Trends of the Decades - The 1930s

The ‘30s

If the Roaring ‘20s was the adolescent wild child of decades, the ‘30s that followed in its wake were more of a restrained older sibling.

The mood across the world had changed for a decade facing growing hardships. The Great Depression gripped hard, bringing poverty and unemployment to many. Life became a daily struggle and the 1920s air of celebration had long fizzled out as gathering clouds of war formed on the horizon.

Yet, there was still light breaking the gloom. Humanity is nothing if not resilient, and below you'll find a few illuminating shards that remind us how amazing life continues to be in the face of adversity.

The Tempest Photography Timeline

For Tempest Photography, this decade was a pivotal one. It was the period that saw Horace Tempest set out on his own in the school photography business.

It was a low-key affair at the time, a true small acorn of an idea, that saw him travel on a bicycle laden with photography equipment to the various schools requesting his growing expertise.

Despite such humble beginnings, in the grand scheme of life, it was also probably the most important point in the Tempest Photography timeline. The ‘30s were the foundation years.

Photography in the ‘30s

Advances in photography during this decade were particularly colourful. Although colour photos had been around since the beginning of the century, it wasn’t until the ‘30s that they became more commonplace and changed the face of the medium forevermore.

• Kodachrome arrived in 1935 and pushed the surge in colour film and photography to new heights. It was the dawn of a new era in colour that, in collaboration with new approaches in documentary-style images, revolutionised the way history would be documented.

The Big Moments

On April 18, 1930, BBC News made the announcement 'there is no news' and instead played music for the scheduled 15-minute news slot. In 2022, we can but dream.

Staying in 1930, the very first FIFA World Cup was held. We believe host nation Uruguay won the trophy, beating Argentina in the final, but are waiting on VAR to confirm.

The Empire State Building was completed. Standing 102 floors tall, it was the first skyscraper to reach such dizzying heights, and with a cool 6514 windows, it was also a nightmare for the poor window cleaner.

1933 saw the birth of the Loch Ness monster legend when a newspaper reported on the sighting of a huge sea creature breaking the surface. 

The first radio broadcast of Orson Welles, War of the Worlds, shook a portion of its listeners who fled for their lives believing the audio drama to be factual news reporting of an actual alien invasion. 

Amelia Earhart successfully flies solo across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the first female aviator ever to do so. Her groundbreaking adventures continue to spark imaginations today.

The Soundtrack

Big band and swing were a dominant force for the decade’s music aficionados, with artists such as Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington driving the movement. Elsewhere, and in a shift of tempo, Delta Blues was emerging from the heart of Mississippi where the stripped-down acoustic guitars and melancholic lyrics of artists like Robert Johnson and Leadbelly were finding increasing popularity.

Our Favourites:

Cab Calloway – Minnie the Moocher

Fred Astaire – Cheek to Cheek

Leadbelly – Goodnight Irene

Billie Holiday – Summertime

Duke Ellington – Cocktails for Two

In 1939, as a decade of struggle reached its final act, any promise of a new dawn for the ‘40s was lost to the beginning of WWII. Again, though, humanity had moments of hope, light, and courage.

See you there.