Fri, January 23, 2026 at 9:41 PM UTC
Back when hashtags were called pound signs, and before anyone was “doin’ it for the ’gram” (do they even say that anymore?), everyday life was already being captured in color. That may come as a surprise to Gen Z, who often picture the 1950s and 1960s as mostly black-and-white eras.
Mid-century living room
Color Film Proved Everyday Life Was Anything But Beige
In fact, thanks to advances in color film like Kodachrome, the world back then was absolutely vivid, arguably even more so than today’s “neutral beige” trends you see everywhere. Even the Pantone Color of the Year for 2026 is PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, otherwise known as … white.
READ MORE: These Photos Perfectly Capture Life in Small-Town America During the ’70s
With Kodachrome, backyards glowed the greenest of greens, business “OPEN” signs popped in lustrous red, summer dresses burst with shades of blue and yellow, and, most of all, family photos felt alive.
Couple with vintage car on Florida beach
These weren’t filters added later — this was the real deal. You could even say the family photo album suddenly popped with color just as much as the latest issue of Life magazine. Every day life was… beautiful.
From kids playing in the yard and families on road trips to groceries in paper bags and neighbors sharing beers in the kitchen, life was vibrant.
Funnily enough, the “vintage” look so many smartphone photo apps try to recreate today was once just an everyday reality.