The Way We Lived - Living Color: The 1930s-1940s

The Library of Congress has teamed up with Flickr, the photo-sharing site, to create "Flickr Commons." By putting 3,115 of its archival photographs on the site, the library hopes Flickr's community of 23 million users will tell them something about the images they don't already know. The photos on Flickr Commons are divided into two groups. The first is a batch of 1,615 gorgeous and surprising color photographs from 1939 to 1944. Taken by Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information photographers during the Depression and World War II, the vibrant pictures bring new life to our black-and-white past. The second set comes courtesy of the Bain News Service and compiles 1,500 journalistic snapshots from 1910-1912. Keep clicking to see a batch of our favorites, complete with official titles (when available) and commentary.

Photos: John Vachon (l.), Alfred T. Palmer (top r.), Jack Delano (2nd from bottom r.); Bain News Service