In today’s world where we zip from one place to another in our cars on highways and where you can order a new outfit by a few taps on your phone, it can be hard to imagine a simpler time. In the early 1900s, Rhode Island was a much different place — horse-drawn buggies and city trolleys were the modes of transportation while the fashion trends included a lot more fabric and many hats. Take a look at these fascinating photos to see how much times have changed.

1. The busy traffic bustles along on Providence's Westminster Street in 1901.
Library of Congress/LC-USZ62-91660
2. The 40 Steps of the Newport Cliff Walk captured between 1900-1910.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-det-4a17165
3. This early 1900's photo of Narragansett Beach shows just how much beach attire has changed over the past century.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-det-4a17167
4. The crew aboard the yacht Reliance, the winner of the 1903's American Cup in Newport.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-ppmsca-54429/James Burton
5. A young woman working on hanging freshly laundered sheets and stockings on the clothesline in Newport in 1902.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-ppmsca-12060/Gertrude Kasebier

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6. Two gentlemen perched on the edge of Purgatory Chasm in Newport captured in this photo during 1902.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-stereo-1s15356
7. Women operating drill presses to make the holes in the bodies of hand grenades in a Providence factory between 1914-1918.
Library of Congress/LC-USZ62-111142
8. Women standing in front of the Congressional Union for Woman's Suffrage, National Summer Headquarters in Newport in 1914.
Library of Congress/LC-USZ62-24056/Ernst & Thuot
9. Groups of beachgoers lounging on Easton's Beach in Newport around 1910.
Library of Congress/LC-USZ62-37436
10. A view of Exchange Place in Providence during the early 1900s.
Library of Congress/LC-DIG-det-4a24483/Detroit Publishing Co.

If you found these photos from the early 1900s captivating, then you can take a closer look at these pictures taken during the Great Depression or these rare images captured during WWII.

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