Via Twitter, I found these interesting photos of London taken in 1949. Not that unusual—after all, Mathew Brady was photographing the American Civil War. But these look as if they were taken yesterday, with my brand new Nikon. In fact, they're probably better than anything I'd take.
I liked this one, showing the Gold Flake cigarette sign. I've been searching for one of those signs at all my favorite antique haunts, but so far haven't found one in good condition. This one looks like you could just snatch it from the storefront in perfect condition, doesn't it?
The photos were taken by Chalmers Butterfield in 1949 and are in high-res colour. His son holds the rights and asks merely to be credited if the photos are used. So here's to Chalmers.
The rest are posted at How to be a Retronaut, a cool blog if you're the slightest bit into retro. I suggest you click there to see the images as posted.
I was surprised at first to see most of the cars (cabs?) were from the thirties, not the forties, but then not many cars were produced during the forties. My dad had a 1947 Buick Roadmaster convertible, one of the first to be produced after the war. With rationing still going on in England, I imagine new cars were about as common on the streets as new nylons.
Go on, go check them out. And read the comments, too, for an idea of where they were taken.
