Wednesday, August 11, 2010

History in color


The Denver Post has published a series of 70 photographs of America in the early 1940's. All are sourced from the Library of Congress, so they are, by definition, in the public domain. I've chosen only five to reproduce here, in smaller scale, to whet your appetite to go and look at the collection as a whole.



Boys fishing in a bayou, Schriever, Louisiana, June 1940.




Dugout home, Pie Town, New Mexico, September 1940




Farm auction, Derby, Connecticut, September 1940




Mill at the Camp Bird Mine, Ouray County, Colorado, October 1940




P-51 Mustang in flight, Inglewood, California, October 1942.
This is the original Allison-engined version, ordered by Britain as the Mustang 1A.
Note the 4 x 20mm. Hispano cannon armament.



There are many more at the link, all larger than those reproduced here. They're a fascinating look at this country in the early years of World War II, with the added benefit of color, which is lacking in so many photographs of the period. Highly recommended for anyone interested in living history.

Peter

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