Old photos of Cape Town

What the photos show

The 187 photographs of Cape Town on PlaceWas span 6 decades, from 1888 to 2025. 54 of them were taken before 1980; the other 133 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.5 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.186 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.