It's difficult to imagine a world without photography today – capturing snaps of iconic landmarks and landscapes is one of the great joys of traveling. But photography was only invented in the 1830s, gaining in popularity and accessibility throughout the 19th century. Here we've gathered a special collection of early photos that offer a glimpse into the America of yesteryear.

The 1860s were a turbulent time and though plenty of paintings show the devastation of the Civil War (1861–1865), it's even more visceral when captured in a photograph. Charleston was pivotal during the conflict as Union and Confederate forces struggled for power: ultimately Union troops blitzed the Southern city and a fire ripped through it in 1861. A pair of men are pictured amid the wreckage in this photo from the early 1860s.

Another haunting photo from the Civil War, this one shows the Ponder House in Georgia's capital, not long after the Battle of Atlanta (22 July 1864). Confederate troops had occupied the house and it was shelled by Union forces. In this 1860s shot, you can see the façade riddled with bullet holes and entirely destroyed in one area.

This early photo captures a familiar sight in America during the 1860s. It shows a Union field hospital that has popped up in a rural area of Michigan. Here nurses from the Michigan Soldiers' Relief Society are gathered around the troops.

After the war, many veterans poured into New York City in the hope of finding work. However, a recession in 1866 meant that employment was difficult to come by. This photo from the 1860s show a very different Wall Street to the one we're familiar with today. There are horse-pulled carts in place of tourists and taxi cabs, and soaring buildings like 40 Wall Street are yet to pierce the skies. 

New York isn't the only city that's almost unrecognizable in 19th-century photos. Today Nashville is associated with winking neon lights, lively honky tonks and lofty skyscrapers like the "Batman Building" (officially the AT&T Building). However, this 1860s view from the Capitol shows low-rise homes interspersed by trees and backed by wilderness. 

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From budding metropolises to the wilds of the Frontier State: this image dates back to 1868 and shows a group of indigenous peoples sitting on Alaska's Rock Cod. In the background, you can make out Fort Wrangle and Wrangell Island. This area of southeast Alaska has long been inhabited by the Eyak, Haida, Tsimshian and Tlingit tribes. 

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America's cities shifted and swelled during the 19th century – but there's something remarkably comforting about Mother Nature's constancy when she's left to her own devices. This breathtaking shot from 1869 shows Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs (prior to the park's founding), their travertine terraces not so different from today. 

This photo also predates the founding of America's first national park. It captures the team from the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 who explored and surveyed the land that would ultimately become Yellowstone. Their pack train is papped here beside Mirror Lake, a glittering natural wonder that lives up to its name. 

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Today Yellowstone National Park is a recreational hotbed, with travelers coming from far and wide to hike and bike, and to boat on Yellowstone Lake. But in the park's early days, folks were only just getting used to Yellowstone's potential for adventures. The Annie (pictured here in 1871) is purportedly one of the first-ever boats to be launched on Yellowstone Lake. 

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Here's another image capturing Mother Nature's enduring beauty. A cascade on Idaho's Snake River, Shoshone Falls is often dubbed the "Niagara of the West". This photo was taken in 1874 – and if you snapped one from the same vantage point today, the thundering waterfall would likely look much the same.

From America's revered natural wonders to one of its most iconic landmarks – the Capitol Building has been tinkered with plenty since its cornerstone was laid in 1793. It's instantly recognizable in this photo from the 1870s, though. The image was taken after the erection of the Capitol's distinctive cast-iron dome in the 1850s–1860s. A huddle of men pose before the monument. 

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Sticking with the 1870s, this South Carolina photo sits in stark contrast to the image of a ruined Charleston captured just a decade ago. Here the folks of St. Helena Island gather under the Spanish moss to celebrate American Independence Day in 1877. Notice the fine dress and the table of food being prepared to the right, likely heaving with Southern goodies.

Fast-forward to the 1880s and to more of America's dazzling natural wonders. Pictured here is the Wawona Tree, a soaring sequoia tree that had a tunnel cut through its base in 1881. Sadly, the weakened tree fell during a harsh winter in the 1960s. You can still see the fallen tree in Yosemite's Mariposa Grove, but photos like these are all that's left of it standing in all its glory.

The 1890s would change Alaska forever, as the Klondike Gold Rush saw prospectors pour into the Frontier State and Canada's Yukon. But gold was mined here before the famous gold rush and the Treadwell Gold Mine operated on Douglas Island from 1881. The busy mine, pictured here in 1889, was a hive of activity at the end of the 19th century, shifting some $70 million of gold during its operation. 

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By the 1890s, photography in its earliest form had been around for more than half a century. Still, though, the whole thing remained something of a novelty. Here the lens is turned on itself. The image shows one of America's earliest photographers, Frances Benjamin Johnston, as children gather around her to peer at her camera. Johnston was famous for her photojournalism, which spanned everything from social issues to architecture.

This 1891 photograph shows a sweeping view of South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation, home to the indigenous Lakota peoples. It takes on extra poignance when you consider that it was shot a year after the Wounded Knee Massacre (29 December 1890), which saw hundreds of Lakota people killed at the hands of the United States Army.

