Bystanders Collection

The Old Parliament House, Dublin, 19th century

Tommy Atkins at Etaples, between 1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Tommy Atkins at Etaples, between 1914 and c1915. Two British soldiers called "Tommys," helping some local residents at a water pump, E´taples, France, during World War I.

Wounded from battle of Vie [i.e., Vic] at Compiegne, 26 Oct 1914. Creator: Bain News Service
Wounded from battle of Vie [i.e., Vic] at Compiegne, 26 Oct 1914 (date created or published later). Men wounded in the battle of Vic-sur-Aisne being helped off a cart at the Compie`gne train station

French Siege gun, between c1914 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
French Siege gun, between c1914 and c1915. French soldiers in motor tractor which is pulling a large gun along the road at the beginning of World War I.

Gen. Pau, 19 Oct 1914. Creator: Bain News Service
Gen. Pau, 19 Oct 1914 (date created or published later). French General Paul Marie Cesar Gerald Pau, (1848-1932), at the beginning of World War I.

The Raising of Lazarus, 1615. Creator: Jan Tengnagel
The Raising of Lazarus, 1615

The Loyal Wife Koto Recognizes Her Long-Lost Husband as a Rickshaw Driver, published in 1875. Series: The Postal News, no. 621

Distant Fronts, In Mesopotamia; Arrival of General Maude's British Troops... 1917. Creator: Unknown
Distant Fronts, In Mesopotamia; Arrival of General Maude's British Troops into Baghdad, March 11, 1917, 1917. From "L'Album de la Guerre 1914-1919, Volume 2" [L'Illustration

View of the Banqueting House and Horse Guards Building in London, 1753. Creator: Unknown
View of the Banqueting House and Horse Guards Building in London, 1753

Street quarrel in London, 1826. Creator: Henry Bonaventure Monnier
Street quarrel in London, 1826. Londres / Discussion Orageuse'. Stormy discussion between a man and a woman with bystanders. Print no. 6 in a series of seven meetings in Paris and London

The Raising of Lazarus, 1515-1520. Creators: Master of the Legend of the Magdalen, Lucas van Leyden
The Raising of Lazarus, 1515-1520

Travel views of Europe, between 1904 and 1938. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Travel views of Europe, between 1904 and 1938

Celebration at the General Knox estate, 1931 July 25. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Celebration at the General Knox estate, 1931 July 25

Celebration at the General Knox estate, 1931 July 25. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Celebration at the General Knox estate, 1931 July 25

Dr. Lauro Muller, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil - Envoy from Brazil To Return Visit...1913 Creator
Dr. Lauro Muller, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil - Envoy from Brazil To Return Visit of Secretary Root, Arriving at Washington, 1913

Army, U.S. Armored Car, 1916. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Army, U.S. Armored Car, 1916. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Army, U.S. Armored Car, 1916. First World War: armoured vehicle, No. 8 Battalion, Machine Gun Corps, Washington, DC. Note telegram delivery boy in Western Union cap

Army, U.S, Capt. - Renwick with Army Truck, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Army, U.S, Capt
Army, U.S, Capt. - Renwick with Army Truck, 1917. First World War: armoured vehicle with machine gun, built by Standard Steel Car Company of Pittsburg. Note telegram delivery boy in Western Union cap

Army, U.S, Capt. - Renwick with Army Truck, 1917. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Army, U.S, Capt
Army, U.S, Capt. - Renwick with Army Truck, 1917. First World War: armoured vehicle with machine gun, built by Standard Steel Car Company of Pittsburg. Note telegram delivery boy in Western Union cap

The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, 1450-60. Creator: Master ES
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, 1450-60

Celebrating Deadwood people celebrating the building of the largest reduction works of... 1888. Creator: John C. H
Celebrating. Deadwood people celebrating the building of the largest reduction works of the kind (for gold and silver ores) in the world []

The marriage of Princess Alice with Prince Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt... 1862. Creator: Unknown
The marriage of Princess Alice with Prince Louis of Hesse-Darmstadt: Departure of Their Royal Highnesses from Osborne for St

Louis Zborowskis Mercedes after his fatal crash at Monza, Italy, 1924. Creator: Unknown
Louis Zborowskis Mercedes after his fatal crash at Monza, Italy, 19 October 1924

The Omnibus after the Smash, 1906. The wreckage of a London Motor Omnibus after an accident at Handcross, West Sussex, England. From The Tatler Volume 21 [The Tatler, London, 1906]

Bathing ghat on the Yamuna River, Muttra, 1917

Balloon, 1878. Artist: Pal Szinyei Merse
Balloon, 1878. Hot air balloons are the oldest successful human flight technology, dating back to the Montgolfier brothers, Musee de Beaux Arts, Budapest

The Fortune Teller, 1626. Creator: Valentin de Boulogne
The Fortune Teller, 1626

Carcase of an Ox. Rome, 1883-1884. Creator: Theodor Esbern Philipsen
Carcase of an Ox. Rome, 1883-1884

A Troup of Performers Arriving at the Fair at Dyrehavsbakken Near the Deer Park, North of Copenhagen, 1798-1801

