WWII: The American Home Front in Color

[pokerfan]

Aug 7, 2011
The Atlantic

In 1942, soon after the United States entered World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order creating the Office of War Information (OWI). The new agency was tasked with releasing war news, promoting patriotic activities, and providing news outlets with audio, film, and photos of the government's war efforts. Between 1939 and 1944, the OWI and the Farm Security Administration made thousands of photographs, approximately 1,600 of them in color. OWI photographers Alfred Palmer and Howard Hollem produced some exceptional Kodachrome transparencies in the early war years depicting military preparedness, factory operations, and women in the work force. While most of the scenes were posed, the subjects were the real thing -- soldiers and workers preparing for a long fight. Gathered here are some of these color images from Palmer and Hollem, complete with original captions from 1942. Also, be sure to see archival movies in our new Video Channel. All of the FSA/OWI photos are available from the Library of Congress.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/08/world-war-ii-the-american-home-front-in-color/100122 (45 photos)

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Those Kodachrome shots are incredibly crisp and clear, sad that photo era had to end.

[pokerfan]

4. I got a Nikon camera

I love to take a photograph
So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZpaNJqF4po

[Brother Buzz]

18. Kodak done took our Kodachrome away!

Kodak set to retire Kodachrome film at the end of 2009 after 74 years

News Wire Services

Tuesday, June 23rd 2009

Kodak taking your Kodachrome away.

The photography pioneer, whose Kodachrome film inspired Paul Simon's 1973 hit, said it will retire the 74-year-old product this year following dwindling sales and the move by most labs to stop processing it.

Revenues from Kodachrome represent "a fraction of 1%" of Kodak's total sales of still-picture films, the company said Monday.

Kodachrome became the world's first commercially successful color film in 1935. The film enjoyed its heyday in the 1950s and '60s.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/06/23/2009-06-23_kodak_set_to_retire_kodachrome_film_at_the_end_of_2009.html#ixzz1UOjvR2U2

[pokerfan]

20. I know!

They took away the large format versions (what was likely used to shoot these images) years ago.

On the plus side, we are taking more pictures than ever with our cell phones, It's just that they are crappier images than ever.

[CTyankee]

2. This is amazing! Astonishing!

I am humbled by this assortment of photos of people (lots of women) putting themselves out there to work for a just war. It is inspiring!

Boy, do we have a lot to be proud of!

[rug]

3. I wonder if the country still has this industrial capacity.

[matmar]

5. I was going to post....

....and not one of those things had to be imported from China.....

I don't think THIS country can match what THAT country did

[rug]

7. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Dawson Leery]

6. Thank.

The clarity of these color photos is quite impressive.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Thanks for sharing

great reference material, and today we no longer have the industrial capacity.

[Sherman A1]

9. Thanks for posting

:toast:

[oldlib]

10. I'm surprised that you didn't mention or show

"Rosie the Riveter," She was the emblem, at the time, of the contribution that women put in to support the troops and the war effort.

[pokerfan]

13. Probably because that (We Can Do It) was created

by artist J. Howard Miller and is not really part of this photographer's collection.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/We_Can_Do_It!.jpg/220px-We_Can_Do_It!.jpg

[oldlib]

15. I was a lot younger then

and didn't realize that she was only a cartoon image with no actual photographs. The photos are beautiful.

[pokerfan]

16. I wasn't even alive

It was very much my parents' war.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Astounding pictures

I never knew there were cameras and film of that quality back then. Just beautifully saturated with color and sharp, as if it were taken yesterday.

I've really got to look up the photographer, Alfred Palmer. He managed to bring glamour photography to war photos.

[Raine]

12. BEAUTIFUL pictures

THANKS so much for posting them and the link. :thumbsup:

[Exilednight]

14. Amazing clarity. Most digitals aren't this clear. n/t

[pokerfan]

17. My grandfather shot nothing but Kodachrome slides

I have a bunch of his old slides while they've really held up well, I really need to get them scanned.

You give us those nice bright colors
You give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!

[HughBeaumont]

19. Amazing detail and color. Oh, and look at all of these employed workers:

[customerserviceguy]

21. Thanks for sharing this

The photos are simply amazing. They make the WWII homefront look much more recent in history.