Hidden Histories: WW1s Forgotten Photographs

[matty]

I'm sat at home whilst the window installers fit our new skylights so I though I would catch up on some of the programs I've recorded. Just watched Hidden Histories: WW1s Forgotten Photographs on BBC 4. Well worth watching if you can find it online, it tells the story of the official attitudes towards photography of Britain and Germany and the of the men who took their cameras to war, touching and poignant as well being a piece of photographic history. Struck a cord as it tells how many people through out photographs in later years as the memory of the war faded, my Grandma threw out pictures taken of my Grandad whilst a prisoner of war in Germany after he passed away in the 70's.
Matty

[philbirch]

So much social history goes. My Polish wife has thrown loads of photos away of people she hardly knew but the photos tell another story, the story of how they lived under communism after WW2, and photos of German soldiers and tanks in the streets of Lodz (then Litmanstrad)in 1939-1940. I was ready to bring them over to UK but they all went in the bin when my back was turned.

Today, more people take photos than ever before. But where is the social history going to be in 50 years time? Digital images will be all but lost then - I guarantee it. Not many people print photos now, fewer still at photo labs.

I'll take a look for that programme on Iplayer. Thanks