Funny Vintage Photos of Animals in Human Situations that will Make your Day

Long before internet memes, people loved seeing animals do silly things. These old pictures show animals in all sorts of human-like situations. The results are both interesting and hilarious.

These aren’t just pictures of animals sitting still. These photos capture pets and other animals in unusual poses. They are often wearing clothes. Sometimes, they’re using props. This creates the illusion that they’re doing human activities.

Beyond clothing, the photos show animals “acting” like humans. A cat posed “reading” a book. A dog “driving” a toy car. Some photos show animals “working” at jobs. These scenarios are clearly staged. But they’re funny because they’re so unexpected.

The animals don’t actually understand what they’re doing, of course. It’s the humans behind the camera who set up the scenes. This makes the photos a kind of collaboration. It’s between the photographer’s creativity and the animal’s natural charm.

#1 Mrs C Wylds with her pet pig at Terling in Essex, 1934.

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#2 Feline film star “Tibby” rests on the knee of Abraham Sofaer, 1932.

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#3 “Carrots” the rabbit fires table tennis balls from a toy cannon, 1956.

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#4 Snake charmer Arimund Banu holds a party for stage performers’ pets at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1934.

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#5 A cat hangs a row of tame rats on the washing line to dry, 1933.

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#6 A cat and a bulldog in a toy car, 1933.

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#7 Arthur, the cat food commercial cat, is wined and dined at a fancy restaurant, 1980.

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#8 Film actress Fay Webb with her pet goose, 1925.

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#9 American silent film actress Phyllis Gordon window-shopping in Earls Court, London with her cheetah, 1920s.

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#10 Music lovers dancing to wireless programme and a cat listening to radio with headphones, 1926.

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#11 A woman teaching her kangaroo to type, 1955.

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#12 A lamb and a cat playing draughts at Langford, Somerset, 1933.

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#13 A camel approaches the bar to be served by “Zandra,” the cat at Bournemouth Pavillion, 1936.

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#14 A piglet treated with a sun ray lamp at the PDSA in Ilford, 1938.

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#15 A young boy on skates clutches a large tabby cat, 1940.

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#16 Ginger, the heaviest cat in London, at High Holborn, London, 1935.

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#17 A twenty-seven year old cat celebrates her birthday, 1977.

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#18 A zoo vet holding an iguana, 1956.

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#19 Mr Macfrisco, the singing sea lion, has a singing lesson, 1926.

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#20 A cat listening to music with headphones, 1920s.

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#21 Members of the Malayan Police Band Bachan Singh and Abdul Rahman visit London Zoo and make friends with Anabella the Orang-Outang, 1956.

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#22 ‘Tornado’ Smith, the Wall of Death rider, and his wife having tea with their pet lion and lamb, 1936.

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