Last Updated on July 18, 2025 by Matt Staff
These vintage photos capture the heart of the decade, its sacrifices, victories, and the quiet strength of those who lived through it. Whether it’s women stepping into roles once reserved for men, children saying goodbye to evacuated siblings, or jubilant celebrations at the war’s end, each image is a window into the human side of history.
1. A Week’s Worth of Rations for Two During Wartime Britain
2. Women Stepped Up to Keep the World Moving During WWII
3. An Air Warden’s Quiet Bravery in the Midst of the Blitz
4. Three-Year-Old Eileen Dunne Injured in the London Blitz
5. American Soldiers Bring Joy to Dutch Children During WWII
6. Children Enjoying Carrots on a Stick as a Sweet Alternative During Wartime Rationing
7. Wartime Christmas at the Hospital with a Soldier Who Gave More Than Most
8. A Long-Awaited Embrace as He Returns Home from War
9. British Children Huddled in a Slit Trench While Air Raids Rumble Overhead
10. The Real Face Behind Rosie the Riveter, Captured in a Moment of Strength and Determination
11. Mother and Child Outside Their Nissan Hut, Holding Onto Normalcy in Wartime Housing
12. Australian and American Soldiers Share a Cold Beer in Wartime Bonding
13. Love Amid the Ruins as a Couple Marries in a Bombed-Out London Church
14. Finnish Mothers Ready Their Children for Evacuation in the Face of War
15. Finding Peace With A Cup of Tea After the Blitz
16. Margarine Shortages Lead to Long Lines at Bronx Grocery Store in the 1940s
17. Sailors Line Up for Inspection at Great Lakes Naval Station, 1940
18. Boy Scouts and Neighbors Team Up to Collect Paper for the WWII Effort
19. A Packed Greyhound Bus Heads Toward Holiday Reunions During Wartime
20. Housewives Chat Through the Fence in Their Gas Masks
21. Dalí at Work on “The Face of War,” 1941
22. Winston Churchill With a Tommy Gun
23. Women Celebrate V-E Day in Riotous Halifax
24. New Yorkers Rest Amid the Confetti of V-E Day
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The 1940s were a decade unlike any other, defined by war, but remembered for the strength and spirit that carried people through it. For more powerful glimpses into the past, explore our collections of 25 Iconic Moments in History Captured in Color, 24 Vintage Photos That Perfectly Capture the Prohibition Era, and 35 Photos That Prove the Eighties Were Just Better.