America's cities were changing shape through the 1890s. The Big Easy is famed for its street cars and though they date back to the 1830s, electric-powered versions made their debut in this decade. They're captured here in 1895, alongside traditional horse-drawn carriages. Can you spot the glinting sign for the Orpheum Theater too? 

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There were similar scenes out west in San Francisco too. This shot shows a horse-pulled California mail cart back in 1895 – rather different to the hulking white vans that pound the city's roads today. The cobbled street and vintage signs ooze nostalgia too.

New Yorkers made the most of the water to get from A to B. This 1895 picture shows crowds gathering at the entrance of the ferry to the Battery, most likely at either Staten Island or Coney Island. The Battery (once an important defensive site) offers expansive views of New York harbor and visitors have been soaking up the vistas here since the early 18th century.

Over to the Aloha State and a rare sight in the USA. This photograph from 1899 captures the only royal palace in the United States, Iolani Palace, home to the Kingdom of Hawaii's monarchs until 1893. King Kalakaua and Queen Lili'uokalani were the last royals that the palace ever housed.

This photo predates the founding of Grand Canyon National Park by 20 years. The Havasupai people are thought to have lived in the Grand Canyon for some 800 years, and the park's founding in 1919 meant the tribe lost many acres of land. Here a group of Havasupai women are seen weaving baskets in 1899. Indigenous people still live in the Havasupai Indian Reservation today: just outside the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, it's known for its incredible waterfalls. 

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The advancement of photography also allowed fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpses of some of America's finest institutions. This photo goes backstage at Chicago's Field Museum, established in 1894 as the Field Columbian Museum. It shows palaeontologists in the lab with a rhinoceros skull and other specimens in 1899.

The Field Columbian Museum was originally established to hold artifacts from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition – the first to be hosted in Chicago. Here the event is in full swing. Impressive Neo-classical-style structures were built for the fair and the exposition site earned the monicker "the White City" due to these grand, white buildings.

This 1899 shot was taken at another important American institution: Clark Atlanta University, then just Atlanta University, which was founded as the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States in 1865. Here four women pose on the steps outside the university.

The latter part of the 19th century saw Brooklyn's Coney Island boom. Both Steeplechase Park and Sea-Lion Park opened in the 1890s (followed by Luna Park and Dreamland in the early 1900s). Here vacationers and day-trippers are seen wandering Coney Island's main drag, which is lined with refreshment stops, hotels and shops. The "last fight" of heavyweight James J. Corbett is advertised on the roof of a street-side hut too.

The fun continued into the 1900s and Coney Island is captured here at the turn of the century. Sun-seekers revel on the sandy beach and in the waters of Lower Bay, as the striking tower of Dreamland theme park rises in the background.

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Farther down the East Coast, the Sunshine State was establishing itself as a major vacation spot too. Swish hotels were springing up, railroads were being built and steamboat tours were gaining in popularity. The main draw, though, was the powder-white beaches. This photo from 1903 captures a pair of 'sail bikes' advertising the historic Hotel Ormond, in Florida's Ormond Beach. 

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Atlantic City in New Jersey was also a hit with vacationers. The beach-hugging boardwalk, captured here in 1905, drew the most foot traffic, with its hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. Here a little girl and her lucky doll enjoy a ride on one of Atlantic City's famous "rolling chairs".

Turn-of-the-century California was no slouch when it came to vacation spots, either, and Los Angeles' Venice has been attracting vacationers since the early 1900s. Today Venice Beach is known for its thronging crowds and eccentric street performers, but this early image shows a rather more laid-back scene. An ornate dance hall is the focal point as visitors wander along the amusement pier.

Some American cities are almost unrecognizable in their earliest photographs. Las Vegas was established in 1905 and this image pictures Fremont Street in its infancy: no soaring hotels, no neon-drenched casinos, no colorful cocktail bars. Instead, you can see old western-style building fronts, and no-frills venues including a bakery, a grocery shop and a furniture store. 

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While Sin City has changed immeasurably in a century, the Grand Canyon was millions of years in the making. And it looks barely changed from this circa 1900 photo. Here two Victorian-era women gaze over the mighty landscape, silhouetted in their finery. 

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The beauty of America's Great Plains is on full display in this image from the early 1900s too. It captures a trio of indigenous Sioux people riding on horseback through the rural Midwest.

This vintage photo from the Frontier State was taken around 1910. It captures the winning team from the third All Alaska Sweepstakes, a dog-sledding event held in the state between 1908 and 1917. Dog mushing is still a popular activity in Alaska today with major events like the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

From four-legged to two-legged athletes: this shot is of early Washington DC marathon runner Henry Elphinstone. The event took place back in 1911, by which time having photographers at major competitions and occasions was commonplace. Elphinstone runs down Constitution Avenue and you can see the Beaux-Arts-style Russell Senate Office Building to the left.

A landmark day for New York City is captured here. On 23 May 1911, the city opened the doors to the New York Public Library – an elegant Beaux Arts-style building on Fifth Avenue. At the time, it was the largest marble building in the country and its bold lion sculptures and grand façade drew photographers from all over town.

This poignant photo shows New York City from another perspective. Here, circa 1915, suffragist Elizabeth Selden White Rogers is seen promoting women's right to vote at a mobile platform in the Big Apple. A crowd of men look on. 

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