Contributed by:
Eric J. Lubbers/YourHub.com
Article Contributed on: 11/18/2008 10:38:02 PM
The now-defunct
LIFE magazine was the closest thing pre-Internet types had to Google Image Search, I would imagine (I was in fifth grade when I got my first e-mail address, so you could say that I've lived a pretty Web-drenched life).
The idea of the magazine was the same as the Web: expose people in far-flung parts of the world to images of things they may not be able to experience.
Well, now that we're at the point where bandwidth is cheap and
LIFE is no longer in business (and therefore not trying to profit off its legacy), Google has partnered with the owners of that legacy and has posted 10 million of
LIFE's images from its illustrious history online.
The
splash page for the future Life.com, which will host all the images, plus future work from contemporary photojournalists puts it pretty well, calling it the "the most amazing collection of professional photography on the Web."
Anyway, this is a blog about Denver, right?
So, like with most new things on the Internet, the first thing I did was plug in "Denver" to see how the Queen City of the Plains is treated through those talented lenses.
Here are some of the highlights:
•Lots of shots of Denver banker
John Evans in his massive mansion and about downtown in 1958
•A set showing a big city photographer's
fascination with the National Western Stock Show in 1945
• A photo of an engineer at the
future site of the Dillon Dam also in 1958
•A
fantastic, premonitory series of 8-12 year-olds playing
football (the old-school leather helmet kind) in the "Young America League" in 1939, looking for all intents and purposes like any given modern Denver suburb on any given Saturday afternoon.
•For some reason,
eight undated bizarre shots of retirees hanging out somewhere in the area titled "Post-Retiree Jobs Denver, Colorado."
I could literally (and yes I'm using that word correctly) do this all night, but alas, I should probably get some sleep. I need to be rested up so I can take another crack at these images.
Want to try it yourself? Just go to
http://images.google.com and search any term, followed by "source:life". It's just that simple.
Post your findings
here on YourHub.com to share them with your friends and neighbors.