Washington, D.C. Sunday cyclists watching sailboats

Marjory Collins’ Washington D.C. cyclists offers a rare glimpse into life on the home front during World War II. The image evokes a lingering nostalgia for the simplicity of youth gone by, and calls to mind lazy, languid summer days. It also provides a curious juxtaposition between the tranquility of the scene set before us, and the brutality of a war raging across the Atlantic; the boys in the photo watch toy sailboats pass by as warships patrol the coasts. The particular magic of this photograph is that despite the rather sobering historical context surrounding it, Collins was able to create an image that fills the viewer with a wave of tranquility. You can almost feel the calm, warm wind that once blew through these willow branches.