From a historical point of view, all these pictures were taken not that long ago. But when you look at them, you get the feeling that they were made thousands of years ago. Yes, technological progress has made an incredible leap forward. Today all these professions sound strange and even funny, but in the past they were in great demand. However, with the advent of modern technology, everyone has long forgotten about them.
Lamplighter 
Lamplighters were city employees responsible for lighting the streets. They not only lit the lights and turned them off in a timely manner, but also monitored their serviceability.
Telephone operator 
A profession through which people could connect with each other. Today they have been replaced by mobile phones and numerous instant messengers.
Alarm clock man or alarm clock 
Such an unusual profession existed until the 20s of the twentieth century. The duty of specially trained people was to wake people up to work. The alarm clock got up earlier than everyone else and under no circumstances had the right to oversleep.
water bearer 
A profession whose essence was the delivery of water from the source to the recipient. However, with the advent of centralized water supply, the need for such services disappeared.
Leech Collector 
In the 19th century, collecting leeches was quite a profitable business, and all thanks to doctors. They used these creatures to treat many diseases, including mental disorders, headaches, lung diseases and more.
As a rule, leech catchers used their own bodies as bait. However, it was impossible to do this for a long time. Some time later, the worker was covered in numerous wounds that took time to heal.
Ice cutter and transporter 
Previously, ice for food needs (food storage) was cut and delivered by specially trained people.
Forest rafter 
In the 19th century, felled trees were floated down rivers to sawmills. Rafters helped deliver them safe and sound. They walked along the shore with long sticks and guided the logs, and also removed various obstacles from their path. By the beginning of the 20th century, the profession had faded with the advent of the railroad and portable sawmills.
Calculator 
These were specially hired people who carried out complex mathematical calculations. As a rule, they worked as a team.
Lecturer at the enterprise 
In order not to die of boredom during monotonous work at the factory, lecturers were invited to read periodicals or fiction aloud. With the advent of radio, the need for such specialists disappeared on its own.
Herald 
The town crier provided the townspeople with the latest news and other valuable information. The profession was in demand because most people were illiterate and could not read the news on their own.
Hearer 
Only a person with acute hearing could master this profession. His duties included detecting enemy aircraft.
Tosher 
During the Victorian era in London there were people called Toshers. They made a living by hacking into the city's sewer system and searching for coins, scrap metal and other valuables. Toshers were placed on the same level as the working class. However, sewer exploration became illegal in 1840.
Linotype operator 
Typesetters who worked on special machines - Linotypes. They were intended for casting lines of text from garth (a special typographic alloy).
Elevator operator 
Elevator operators greeted guests and transported them from floor to floor.
Pin setter 
Before bowling clubs had special devices that set pins, this work was done by children and teenagers for a fairly modest fee.
Pied Piper 
London, since the Victorian era, suffered from hordes of rats, which by that time were already known as carriers of disease. To solve this problem, many young people, including children, have become rat catchers. Such work was in greater demand than, for example, a chimney sweep or a miner.
Cigarette girl 
Cigarette or cigar girls have worked in American bars and clubs since the 1920s. They usually wore a hat and a tray around their neck with a selection of cigarettes that visitors could buy.
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