Some photos send shivers down your spine, even if they aren’t meant to. An innocuous photo can seem disturbing when viewed through the lens of history or stripped of its context. Why does it seem so creepy? What is the story behind it?
Throughout time, cameras have captured moments that have sparked curiosity, anxiety, and countless questions. These haunting images weren’t created to be creepy, but their mysterious details or forgotten history make them unforgettable.
Sometimes finding out the truth behind them can relieve the tension, but other times it only adds to the mystery. Are you ready to uncover the stories behind these chilling echoes of the past?
Mountain of Buffalo Skulls (1892).
This haunting photograph taken in 1892 outside the Michigan Carbon Works in Rougeville, Michigan, captures a shocking moment in history. It shows a huge mountain of buffalo skulls collected for processing into bone glue, fertiliser and charcoal. What makes this image so disturbing is the story it tells – not just about the exploitation of natural resources, but about the massive losses associated with colonisation and industrialisation.
In the early 19th century, there were between 30 and 60 million bison in North America. By the time this photograph was taken, their numbers had dwindled to a staggering low of just 456 wild bison. Settler expansion westward, as well as market demand for bison hides and bones, led to the brutal extermination of the once thriving herds. Between 1850 and the late 1870s, most of the herds were destroyed, leaving behind both ecological and cultural devastation.
The towering pile of bones in this photograph is not just evidence of industrial greed; it also reflects the deep bond between indigenous peoples and bison, a bond forcibly severed by this massive destruction. The bones, stacked as a man-made mountain, blur the line between natural and man-made landscapes, a concept that photographer Edward Burtynsky later called ‘manufactured landscapes.’
Today, thanks to conservation efforts, some 31,000 wild bison roam North America. This photograph serves as a stark reminder of how close we came to losing them completely – a chilling look at a past shaped by choices that still echo today.
Inger Jacobsen and Bülow (1954)
This photograph from the mid-1950s may seem a little creepy at first glance, but it most likely captures an ordinary day in the life of Norwegian singer Inger Jacobsen and her husband, Danish ventriloquist Jacky Hein Bülow Jantzen, better known by his stage name Jacky Bülow.
Jacobsen was a favourite singer in Norway and even represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962. At the same time, Bülow brought his unique charm and ventriloquist talent to audiences at a time when this art form was flourishing, especially on radio and nascent television.
Photography looks like a snapshot of a bygone era, a glimpse into a world that seems far removed from today. However, ventriloquism, while becoming less common, has not completely disappeared. The skill and creativity of ventriloquists continues to captivate audiences, and three performers – Terry Fator (2007), Paul Zerdin (2015), and Darci Lynn (2017) – have even won America’s Got Talent. It’s proof that the world may be changing, but some traditions continue to live on in unexpected ways.
The Sleeping Mummy Trader (1875).
Mummies have always fascinated mankind, and ancient Egyptian mummies have captivated the imagination for over 2,000 years. But the way they have been treated throughout human history reveals a strange and sometimes disturbing story.
During the Middle Ages, Europeans used mummies for a variety of purposes: ground into powder to create supposed medicines, turned into torches because they burned so well, and even used them to treat ailments such as coughs or broken bones. The belief that mummies were embalmed with healing bitumen fuelled this trend, although this was not actually the case. By the 19th century, the medical use of mummies had waned, but interest in them remained.
Grave robbers fuelled the demand for mummies, and merchants shipped them from Egypt to Europe and America, where they became prized possessions of the wealthy. They were displayed as status symbols or used for research. One of the strangest trends of the 1800s was the ‘unwrapping party,’ where mummies were ceremoniously unwrapped in front of curious onlookers, blurring the lines between science and entertainment.
This image of a merchant resting amongst a multitude of mummies highlights how these ancient artefacts became a commodity that was used for a variety of purposes, from medical experiments to drawing room spectacles. It’s a reminder of how cultural treasures were once treated – and why their preservation is so important today.
Iron Lungs (1953)