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Old photos of Tainan

13 photographs of Tainan, from 1871 to 2018 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Tainan? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 13 photographs of Tainan on PlaceWas span 2 decades, from 1871 to 2018. 4 of them were taken before 1980; the other 9 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.2 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.13 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.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Tainan through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Nice Streetview In Tainan Taiwan, Tainan — photos through time
Nice Streetview In Tainan Taiwan 5 photos · 1871–2015
成大歷史文物館, Tainan — photos through time
成大歷史文物館 5 photos · 2012–2018

Stories from Tainan

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Takow forts on the waterfront, John Thomson (1871), Tainan, 1871
EU: Takow forts on the waterfront, John Thomson (1871) 1871 Photographed by the Scottish photographer John Thomson during his 1871 expedition to Formosa, this image shows coastal fortifications along the waterfront near Tainan, Taiwan. Thomson's Formosa series remains among the…
EU: Fort Zeelandia, Formosa by John Thomson, (1871), Tainan, 1871
EU: Fort Zeelandia, Formosa by John Thomson, (1871) 1871 Fort Zeelandia, seen here in an 1871 photograph by John Thomson, was built by the Dutch East India Company in the seventeenth century near present-day Tainan, Taiwan, and later became the stronghold besieged during…
EU: an open expanse of water to Taku Fort, John Thomson (1871), Tainan, 1871
EU: an open expanse of water to Taku Fort, John Thomson (1871) 1871 This 1871 photograph by John Thomson captures a broad stretch of water leading toward Taku Fort on the Formosan coast near Tainan, Taiwan, part of his pioneering photographic survey of the island during his travels…
EU: A grassy clearing surrounded by trees, Taiwan-fu, Formosa (1871), Tainan, 1871
EU: A grassy clearing surrounded by trees, Taiwan-fu, Formosa (1871) 1871 A grassy clearing bordered by trees near Taiwan-fu, the old name for Tainan, Taiwan, was captured by John Thomson in 1871, offering a rare glimpse of the countryside surrounding Formosa's historic provincial capital.
臺灣府城小西門附近, Tainan, 2017
臺灣府城小西門附近 2017 This photograph shows the area near the Small West Gate, part of the historic walled perimeter of Taiwan Prefecture City in Tainan built during the Qing dynasty. Sections of the old gate structure were later relocated…
Tainan in 2017, Tainan, 2017
Tainan in 2017 2017 Tainan, founded as a Dutch trading settlement in the 17th century, is considered Taiwan's oldest city and later served as the island's capital for over two centuries, retaining numerous historic temples, gates, and…
原臺南高等工業學校校舍, Tainan, 2018
原臺南高等工業學校校舍 2018 These buildings once housed the Tainan Technical College, founded during the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century, and today form part of the historic core of National Cheng Kung University's campus in…
台灣府城城垣小東門段殘蹟, Tainan, 2018
台灣府城城垣小東門段殘蹟 2018 This surviving section of the old Taiwan Prefecture City wall near the Small East Gate dates to Tainan's period as the administrative capital of Qing-era Taiwan, when the city was encircled by fortified gates and…
1870s · 4 photos
2010s · 9 photos