Attack on the King of Spain on his wedding day, a bomb thrown from a window on the procession (colour litho)
2814904 Attack on the King of Spain on his wedding day, a bomb thrown from a window on the procession (colour litho) by Beltrame

Men pause a moment to watch, and then pass on, Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Men pause a moment to watch, and then pass on

General view of army and crowds, Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. General view of army and crowds. [Signs: Danger - Street Closed; Pause...Drink Coca-Cola; Steam Welcome Here; Okanes Imported Whiskies - Bourbon

Preaching to the crowd, Salvation Army, San Francisco, California, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Preaching to the crowd. Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. [Signs: Headquarters for Union Men - We Sell Everything That Men Wear; Can t Bust Em Work Clothing; Maxs Shop For Men ]

Bystanders, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1936. Creator: Walker Evans
Bystanders, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Possibly: Bystanders, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1936. Creator: Walker Evans
[Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bystanders, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania]

A town square, illustration for Mitsou by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) published 1930 (etching & drypoint)
STC240025 A town square, illustration for Mitsou by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (1873-1954) published 1930 (etching & drypoint) by Chahine

Enlarged Study for an illustration in Tacitus "Tibere
Enlarged Study for an illustration in Tacitus " Tibere, ou Les Six Premiers Livres des Annales", Book 1, Vol. 1, c. 1768

Death on the Striped Pig, 1839 (colour litho)
AQS254811 Death on the Striped Pig, 1839 (colour litho) by Johnston, David Claypoole (1798-1865) (after); American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA; (add.info.: or)

In Lenins Russia (colour litho)
2808660 In Lenins Russia (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info.: In Lenins Russia. The scene of one of the many looting of private homes in Petrograd)

Shooting in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris (colour litho)
2779523 Shooting in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Shooting in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris)

Dramatic escape of a nun from a monastery in Marseille (colour litho)
2798833 Dramatic escape of a nun from a monastery in Marseille (colour litho) by Beltrame, Achille (1871-1945); Private Collection; (add.info)

Unloading of the newly arrived Indian Rhinoceros, London Zoo, 1924 (b / w photo)
3066102 Unloading of the newly arrived Indian Rhinoceros, London Zoo, 1924 (b/w photo) by Bond, Frederick William (1887-1942); Zoological Society of London; eZoological Society of London; British

Full Cry, engraved by R. G. Reeve, c. 1830 (colour litho)
BSA266461 Full Cry, engraved by R.G. Reeve, c.1830 (colour litho) by Wolstenholme, Dean Snr. (1757-1837) (after); 77.5x90 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

Centennial celebration of the inaugration of George Washington (1732-99) New York City
NYH258319 Centennial celebration of the inaugration of George Washington (1732-99) New York City, April 30th 1889 (b/w photo) by Hall, G.P

The Butterfield Overland Mail Coach, published in Harpers Weekly
PNP265245 The Butterfield Overland Mail Coach, published in Harpers Weekly, 11 December 1858 (engraving) by American School

The First Communion, 1878 (oil on canvas)
3822412 The First Communion, 1878 (oil on canvas) by Morris, Phillip Richard (1838-1902); 49.5x75.3 cm; Calderdale Museums Service, West Yorkshire, UK; eCalderdale Borough Council; British

Sailors on a Cruise, from Greenwich Hospital, a Series of Naval Sketches
2655424 Sailors on a Cruise, from Greenwich Hospital, a Series of Naval Sketches, Descriptive of a Life of a Man-of-Wars Man, pub

Wooden trestle bridge of the US (Union) Military Railroad (b / w photograph)
PNP264374 Wooden trestle bridge of the US (Union) Military Railroad (b/w photograph) by Brady, Mathew (1823-96); Private Collection; Peter Newark American Pictures; American, out of copyright

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In the midst of chaos and tragedy, bystanders bear witness to the unfolding events that shape history. From the lorry crash in Lostwithiel, Cornwall in September 1990 to Louis Zborowskis fatal crash at Monza, Italy in 1924, their presence is a constant reminder of our shared vulnerability. The Omnibus after the Smash in 1906 captures a moment frozen in time when ordinary people become witnesses to an unexpected calamity. Similarly, on the banks of Yamuna River in Muttra during 1917, bathers turned into bystanders as they watched life unfold before them. Sometimes these moments are deliberate acts of violence like the attack on the King of Spain on his wedding day or a murder on Paris' Boulevard des Capucines. In these instances, innocent bystanders find themselves unwittingly caught up in events beyond their control. Yet not all encounters are marked by tragedy; sometimes it is salvation that draws us together. Men pause for a moment to watch Salvation Army members spreading hope and faith on San Francisco's streets during 1939. The general view shows army personnel surrounded by crowds who gather to witness this powerful display of compassion and resilience. They have always played an essential role throughout history – from Jack Sheppard's last journey depicted vividly by William Harrison Ainsworth's hand-colored etching published back in 1839 to witnessing The Marquis of Montrose at his execution site during Edinburgh's dark days. Whether we find ourselves captivated by historical events or simply observing everyday occurrences like those captured by Dorothea Lange or Walker Evans - be it preaching Salvation Army sermons or capturing daily life - bystanders remind us that we are all connected through our collective experiences as human beings.