Gems from National Geographic’s Archives
Like many Americans, my family held on to their National Geographicmagazines like treasures. I was always in awe of the sheer volume the collection took up — hundreds of glossy covers containing thousands ofphotographs. But when you consider the ratio of what photographers shoot versus what ends up in print, those iconic shots are just the tip of the iceberg. National Geographic sits on a massive archive, most of which has never seen the light of day, until now.
In honor of the magazine’s 125th anniversary, National Geographic started a Tumblr, aptly called “Found.”Each day it offers shots from preeminent photographers capturing everything from a play performance in Greece (1930) to a Native American sendingsmoke signals (1909), to aCasablanca boutique (1971). And like great albums, the B-sides of National Geographic rival the hits. These images aren’t just examples of great photojournalism — they’re splendid compositions.
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