One of the most iconic landmarks in the United States, the Statue of Liberty towers 305 feet above Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. Before Lady Liberty — built by the French over the course of nine years — was given to the United States, however, her head was put on display in a park at the 1878 Paris World’s Fair to raise funds for her body’s completion. Luckily, photos of this display — as well as images of her torch-bearing arm on display in Madison Square Park — still exist today. (Look at these other photos from American life in the 19th century.)
Early photographs of famous monuments and buildings can help keep the history of these cultural sites alive. 24/7 Tempo assembled a list of some of the most important and visually stunning monuments and landmarks around the world from a number of sites, including CNN, Travel & Leisure, Architectural Digest, Britannica, The Culture Trip, and Wonders of the World. Then we sought out memorable early photographic images of the key examples we found.
Because the older landmarks, such as Stonehenge and the Colosseum, were already in a state of disrepair by the time photography was invented, the earliest photos we have of these ancient sites may still leave much to the imagination as to their previous splendor. (To see some examples of better-preserved ancient architecture, check out Europe’s most beautiful castles.)
Click here to see early photographs of the world’s most famous landmarks
Many of the newer monuments — such as the Sydney Opera House and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpar — are still in good condition, but like all things, they will inevitably decay over the centuries, so having a photographic record of them in their relative youth will be appreciated by future generations.
Great Sphinx of Giza
> Location: Giza, Egypt
> Construction completed: circa 2520 B.C.
> Year of photograph: circa 1870s
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The Great Pyramid of Giza
> Location: Giza, Egypt
> Year of photograph:
> Construction completed: circa 2490 B.C.
Stonehedge
> Location: Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
> Construction completed: circa 1600 B.C.
> Year of photograph: 1935
The Parthenon
> Location: Athens, Greece
> Construction completed: 432 B.C.
> Year of photograph:
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The Western Wall
> Location: Jerusalem, Israel
> Construction completed: 20 B.C.
> Year of photograph: 1895
The Colosseum
> Location: Rome, Italy
> Construction completed: circa 80
> Year of photograph:
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Pantheon
> Location: Rome, Italy
> Construction completed: 125
> Year of photograph: Late 19th century
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Hagia Sophia
> Location: Istanbul, Turkey
> Construction completed: 537
> Year of photograph:
Angkor Wat
> Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia
> Construction completed: circa 1150
> Year of photograph:
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Machu Picchu
> Location: Cuzco area, Peru
> Construction completed: circa 1450
> Year of photograph: 1912
Leaning Tower of Pisa
> Location: Pisa, Italy
> Construction completed: 1372
> Year of photograph: Unknown
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Mont Saint-Michel Abbey
> Location: Normandy, France
> Construction completed: 1523
> Year of photograph: circa 1880
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St. Basil’s Cathedral
> Location: Moscow, Russia
> Construction completed: 1561
> Year of photograph: circa 1875
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
> Location: Istanbul, Turkey
> Construction completed: 1616
> Year of photograph:
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St. Peter’s Basilica
> Location: Vatican City, Italy
> Construction completed: 1626
> Year of photograph:
Taj Mahal
> Location: Agra, India
> Construction completed: 1653
> Year of photograph: Early 20th century
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Buckingham Palace
> Location: London, England
> Construction completed: 1703-1913
> Year of photograph: Unknown
St. Paul’s Cathedral
> Location: London, England
> Construction completed: 1710
> Year of photograph:
The Grand Palace
> Location: Bangkok, Thailand
> Construction completed: 1782
> Year of photograph: circa 1880
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The White House
> Location: Washington, D.C., United States
> Construction completed: 1800
> Year of photograph: circa 1846
Brooklyn Bridge
> Location: East River, between Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1883
> Year of photograph: circa 1875
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Statue of Liberty
> Location: Liberty Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1886
> Year of photograph: 1883
Neuschwanstein Castle
> Location: Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, Germany
> Construction completed: 1886
> Year of photograph: circa 1900
Washington Monument
> Location: Washington, D.C., United States
> Construction completed: 1884
> Year of photograph: 1864
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Eiffel Tower
> Location: Paris, France
> Construction completed: 1889
> Year of photograph: 1889
Tower Bridge
> Location: London, England
> Construction completed: 1894
> Year of photograph: 1894
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Flatiron Building
> Location: New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1902
> Year of photograph: 1902
Times Tower (One Times Square)
> Location: New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1904
> Year of photograph: circa 1910s
Manhattan Bridge
> Location: East River, between Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1909
> Year of photograph:
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Lincoln Memorial
> Location: Washington, D.C., United States
> Construction completed: 1922
> Year of photograph: 1922
Hollywood (originally Hollywoodland) Sign
> Location: Mount Lee, Hollywood Hills, California, United States
> Construction completed: 1923
> Year of photograph: 1924
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Plaza de España
> Location: Seville, Spain
> Construction completed: 1928
> Year of photograph: 1932
Empire State Building
> Location: New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1931
> Year of photograph: Early 1930s
Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor)
> Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
> Construction completed: 1931
> Year of photograph: circa 1930
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Sydney Harbour Bridge
> Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Construction completed: 1932
> Year of photograph: Early 1930s
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
> Location: San Francisco Bay, California, United States
> Construction completed: 1934
> Year of photograph:
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Golden Gate Bridge
> Location: San Francisco Bay, between San Francisco and Marin County, California, United States
> Construction completed: 1937
> Year of photograph: 1935
Fallingwater
> Location: Mill Run, Pennsylvania, United States
> Construction completed: 1939
> Year of photograph: 1937
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Mount Rushmore
> Location: Pennington County, South Dakota
> Construction completed: 1941
> Year of photograph: circa 1940
The Space Needle
> Location: Seattle, Washington, United States
> Construction completed: 1961
> Year of photograph:
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Gateway Arch
> Location: St. Louis, Missouri, United States
> Construction completed: 1965
> Year of photograph: circa 1964
Madison Square Garden (current location)
> Location: New York City, New York, United States
> Construction completed: 1968
> Year of photograph:
Milan Cathedral (Duomo di Milano)
> Location: Milan, Italy
> Construction completed: 1386-1965
> Year of photograph: 1922
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Sydney Opera House
> Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Construction completed: 1973
> Year of photograph: 1973
The Willis Tower (Sears Tower)
> Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States
> Construction completed: 1974
> Year of photograph: circa 1972
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Channel Tunnel
> Location: English Channel between Folkestone, Kent, England and Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, France
> Construction completed: 1994
> Year of photograph: 1993
Petronas Towers
> Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
> Construction completed: 1996
> Year of photograph: 1996
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