# America: 1939-1943 captured in colour **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121 "2010-08-04T08:55:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/1 "2010-08-04T08:55:27Z")
Courtesy of the [Denver Post](http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/2363/). Amazing how much life has changed in the west in just 70 years. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/2 "2010-08-04T09:01:00Z")
Amazing … !!! Thanks for the link. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/3 "2010-08-04T12:55:34Z")
Astounding. I haven’t seen much colour photography from that era. The kids in those pictures were born about the same time as my parents. My parents’ world was black and white back then! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/4 "2010-08-04T15:51:38Z")
So interesting to see this in color - it makes everyone seem “real,” not from some bygone era. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/5 "2010-08-04T15:58:52Z")
Some astounding work there – thanks much for sharing! Hmm…70 years ago, give or take. That means many of those kids are probably still around. I wonder if any of them are aware of this? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/6 "2010-08-04T16:09:35Z")
I’ve never seen most of these, but 4 years ago, when they were just released, someone made a[music video using a selection of them](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gEszfeUQ5U). ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/7 "2010-08-04T17:33:31Z")
They are all available on [flick.com](http://flick.com) as well, in the Commons section. Just click the Explore tab and go to The Commons - any number of government and private archives show off their photos there. I’ve used a few from this color group on my picture blog before. Beautiful stuff - I see something new every time I look at them. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/8 "2010-08-04T17:46:45Z")
Apart from the subject matter, those are some really gorgeous photographs. Beautiful work. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/9 "2010-08-04T18:55:58Z")
Love those little girls at the fair, in their feedsack dresses. 🙂 Amazing pictures. The ones from Russia were amazing too. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/10 "2010-08-04T19:29:01Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Love those little girls at the fair, in their **feedsack dresses.** 🙂 > > Amazing pictures. The ones from Russia were amazing too. Ahhh! That’s why they’re dressed the same. I wondered about that. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![JerseyFrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@JerseyFrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerseyFrank)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/11 "2010-08-04T19:44:48Z")
Slide #13, at the dance… clearly no air conditioning 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/12 "2010-08-04T20:02:47Z")
Tears in my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/13 "2010-08-04T20:14:17Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > The ones from Russia were amazing too. Prokhudin-Gorskii never ceases to delight. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/14 "2010-08-04T20:41:05Z")
Beautiful. Thanks for the link. My favorite is #66. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/15 "2010-08-04T20:47:10Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Beautiful. Thanks for the link. My favorite is #66. #70 just destroys me. I can just hear him hacking and coughing all night long, but going into work the next day at the only job he can get that will support his family. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/16 "2010-08-04T21:17:13Z")
I can’t stop looking at these pictures. Some things stood out: #11, the old eyes of the woman in the center – the woman on her right looks like she’s still having fun though. #17 – milk in a jar #15 – that little girl on the bed at the square dance is thinking “Will someone invent rock 'n roll already!” #21 – what’s that big green plant in the New Mexico garden? #30 – flour in a 50 pound bag #38 – looks like the Whistlestop Cafe from Fannie Flagg’s book, and the movie #40 – crutches next to the guy selling fish, and it does look like he has a bad/useless leg #55 – the yellow poster with the pictures of food on it – I’m pretty sure we did something like that in school in the early 50’s And yeah, that last guy – very evocative. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/17 "2010-08-04T21:25:39Z")
Oh, and the shoes, or lack of shoes. No canvas sneakers or “tennis” shoes. Either bare feet, little sandals, or leather shoes, often without socks – even at school! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/18 "2010-08-04T21:51:45Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > #21 – what’s that big green plant in the New Mexico garden? I’m guessing some kind of rhubarb; my folks used to grow rhubarb at our old house in NM. Very cool pictures. What strikes me as funny is how dirty the kids look by modern standards. All that playing outside, coupled with a lack of hot running water, I reckon, but when everyone’s just as dirty as you, I guess it ain’t no nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/19 "2010-08-04T21:56:18Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Oh, and the shoes, or lack of shoes. No canvas sneakers or “tennis” shoes. Either bare feet, little sandals, or leather shoes, often without socks – even at school! Canvas tennies were for the leisure class then. Not as cheap in relative $$ as now, and they wore out fast. Remember, too, that this was a Farm Security Administration project. The mission was mostly to document the life of farm folks, who were - still are - more used to a honest day’s dirt and making things do. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121/20 "2010-08-04T22:39:01Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Canvas tennies were for the leisure class then. Not as cheap in relative $$ as now, and they wore out fast. > > Remember, too, that this was a Farm Security Administration project. The mission was mostly to document the life of farm folks, who were - still are - more used to a honest day’s dirt and making things do. Oh yeah. I could show you photos of me and my cousins that look a lot like some of those photos. No feedsack dresses (mom didn’t sew) but we were barefoot and a bit raggedy. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-1939-1943-captured-in-colour/549121.md?page=2)