Everybody and their mother always complains about everything about our generation is so fake and superficial, with our Instagram and all its filters. We might be slightly more materialistic than the previous generations but really, whose fault is that?  

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And it’s not like, adding filters to photos is a recent invention. You will be surprised at how old this practice really is. 

This black and white instructional photography book, first published in 1868 is part of a large 10-volume collection made to instruct photographers on how to shoot and eliminate imperfections on their subjects. 

Below, you will see some of the photos taken from a book published in 1909!

Here’s a couple more. 

See, it’s not so different. Except back then, photographers used easel, magnifying glass, lead holder, lead, etching knife, spotting brush, retouching fluid, negative varnish, and etching paste and not apps. 

They were able to remove freckles, straighten crossed eyes, reduce thick necks among other things. They could even bring statues back to life. You can actually read more about it here. 

All the images have been sourced from the American School of Art & Photography.