Yesterday, Heather C. and I went to see an exhibition of rare color photographs from 1939-1943 that were on display in the Library of Congress. Although color photography had been around for awhile by that point (here is a color picture that was taken in Russia sometime between 1905 and 1915), it was still rarely used. The photographs were taken by “approximately one dozen photographers [who] were employed by the Farm Security Administration (FSA), and its successor agency, the Office of War Information (OWI), from 1935 through 1944.”
Most of the photographs are of everyday people living, working and socializing. I loved the vibrant colors. When I imagine that era, the picture in my mind is set in drab, washed-out colors. I was really surprised by the bright colors - in clothing, in the landscape and in little details like red fingernail polish. This is one of my favorites: Woman building a dive bomber.
All of the pictures in the exhibition can be viewed online here, but the colors are somehow less vibrant on the computer screen than they were in person. If you are in the D.C. area, it is definitely worth the trip to go see the exhibit. It is on view until January 21. You can read more about it here. From that link you can also get to the Library of Congress’s collection of over 160,000 photos (mostly black and white) from that era.
Friday, January 13, 2006
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Ok. Those photos are so cool! I think that the color quality is quite interesting--it is so good, especially when compaired with the first color films. I suppose it took awhile to catch on because of expence??
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