Historypin is a digital,

user-generated User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

archive of historical photos, videos, audio recordings and personal recollections. Users are able to use the location and date of their content to "pin" it to

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

. Where

Google Street View Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expa ...

is available, users can overlay historical photographs and compare it with the contemporary location. This content can be added and explored online. There were formerly a series of smartphone applications, but these were discontinued as of 2015 latest. The project was created by the non-profit company Shift (formerly We Are What We Do), as part of their inter-generational work, with funding and support from

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

as part of a series of commitments to

digital inclusion Digital inclusion involves the activities necessary to ensure equitable access to and use of Information and communications technology, information and communication technologies for participation in social and economic life including for education ...

. The website has over 200,000 assets and recollections "pinned" to the Historypin map around the world, with higher contributions in the UK, USA and Australia. The beta version of the website was launched in June 2010 at the Royal Institute in London by Nick Stanhope, CEO of Shift and the full project was launched at the

Museum of the City of New York A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

in July 2011.

Collections

The website features a range of themed collections, some of which commemorate historical events. Previous collections include: * August 2010:''
The High Street Collection
* September 2010:''
The Blitz Collection
to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start of The Blitz. * October 2010:''
The First World War Collection
* November 2010:''
The Second World War Collection
to commemorate Remembrance Day. * December 2010:''
The Christmas Collection
* January 2011:''
The Facial Hair Through Time Collection

Contributors

As well as

user-generated content User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

, material has been added to the site from museums, local history societies, historical photo archives, newspaper archives and businesses. Contributors include Biggleswade History Society,

Bishopsgate Institute Bishopsgate Institute is a cultural institute in the Bishopsgate Without area of the City of London, located near Liverpool Street station and Spitalfields market. The institute was established in 1895. It offers a cultural events programme, c ...

John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company which operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose & Partners supermarkets, its banking and financial services, and other retail-related activities. The privately-held publ ...

, Mirrorpix,

New York Transit Museum The New York Transit Museum (also called the NYC Transit Museum) is a museum that displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, and commuter rail systems in the greater New York City metropolitan region. The main museum is loc ...

, PhillyHistory.org, The Ritz Hotel, Baltimore Museum of Industry and the

Science & Society Picture Library The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019. Like other publicly funded ...

and the

Albright-Knox Art Gallery The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum at 1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York, in Delaware Park. the museum's Elmwood Avenue campus is temporarily closed for construction. It hosted e ...

References

External links

Historypin

Historypin Schools' Toolkit

Historypin FAQ

Shift
{{Google Maps navbox Google Maps Street view services Digital photography Photo archives in the United States Internet properties established in 2010