ooo, colors! The Library of Congress has put up color photographs of the Depression and WW2. Thanks to jmk for making me aware.

That reminds me of their collection of color photos of Czarist Russia, which are even more surprising -- why is that? The longer ago, the less real things seem. We are used to seeing what photos there are in black and white. Movies there are, but movies are different. We are aware and used to the idea of movies as make-believe. They are not in the same league as authentic photographs of the real people and places.

There exist also DVDs of color footage of World War Two. Those are striking for the same reason. All these things are worth seeing, and I'm glad they are in good hands. May they be spread digitally worldwide, and remain preserved in some form ad infinitum, surviving like plays of ancient Greece -- fragments of reality able to speak to the future about what and who has passed before.

contents of the purple tricycle are copyright 2004 carrie lynn king unless otherwise noted.