Rare Photos by Frank Carpenter: People Around the World at the Turn of the 20th Century

Travel back in time with stunning vintage paintings that offer a panoramic glimpse of the world's diverse cultures, from Brazilian headhunters, Persian sadhus to Indian snake charmers from a century and a half ago.

Frank Carpenter embarked on his first global journey at a time when only a small percentage of Americans traveled abroad – less than one percent, to be exact.

Through his photographic dispatches from the farthest corners of the earth, Carpenter did not just share photographs.

They provided millions of people with a gateway to explore the rich fabric of human life, showcasing the myriad customs, traditions and landscapes of far-flung countries.

During three epic voyages around the world, Frank Carpenter collected a treasure trove of thousands of photographs, capturing the essence of the cultures and landscapes he encountered and enriching the world's understanding of its diversity.

Born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1855, Frank Carpenter began his career as a journalist, a profession that sparked his passion for travel.

By 1888, he had secured enough assignments with newspaper syndicates and magazines to finance his first trip around the world.

His primary task was simple: to send a weekly letter to these publications detailing his observations and experiences during his travels.

He continued to travel extensively, traveling 25,000 miles in South America in 1898, and later made letter-writing trips to Central America, South America, and Europe.

From the mid-1890s until his death, Carpenter traveled around the world almost continuously, writing nearly 40 books and numerous magazine articles about his travels.

His travels and writings were so extensive that historians have trouble pinpointing his exact whereabouts at any time, although his books tell us where he went.

His writings include personal memoirs and what he called 'geographical readers' for use in geography classes.

These would remain the standard texts used in American schools for forty years. His writings helped popularize cultural anthropology and geography.

With his daughter Frances Carpenter, Carpenter photographed Alaska between 1910 and 1924.

A collection of over 5,000 images was donated by Francis to the Library of Congress upon his death in 1972.

The Library of Congress's collection consists of approximately 16,800 photographs and approximately 7,000 negatives.

Carpenter died of illness in Nanking, China in 1924 during his third round-the-world tour.