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Charles W. Cushman Urban Colour Photography 1941-1942

I was lucky enough to get to do a Masters research project on Cushman, whose amazing colour photographs I have use on the blog in the past. I wanted to share some home of his work now that I know more about his impressive contribution to the historical record.

Colour photography from the 1930s-1940s is a rare and valuable thing when it comes to understanding life during that period. I’m sure you would agree that colour brings so much more life and emotion to these snapshots of people and places.

Charles W. Cushman

Cushman was born to a reasonably financially and socially wealthy parents, in 1896 Poseyville, Indiana. In 1937, after finding himself out of work, he took advantage of his financial security to fill his time with a long-time interest in photography. He and his wife took to the road, capturing images of the urban and rural landscape of America (and Internationally). While the amateur photographer did not set out to create an extensive documentary record of American life, that is what he produced.

Colour Photography Pre- and Mid-1940s

If you’ve ever wondered why there is so little colour photography from before the 1950s, even though the technology was available, the answer is a simple one — cost. In the 1940s a single roll would put someone back $5, the equivalent of around $73 today! Not to mention the cost of the camera and equipments which could amount to the equivalent of a labourers annual income! Additionally, it was standard practice for formal documentary photographers to use black and white film over colour. As a result, most images of this time period are colourless.

Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection Indiana University Archives / Digital Library Program

As much as I just want to share the research I did for my photography class, the real reason for this post is the share the amazing resource of Cushman’s work. It has been fully digitized and is publicly available through the Indiana University Archives. Specifically, I want to highlight is collection of images of New York City from the early 1940s. > New York City, 1941 > New York City, 1942 These capture buildings, streets, and people as they were during these year and are a fantastic resource for anyone trying it visualise the world Steve and Bucky grew up in.

Image Sources