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.

December 1943. "In the evening, Hugh Massman and his wife fold diapers. Joey's bureau drawer crib is moved to the side of their bed for the night." The Massmans were a young Navy family whose lives in Washington, D.C., were documented by Office of War Information photographer Esther Bubley. We're fortunate to have heard from their son Bascomb, whose comments have served as informative and entertaining annotations for these pictures. View full size.
Is that his wedding ring on his pinky or was he not allowed to wear one in the military?
TK
These photos of the Massman family are just wonderful. And Bascomb Massman's comments make them even more special.
I love it that baby Joey had a bureau drawer for a crib. And I'm guessing that Hugh was left-handed.
Today's Top 5