Seoul during the winter 1952 (Korean War period)

Korean War (1950 - 1953) was a war between North and South Korea, in which a United Nations force led by the United States of America fought for the South, and China fought for the North, which was also assisted by the Soviet Union. The war arose from the division...

Dark side of New York City (1970s)

By 1970, the city gained notoriety for high rates of crime and other social disorders. A popular song by Cashman & West in the autumn of 1972, "American City Suite", chronicled, in allegorical fashion, the decline in the city's quality of life. The city's subway system was regarded as unsafe...

Streets of City of London (1976)

The 1970s was a traumatic decade for London. Changes in global trade disrupted all sectors of the economy. As docks and factories closed, so inner city London developed a landscape of dereliction and decay. The IRA bombing campaign brought fear to the capital's streets. The population was shrinking and unemployment...

Colourful Life of London in the 1970s

The 1970s were a period of intense political and cultural change, particularly when the three day week was introduced to tackle energy shortages caused by industrial action in the coal industry. The collection shows how iconic parts of the capital such as Soho's Carnaby Street - shown lined with independent...

19th century color photos from Japan

From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, Japanese photographers were doing amazing things with color. Before the turn of the 20th century, photographers in Japan were masterfully experimenting with the use of color. The images of the era, filled with blushing cherry blossoms and azure kimonos, predated...

Tibet – Life in Forbidden Lhasa (1940s and 50s)

Haggard and half-starved, the author Heinrich Harrer and a companion, Peter Aufschnaiter, arrived in Tibet in early 1946 after a hazardous 21-month flight from a wartime internment camp in India. Officials ordered them to leave, then relented. Extraordinary experiences befell Mr. Harrer during seven years in the veiled land beyond...

Dark side of New York City (1970s)

By 1970, the city gained notoriety for high rates of crime and other social disorders. A popular song by Cashman & West in the autumn of 1972, "American City Suite", chronicled, in allegorical fashion, the decline in the city's quality of life. The city's subway system was regarded as unsafe...

Autochromes – First Color Photographs (1920s)

These Autochromes - the first commercially available color photographic process - were taken by National Geographic Society photographers. The Society eventually moved on to other slightly more advanced photographic processes and finally to Kodachrome by 1938, but not before amassing a collection of more than 12,000 Autochromes.

Life in Britain During the Blitz

A collection of very rare color photographs of life in London and across the UK during the Blitz have been released to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The images are on display as in the Imperial War Museum in Manchester, as part of their Horrible Histories®:...