A Victorian Post Mortem Portrait (19th Century)
Some families commissioned photographs of deceased children because a final portrait was often the only image they would ever have of them.
The Radium Girls (1920s)
These young factory workers were exposed to radium while painting luminous watch dials, with many later suffering severe health consequences.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911)
Workers were trapped inside the burning New York factory after exits were locked, leading many to jump from the upper floors.
A Prisoner Recognizes His Family (1945)
This photograph captures a German prisoner of war reacting emotionally after recognizing relatives among the people gathered near the camp.
The Dust Bowl Family (1930s)
Behind the seemingly quiet family portrait was a period of extreme poverty, crop failure, displacement, and environmental disaster across the American Great Plains.
The Warsaw Ghetto (1943)
A photograph of Jewish civilians being forced from their homes during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto became one of the most recognizable images of Nazi persecution.
