[Illustrations] Everyday Life in 1923 Northern Vietnam Through 10 Rare Sketches

It was a simpler time in Vietnam 100 years ago — just people going about their life without a single phone in sight.

This set of rare sketches takes us to the villages of northern Vietnam in 1923, filled with craftsmanship, camaraderie and just some good ol’ fashioned loincloths. The illustrations were archived by BnF digital library Gallica, which aims to preserve French written heritage. They depict the everyday life of past Tonkinese — residents of what is now northern Vietnam. Details regarding the identity of the artist were unavailable, but the works still retain much of their original brushworks and sketches after almost a century.

Have a close look below:

Patrons having a meal at a street eatery.

Jewelers.

Cobblers.

A farmer guiding his water buffalo to plow the field.

Opium smokers.

Filling the paddy field with water.

Carpenters.

Barber.

A barber cleaning a client's earwax.

Milling rice.

[Photo via Flickr user manhhai]