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Fame Burst

A journey through time: Colorized photos of the US in the 1940s

Author

David Edwards

Updated on April 04, 2026

From World War II to the beginning of the Cold War, the 1940s was a period of change and transformation in the United States. While many of us have only seen this era through the lens of black-and-white photographs, technology now allows us to see these moments in a whole new light.

Through the process of colorization, we can now experience the 1940s in a previously impossible way. From coast to coast, we’ll see the people, places, and events that defined the 1940s and shaped our nation in a nostalgic and awe-inspiring way.

5th Avenue at 42nd Street, New York City, 1946. Photo by Todd Webb.
Times Square in New York City, 1942. Photo by Tom Fitzsimmons.
Chicago, Illinois, 1947. Photo by Bill Strum in 1947.
People’s Drug Store on G Street, New York City, 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins. Color by @sebcolorisation
Young boys standing in front of a pool hall in Roscoe, South Dakota, 1942. Photo by John Vachon.
Woman and her dog in Harlem, New York City, May 1943. Photo by Gordon Parks.
Children play in the street on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, 1941.
Photo by Russell Lee.
Information booth and escalators at the Pennsylvania railroad station, New York City, 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins.
State Street, Chicago, Illinois, July 1940. Photo by John Vachon.
Finnish construction workers take a break because of the heavy rains, Flordia, 1940. Photo by Marion Post Wolcott.
Fish store, New York City, 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins.
Shoppers at F and 7th Streets, Washington DC, 1942. Photo by John Ferrell.
Chicago, Illinois, April 1941. Photo by Russel Lee.
Roadside stand on US Highway 80, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth, January 1942.
New Orleans, Louisiana, January 1941. Photo by Marion Post Wolcott.
College boys trying to hitch a ride home over the weekend, Natchitoches, Louisiana, June 1940. Photo by Marion Post Wolcott.
View of Main Street, Fort Worth, Texas, January 1942. Photo by Arthur Rothstein.
A general street view in Needles, California, March 1943. Photo by Jack Delano.
McGill’s Fish Market and Fann Lunchroom, Daytona Beach, Florida, February 1943. Photo by Gordon Parks.
Grocery store window in Bath, Maine, December 1940. Photo by Jack Delano.
Sunbathers at the swimming pool, Greenbelt, Maryland, June 1942.
Photo by Marjory Collins.
At the beach, Corpus Christi, Texas, June 1943. Photo by John Vachon.
People waiting for the greyhound bus, Indianapolis, Indiana, September 1943. Photo by Esther Bubley.
Oakland, California, April 1942. Photo by Russell Lee.
Serving dinner to motorists at a Hot Shoppe, Chevy Chase, Maryland, July 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins.
Eating watermelon, Revere Beach, 1946.
Christmas shopping crowds, Gadsden, Alabama, December 1940. Photo by John Vachon.
Women talking on a porch, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1943. Photo by John Vachon.
A worker at Shasta Dam plays poker, Shasta County, California, December 1941. Photo by Russell Lee.
Downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, 1941. Photo by Jack Delano.
People Waiting outside Florsheim Shoes, NYC, 1947. Photo by Stanley Kubrick.
Young woman sitting on a bench in Central Park, NYC, 1946. Photo by Jim Hansen.
Co-op gas station in Minneapolis, August 1941. Photo by Marion Post Wolcott.
Man changing a tire, New York, 1946. Photo by Stanley Kubrick.
Scrap salvage wagon outside a retail junkyard, Washington, D.C, 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins.
An outdoor ball, Joinville-le-Pont, 1947. Photo by Willy Ronis.
Young couple, Oregon, 1940’s.
Fourth of July parade in Watertown, Wisconsin, July 4, 1941. Photo by John Vachon.
Eight AM work commute, Baltimore, Maryland, April 1943. Pohto by Marjory Collins.
Bus terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1943. Photo by Esther Bubley.
People boarding a Greyhound Chicago, Illinois, 1943. Photo by Esther Bubley.
The front porch of a boarding house, Portsmouth, Virginia, March 1941. Photo by John Vachon.
After a snowstorm in Norwich, Connecticut, November 1940. Photo by Jack Delano.
New York Times Square on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Photo by Howard Hollem.
Garage and general store, Penfied, Georgia, June 1941. Photo by Jack Delano.
Flirting in Caldwell, Idaho, July 1941. Photo by Russell Lee.
Municipal pool in Washington, D. C., July 1942. Photo by Marjory Collins.

All photos colorized by @sebcolorisation

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