An astonishing selection of colour photographs taken by the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information in rural America during 1939-1943 has been posted online.
Some of the only colour photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations, the collection is the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit ‘Bound for Glory: America in Color.’
The quality of the photos is incredible – some look like they were taken today – and the collection gives a sharp and crisp insight into life sixty years ago – you can almost imagine you’re there.
Grab yourself a coffee, and take time out to glory in the magnificence of the full size collection of 70 photos here.
[Article first appeared on the urban75 blog]
These are such atmospheric pictures, almost like images from the movies. The good old analogue-age, eh.
On US images, this is a fine site of the bridge building over Hoover Dam. Not as dramatic as these images, but jaw-dropping none the less.
http://www.bridgeathooverdam.com/#/bridge%20folios/ONE/1
Like you say, great quality, at least three of those look like they have been taken on a modern digital camera.
Also worth a look from the same source http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/22/from-the-archive-american-cities-pre-1950/?source=ARK_plog
The quality of these isn’t so good (some of them are nearly 150 years old), but they are interesting.