31 January 2013
In the 1990s, photo historian Rich Remsberg discovered a collection of photos in boxes headed for the trash. The photos showed a view of American history like he had never seen it. America in color, as early as 1938.
The photos Remsberg found had been taken by hobbyist photographer Charles W. Cushman and separated from a much larger collection. Fully reunified and now housed at Indiana University, the archive contains more than 14,000 photos spanning three decades typically depicted in black and white — including one of the first known color photos of a freshly-painted Golden Gate Bridge.
Credits:
Producer and reporter: Claire O'Neill, NPR
Designer and developer: Wesley Lindamood
