Vintage Grandparent Photos That Prove This Bond Has Always Been Magical

What is there not to love about this photo? The carpet in the bathroom, the grandpa sitting on the toilet as his grandson toddles around, the tiny baby suspenders — it's all perfect. (Also wow what a world, Grandpa totally has a cigarette in the bathroom right by the baby's face.)

All the information I can find about this photo is that the little girl was extremely excited about that roast turkey with her grandparents. I'm not sure if it's a stock photo meant for a commercial or ad, or if someone captured her being unable to contain her excitement during prayer, but I love the sweet moment anyway.

This 1950s photo of a German grandfather with his grandchildren in the garden is just such a sweet, candid moment. Were they leaving for the afternoon? Were they staying for a long visit? Did someone just tell them all to squeeze grandpa in the yard? I love it so much.

There's not a lot of information on this photo, just that it's a picture of a grandfather showing something "on the horizon" to his grandson. But if there's anybody best known for explaining the ways of the world, it's a grandpa.

You guys. This photo is from 1956, and I'm just delighted by it. According to the caption, the photo is of a little boy with his grandmother and his mother carrying him in this inflatable contraption that his mother invented. So much to love and unpack here, and I feel like every grandparent in the world would happily tote their babies around in one of these.

I'm obsessed with this picture. The image caption explains that this one was also taken in 1950, in the post-war years of Berlin. It's just a sweet capture of a boy and his grandmother in a kitchen, but knowing the year and what the world had just been through with World War II, it holds a lot of meaning.

I was really curious about this photo. Was grandma giving mom and dad a break? Was she there to help out while mom was still recovering? Did she live with the family? She looks so relaxed with that babe and the bottle, and I'm so glad this mom had her village. But even better, the caption noted that this woman's name was Mrs. Minnie Peters, and she had 100 living direct descendants. This little baby is her great-granddaughter Nancy Jean Weber born in 1952, and apparently she was there to help out by feeding the baby some lunch. My heart.

The caption for this photo says it was taken in 1972, but that kind of love between a grandmother and her sweet grandbaby is just timeless. I love thinking about this photo, wondering if it was taken when a family arrived for Thanksgiving dinner, if maybe it was the baby's first time meeting their family member, or if it was just a sweet Sunday afternoon. It's perfect.

This photo is from January 19, 1960, and is a sweet picture of Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks with his parents, Essie and Jerry, holding his twin boys, Jerry and Joel. There is so much love in this one shot. I love how each grandparent is snuggling a baby close, while also looking in complete awe at their other grandchild. Just lovely.

This photo was taken in France in 1979, and the caption simply says that a little boy is having breakfast with his grandmother. I have so many memories of my own breakfasts with my grandparents, and I hope there's a photo captured somewhere.

This is a photo believed to be from the 1950s in Havana, Cuba, and the caption names the grandmother here Abreo. "Abreo supports her 6-month-old grandson Raydel Dellvnde with a big hug and kisses, as strongly as she supports the revolution," the description noted. I mean, you knew a grandmother was full of strength and love, but did you know they were this full?

Taken in 1978, this photo is of "foster grandfather" Felix Olguin helping herd a group of children on a field trip. Can I even adequately describe how much I love this? A foster grandfather! I imagine Felix was a man who wanted to share all of his love and knowledge and wisdom and care with anyone who needed it, and this particular day, it was a group of kids on a field trip. So sweet.

This photo caption reads simply, "Anna Hamlin feeding granddaughter." There's no caption, but when I Google, I find that there was a soprano singer named Anna Hamlin who was the daughter of American tenor George Hamlin. I'm assuming that's who this woman is, too, helping one of her grandchildren get a serving of the most important meal of the day.

All this photo caption says is that the picture is of a grandfather and grandson on Christmas Day 1977. Truly, that's all I need to know about this sweet photo. I can already tell they've had a day of fun, cozy family time, and it makes me so happy. Celebrating the holidays with my own grandparents are some of my fondest memories.

From New Year's Eve, 1987, this is a photo of the President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino teaching her grandchildren, Justin Benigno Cruz and Miguel Abellada, how to toot horns next to the Christmas tree at their residence in Manila. Clearly, they were getting ready to welcome 1988, and I love how joyful President Aquino looks here with her grandbabies.

From 1977, this photo of a German grandmother surrounded by her grandchildren looks straight of a storybook. The way they are all leaning on her in some way, completely entranced with the story she's telling, is so good.

From September 1975, this is a photo of a woman named Mrs. Evelyn Viraldo from Denver, who was one of 18 foster grandparents that visited and cared for disabled patients. So while this little girl in the photo with Mrs. Viraldo may not be her blood grandchild, you can absolutely see and feel the love between these two as they both offer up all they have to the other. It makes me so emotional.

I mean, all grandparents are magic, right? But when your grandpa is literally Walt Disney, every moment has to be full of whimsy and awe. This photo from the 1950s shows Walt splashing in a kiddie pool with one of his grandsons, and I just can't get over the fact that in 2020, there's a good chance a kiddie pool is covered in Disney characters from this family's legacy. Amazing.

From 1955, this photo was taken in Formosa, Taiwan of a grandmother taking her daily nap with her grandchild. Two things here: Let's bring back babies napping with grandparents, and let's also just bring back daily naps in general. This photo is so peaceful, and you can see how protective she is of her grandbaby, even while sleeping.

Circa 1955, this is just a darling picture of a grandfather sitting on a carousel horse with his little granddaughter, both of them smiling and waving. I just love it so much. It's so childlike and wonderful and is absolute proof of the magic of grandparents.