And her best friend, 1930.
14. Popeye?
A man smoking a cigar, New Jersey, 1930.
15. New Orleans, 1930
Colorized photo.
16. Echo Park
A sprouting Los Angeles, 1930.
17. Gary Cooper
On the set of “The Texan,” 1930.
18. Albert Einstein
Arriving to America for the first time in 1930.
19. A Man in 1930
After a successful hunt.
20. “My Grandparents”
“He was an attorney and she was a teacher. Strolling down the streets of Phoenix, AZ, near the Capitol building.” 1930.
21. Paris
A lesbian couple in a gay nightclub, 1930.
22. Central Park
New York, 1930.
23. “My Grandad in 1930”
“With his motorcycle, which still survives in my garage.”
24. Portrait of Frida Kahlo
By Edward Weston, San Francisco, CA, 1930.
25. Jean Bugatti
With a Bugatti Type 41 'Royale' 12.7 litre, straight-8 Roadster. 1930.

1. Richard Nixon at Age 17
Playing football in 1930.
2. Vintage Showgirls
On a Night Train, 1930.
3. Construction Equipment
Working in 1930.
4. Student Protesting
Asking for higher pay for teachers, 1930.
5. Lou Gehrig
Spring training in 1930.
6. Two Waiters
Serving Two Steel Workers Building the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in NYC, 1930.
7. Dancers
Doing the Lindy Hop, 1930.
8. Young Indigenous Woman
Holding a baby at a train station, circa 1930.
9. Hedy Lamarr, 1930
Often dubbed the “most beautiful woman in the world,” she was also the inventor of a wireless system which became the basis for the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS systems we use today.
10. Alfred Hitchcock
Having tea with an associate, 1930.
11. A Diver
After being successfully hoisted, unharmed from a depth of 180 feet in 1930.
12. John Wayne
Looking good in 1930.
13. A Young Girl
And her best friend, 1930.
14. Popeye?
A man smoking a cigar, New Jersey, 1930.
15. New Orleans, 1930
Colorized photo.
16. Echo Park
A sprouting Los Angeles, 1930.
17. Gary Cooper
On the set of “The Texan,” 1930.
18. Albert Einstein
Arriving to America for the first time in 1930.
19. A Man in 1930
After a successful hunt.
20. “My Grandparents”
“He was an attorney and she was a teacher. Strolling down the streets of Phoenix, AZ, near the Capitol building.” 1930.
21. Paris
A lesbian couple in a gay nightclub, 1930.
22. Central Park
New York, 1930.
23. “My Grandad in 1930”
“With his motorcycle, which still survives in my garage.”
24. Portrait of Frida Kahlo
By Edward Weston, San Francisco, CA, 1930.
25. Jean Bugatti
With a Bugatti Type 41 'Royale' 12.7 litre, straight-8 Roadster. 1930.