Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.

This photo was taken in 1942 by William Prior. He was a Canadian sailor on leave in the United Kingdom and snapped this photo as he passed a couple of pretty local girls.
In the background, a British officer smokes a cigarette, and two on-lookers stare at William from behind a wire fence. View full size.
Today's Top 5