Amazing Colour Photos-New York 1940's

Faline · #1 ● 09-13-2011, 01:55 PM

It’s been 70 years since an Indiana photographer visited New York City and returned home with an amazing collection of holiday snaps.
But Charles Weever Cushman’s pictures are even more impressive today, as they were taken on pricey colour Kodachrome and look far more recent than they actually are.
He went around the city taking photos of architecture such as the Brooklyn Bridge and other parts of the Manhattan skyline - and it’s hard to believe they were taken while World War Two was going on.

Land and water: The Liberty Street ferry in New York City on September 27, 1941:

Horse and cart: Men and boys are seen collecting salvage on the Lower East Side on October 4, 1941:

Daily life: This street seen from October 3, 1942, is just one from a huge collection by Charles W. Cushman:

Pub: McSorley's Old Ale House, still open today, is pictured on East 7th Street on October 7, 1942:

Compared: McSorley's Old Ale House in the East Village today, hardly changed from the above photo:

But what is even more intriguing are the street scenes and daily life Cushman documented in his photos, showing 1940s New Yorkers going about their daily business.
Pictures of children smiling for the camera, businessmen sitting down outside and street traders are a fascinating insight to what life was like in the city all those years ago.
Many of the areas have been demolished or rebuilt since they were pictured in 1941 and 1942.

Park life: A suited man walks through Bowling Green in lower Manhattan on October 1, 1942:

Smoking: Three homeless people from South Ferry doss houses are in Battery Park on June 6, 1941:

Crossing: The East River is pictured below Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan, on June 6, 1941:

Around town: A portable soft drink stand at Bowling Green on October 1, 1942 and a Lower East Side street scene on September 27, 1941:

But others such as McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan’s East Village look almost identical now as they did back then, with the same store front and shop logo.
The images are even more significant at a time when Americans are remembering the fallen World Trade Center, showing that a city ultimately transcends its buildings, reported The Atlantic.
Mr Cushman was born in Poseyville, Indiana, in 1896 and read English at Indiana University, where he was sports editor on the student newspaper.

Looking up: A tower of Brooklyn Bridge is seen from South Street in Manhattan on September 27, 1941:

Say cheese: Residents of lower Clinton St near the East River on a Saturday afternoon in September 1941:

Shops: Near the corner of Broome Street and Baruch Place in the Lower East Side on September 27, 1941:

New Yorkers: These two live in a big new housing project near the East River and are pictured on October 4, 1942 - while a woman sits in front of a doorway in the Lower East Side in the same month:

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Illinois in 1918 before leaving three years later and began working in New York City in 1928. He moved back to Chicago in 1929 and died in 1972.
His second wife, Elizabeth Penniman, said: ‘He loved life - music, good books, sports, the outdoors, travel, integrity - and could not tolerate ignorance.’

Barrels: People walk on a sunny day on the corner of Pearl Street on October 7, 1942:

Chinatown: Chinese store windows are pictured in New York as men walk past on October 7, 1942:

Traders: Hot sweet potatoes on October 4, 1942, and Wall Street is pictured on June 6, 1941:

City buzz: A crowd gathers during a salvage collection on the Lower East Side on October 4, 1942:

Long shot: Lower Manhattan is pictured from a Jersey City ferry boat on September 27, 1941: