A new source of vintage images: LIFE (now hosted by Google)

Google has just put the massive archive of images from LIFE magazine online (Google blog post). The majority of which never made it to print. Google will ultimately scan in the entire collection of about 10 million images. Large-format print can be purchased.

Another example of how online media is unlocking the "long tail" of historical information.

This opens up a great new source of vintage images for use in PowerPoint presentations. They are very hard to find (stock image sites hardly list them).

The Parisians

Wide range of facial expressions on children at puppet show - The moment the dragon is slain, Guignol puppet show, Parc de Montsouris, Paris, 1963. Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt

I like using vintages images:

• Non-disturbing, neutral B&W colors
• Iconic images that have become part of our common culture can get a point across quickly
• It provides a nice conctrast, especially when used in presentations on high-tech subjects
• There are some good examples of concepts that can be explained using vintage images: i.e., the old grocery counter is a much better visualization than a cliche image of a smiling call center rep.
• Vintage images can get across raw emotion, like the image of the children above, much better than searching a stock image site for "happy children"

To search images from the LIFE archive, simply add "source:life" in your Google Images search bar (example: search results for Picasso)