I love to see how people used to live. It really gives you perspective, it can make you appreciate modern conveniences, and it can also make you nostalgic for how things once were. Luckily, people captured some shots of how life was in Wisconsin in the 1930s-1940s. Here are some great shots.
- This man and wife are standing in front of their log and peat cabin in Juneau in 1936.
Paul Carter/Photogrammar
- These women are doing quality control at a pea canning facility in Sun Prairie in 1937.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
- This woman is buying stamps from the post office in Siren in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- These gents are working at a cheese factory in Antigo in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- These men load pulpwood onto railroad cars in Springbrook in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- These youngsters are in a toy gun fight in Boscobel in 1939.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- This kid could sleep anywhere. This photo taken in Tipler in 1937.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
- These houses were under the Wisconsin Avenue viaduct in Milwaukee in 1936.
Carl Mydans/Photogrammar
- This Vernon woman looks thrilled about putting her pie in an electric oven in 1942.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
- This is what the health department looked like in New Glarus in 1937.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
- This is a shot of a dairy farm in La Crosse in 1942.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- This family is sitting around the table in 1942 in Vernon County.
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
- This man is operating a threshing rye in Portage in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- This lady is taking a break from bean picking in Shawano in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- Grandpa and Grandma are hanging out in their home in Alvin in 1937.
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
- These men are working on submarines in Manitowoc in 1942.
Ann Rosener/Photogrammar
- Check out this Dodge farmhouse in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- Here is a 1941 cheese market in Kenosha.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- This boy is busy picking cherries in Door County in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- These men pack butter into boxes in Portage in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
- This dairy herd is hanging out in Fond du Lac in 1941.
John Vachon/Photogrammar
Aren’t these great? If you have some old photos hanging around, be sure to share them on the Only in Wisconsin Facebook page!
Paul Carter/Photogrammar
Russell Lee/Photogrammar
John Vachon/Photogrammar
Carl Mydans/Photogrammar
Arthur Rothstein/Photogrammar
Ann Rosener/Photogrammar
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