31 Stunning Black And White Photos Of Europe In The Fifties Through A Soldier‘s Lens
It all started in December 1954, when the then 22-year old soldier Bill Perlmutter boarded a troopship to Germany, to start his new assignment as a photographer for the U.S. Army. The first images from Perlmutter’s Rolleiflex were taken during the rough transatlantic voyage. Even though he had never left the United States and was a bit apprehensive about his future, Perlmutter was “looking forward to photographing Europe and visiting all those wonderful places that I had read about and seen in the movies.” His first leave after his deployment to Augsburg Germany, brought him to Paris, the city of light and home to many of his favorite photographers.
Permutter‘s view of post-war Italy was strongly influenced by the gritty realistic films such as The Bicycle Thief by Victorio de Sica. His preconceptions of Italy were further challenged when he found most Italians to be congenial, outgoing and optimistic about the future. Perlmutter’s photographs taken in Spain and Portugal display an honest interest in the conditions and the cultural distinctions that existed post war. His images are a testament to the different living standards in various parts of Europe.
h/t: vintag.es
Four Men and a Painting, Italy, 1956
Praying Priest in Front of Saint Peters, Rome, 1956
Old Couple, Germany, 1956
Dancing on the Beach, Portugal, 1956
Four Gypsy Children, Spain, 1956
Father and Two Children, Germany, 1955
Open Wide, Germany, 1955
Waiting for the Weather to Clear, Portugal, 1956
Watching the Sea, Portugal, 1956
Along the Banks of the Main, Germany, 1955
Schoolgirls in the Train Station, Germany, 1956
Front Side and Rear, Spain, 1956
Carriage and Broom, Germany, 1955
Naughty Dog, Germany, 1956
Woman in Doorway, Spain, 1956
Man With Dark Glasses, Italy, 1956
Women and Wagon, Spain, 1956
School Boys, Italy, 1956
Boy With Toe in the Sand, Portugal, 1956
Three Boys Under an Umbrella, Rome, 1956
Father and Son on a Bench, Spain, 1956
Umbrella Boy, Italy, 1956
Pigeon Fright, Venice, 1956
Nitrato do Chile, Portugal, 1956
Boy on the Beach, Portugal, 1956
Old Couple in the park, Paris, 1955
Grandmother and Child, Spain, 1956
A Kiss on the Hand, Paris, 1956
G.I. Cigarettes, Germany, 1955
Under the Eiffel Tower, Paris, 1955
Street Musicians, Paris, 1955
