Library of Congress Color Photographs Archive

I have to admit, I’m sort of a history geek. One of my favorite source of historical images is the Library of Congress; aside from their vast array of printed ephemera and documents (the archive spans over 400 years), a favorite collection of mine in the library are the color photographs from the FSA & OWI. They can be found at: Color Photographs from the FSA and OWI.

With over 1,500 high-resolution photographs (often in the glorious 150 MB+ file size range), the archive provides a robust visual history between 1939 and 1945. Aside from their nostalgic appeal and their glimpse into decades past, from an aesthetic level I’m struck by the vibrancy and clarity of the images, which still resonate nearly 70 years after their creation. The archive touches on many subjects including agriculture, construction, heavy industry and manufacturing. However, the images also reflect common everyday scenes—main street storefronts, schools, and holiday parades.