Beautiful color photos from the 1940s.

Came across this not long ago. I don't know the person who runs this blog and I'm not affiliated with them in any way. But I think its very cool and worth a look. Most relate to the WWII war effort on the home front in the USA.

Those of us who were not alive back then have images of that time formed mostly from black-and-white photos or grainy old newsreals. Although color photographs and film existed in the1940s, photos this vivid and sharp are rare. We can thank the magic of Kodachrome, a now-defunct photo technique that must have seemed well-nigh miraculous when it first came out.

Looking at these makes the past seem a lot more real to me. I wish there were more pics like this out there than there are.

Below are a few examples. I encourage you to visit the source for more.

In color they don't look too different from you or me. Interesting..

Thanks

WOW, that must have been a damm good camera for the early 40's, they look as if they were took only yesterday!

reply to post by Figzer


That was my first thought too. How much these photos "humanized" my image of the past and made it come alive in my mind.

I wish we could see similar images from, say, the 1800s or even medieval times. Guess we'll have to wait for time travel for that...

reply to post by silent thunder


things look so beautiful and simple, i mean the people.

they look so happy, and uncorrupted...

im sure it would be easier to get a girl friend in that time...

cmon babe, ill take care of you, and love you forever and ever and ever *gives flowers*

girl is all like: *gasp* ahhh love yewww honey


ahh... simple times....

Did Ted Turner and his Technicolor get a hold of these?

The color looks too intense, a bit exaggerated. Feels like old style Coca Cola ads.

1940s Coca Cola ads

reply to post by silent thunder


As you wish:

Before the Autochrome process was perfected in France, this photograph of a landscape in Southern France was taken. No, it is not hand-tinted. This is a color-photograph. (Note: It was published in a Time/Life Book entitled "Color" in 1972, "courtesey of George Eastman House, Paulus Lesser.") You are looking at the birth of color photography seven years after the American Civil War. 130 years ago this view of Angouleme, France, was created by a "subtractive" method. This is the basis for all color photography, even today. It was taken by Louis Ducos du Hauron who proposed the method in 1869. It was not until the 1930's that this method was perfected for commercial use.

Somewhere, there are some more from later than 1872, but I can't find them at present.

www.worldisround.com...

Excellent images.

I wish they had a website dedicated to images from different decades. It would be a good way to see the transformation of our societies to the present day

I felt sad looking at the small corner grocerie store. All I thought of was, "There's no genetically modified frankenproduce in there. The cocacola, though maybe having a touch of coc aine in it (at least it did in the 19th century) likely wasn't as carcinogenic as now. Sweets in there, with no HFCS. Probably no margarine yet, only pure butter. Etcetera." Everyone was so skinny.

Originally posted by SoymilkAlaska
reply to post by silent thunder

 

things look so beautiful and simple, i mean the people.

they look so happy, and uncorrupted...

im sure it would be easier to get a girl friend in that time...

cmon babe, ill take care of you, and love you forever and ever and ever *gives flowers*

girl is all like: *gasp* ahhh love yewww honey


ahh... simple times....

If only....

reply to post by silent thunder



wow cool find OP and thanks for sharing !

s+f

they are fantastic images..! and yeah they really do look like theyve been taken pretty recently... i didnt realise they had colour film and photographs in those days... you truly do learn something everyday...
i like the photos 9 and 10 on the source site... number 10 is even greater - it shows a woman using a tool and no dude standing behind looking terrified... !

Most of these pics are taken I believe with Kodachrome film, Kodachrome was really special for it's amazing colour depth and gave everything an almost other worldly "Better then real life" feel.

I think it might well be the only film stock with a song written about it


Digital cameras killed Kodachrome in 2009 unfortunately and after 2010 no one will even process it anymore.



R.I.P Kodachrome

reply to post by silent thunder


It's the 1940's not the 1840's...it wasn't that long ago people...some of our parents were born around that time...really not that remarkable...did people think we were in caves at that time? Consider that the stealth plane was built in the early 70's...
1940
•On May 15, the Vought-Sikorsky corporation conducts the first completely successful helicopter flight.
•On June 15, President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC), a new federal agency headed by Vannevar Bush to mobilize science for military purposes.
•In July, Physicist James Hillier of RCA completes construction of the first high-resolution electron microscope.
•In October, the Radiation Laboratory, a microwave-radiation lab nicknamed "Rad Lab," is established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop an airborne radar-intercept system.
1941
•John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry complete the Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC), an unworkable prototype of the programmable digital computer.
•The Grand Coulee Dam begins operations in Washington state.
•Plutonium is isolated by Edwin M. McMillan and...I was born in the 70's but the 40's does not seem that far off..

how strange it is to see color photo of a crowd of people and not a single mobile phone

Very cool pics

reply to post by Just Chris


They did make good cameras back then...as a matter of fact..I have a 10$ rolleicord that takes better pictures than that of my 3K digital Nikon.

Here is a picture of me using it..

Some fantastic colours and photos.

Thanks for sharing.


It also lead to this site,

www.shorpy.com...

www.shorpy.com...


Some fantastic images from all manner of devices and periods on there.

Awesome.

Cool pictures. Interesting how factory workers dress better than most people these days. I didn't see one person with droopy pants anywhere.

Smithsonian Photo Archive
This is worth a visit.
This one too.
Historic Photos
There are many old pics there to enjoy.

Wow!

As another member said, it really gives life to that time of history.
Seeing them that way really makes you feel like you are right there. B/W pictures for the younger (post color photo) generations make it easy to feel seperate from the lives of thoses that lived back then. Maybe someone here has the software or just picture program that can make these pics Black and white. That way we could have a sise by side comparison......might be cool.

This video says it all.....please watch.

Maybe it was handpicked but...no one is fat?

How could it be, we have advanced so much?!

I taught HFCS and mosanto we're suppose to be for the good of humanity?

Ah easy, it's the internet that is to blame!