Where am I? #15

Here

Snow Bound

Yes, that's a car in there.

Where am I? #14

Here

Mission Heliographique – The Patrimony of Paris in Photos

In 1851, the Commission de Monuments Historiques embarked on an unprecedented survey of the French landscape. Five photographers traveled to the far reaches of France. Their targets would be the buildings that made up the heritage of France – the “architectural patrimony” of the country. It was to be known as a Mission Heliographique, and the photographers returned with plates and prints portraying buildings – many of which no longer exist. Sadly, upon return, their negatives remained largely unpublished for over a century.

Until now.

Some of the saddest photos I've ever seen

More photos by James D. Griffieon

This was the building where Detroit's deeply-troubled public school system once stored its supplies, and then one day walked away from it all, allowing everything to go to waste. The interior has been ravaged by fires and the supplies that haven't burned have been subjected to 20 years of Michigan weather. This city's school district is so impoverished that students are not allowed to take their textbooks home to do homework, and many of its administrators are so corrupt that every few months the newspapers report more of their scandals, sweetheart-deals, and expensive trips made at the expense of a population of children who can no longer rely on a public education to help lift them from the cycle of violence and poverty that has made Detroit the most dangerous city in America. To walk through this ruin, more than any other, I think, is to obliquely experience the real tragedy of this city: not some sentimental tragedy of brick and plaster, but one of people.

Polaroid returns

More here.

If you like this photo, you might find this book interesting.

Old Photos from Japan

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Alexey Titarenko photography

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Where am I? #5

Here

When cultural institutions are unafraid to share

George Eastman House Museum

Shadow Side Up

From Flicker via Ffffound!

Early agriculture in the San Fernando Valley

Late 19th and early 20th Century photos from the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.