It can be fun to pull out an old photo album and take a walk down memory lane, especially when you’re perusing through images of eras long past. These 23 candid photos show was life was like in Louisiana in the 1930s, and it’s surprising to see how much it has changed… and in some cases, how much has stayed the same. Take a look at these nostalgic photos and see if you recognize any landmarks in the background!

1. A group of men surveying land in Natchitoches Parish in 1933.
Wikimedia Commons/National Archives and Records Administration
2. Prisoners in Angola Prison spending time in the yard 1934.
Wikimedia Commons / Alan Lomax
Folk musician and 12-string guitar virtuoso Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter is the man standing in the foreground.
3. Nothing beats the heat like a dip in the pool. This photo of a public swimming pool in Houma could have been taken yesterday, but it's actually from 1934.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
4. A trio of friends making music together in Plaquemines Parish in 1935.
Library of Congress Archives (Image ID: fsa 8a16783)
5. A man and his daughter on their porch in Plaquemines Parish in 1935.
Wikimedia Commons / Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration
6. Men pausing to read a safety poster in Ouachita Parish in 1936.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
7. A night school class in Kenner in 1936.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
8. A librarian sitting quietly at the Point Coupee Parish Library in New Roads in 1936.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
9. Workmen beginning construction on the Arabi Community Center in 1936.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
10. The oil industry and Louisiana have a long history together, as this picture from 1936 suggests.
Wikimedia Commons / Robert Yarnall Richie (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)
11. Workers terracing the grounds outside of Springfield High School in 1937.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration

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12. An oil industry worker in 1937.
Wikimedia Commons / Robert Yarnall Richie (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)
13. Workers digging a water main in Madisonville in 1937.
Wikimedia Commons / Works Progress Administration
14. A group of friends relaxing on the dock in Boothville in 1938. Some things never change!
Library of Congress Archives (Image ID: fsa 8a24480)
15. Two friends passing time by playing cards in Reserve in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
16. An ice cream man waiting for customers at the State Fair in Donaldsonville in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
17. Another picture that just transcends through the ages; these men in Pilottown are enjoying a cold beer after a hard day of work in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
18. A crowd gathering to watch a magician at the State Fair in Donaldsonville in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
19. A group of men and their four-legged friend conversing on a porch in Iberia Parish in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
20. Two men sitting inside of a general store in Olga in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
21. A man unloading his haul after a day of harvesting oysters in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
22. Again, some things never change - these fine folks are enjoying themselves at a bar in Pilottown in 1938.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)
23. Cheers! These friends in Raceland in 1938 sure look like they’re having a wonderful time.
Wikimedia Commons / Russell Lee (Farm Security Administration)

Did you recognize any of the places in these cool vintage photos? Do you have some of your own to share? Let us know in the comments below!

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