Shorpy

I've just added a link to Shorpy - a historic photographic archive chronicling American life from the 1850's to the 1950's. It's an amazing blog, well worthy of the widespread recognition it receives. The images are largely taken from the Library of Congress archives and cover an extensive range of topics. They also sell prints of the images.

The motto of Shorpy is "Always Something Interesting" - a conclusion I wholeheartedly agree with.

Captured: America in Color, 1939 - 1943

The Denver Post has just added a stunning collection of images from 1939 - 1943, showing (largely) American rural life at the time. The gallery, titled Captured: America in Color, 1939 - 1943, shows just what was possible with colour film long before it became widely used in a consumer format. None of the images would rank as "famous", but they are evocative - particularly those of black Americans living alongside whites. Compare the work in the cotton fields to the 4th of July celebrations, especially, and the "Juke" joint.

Image Makeover

Most photography websites and blogs are very artistic and stylish in their presentation, so I can't help but feel that Photo Plod lacks some panache. Unfortunately, my patience with configuring Blogger wears very thin after a while spent tweaking things. I would rather the site remains functional and easy to access rather than turn into a triumph of style over substance, but if anybody has any suggestions for templates or a new "look" for the blog, I'll be happy to consider them.