“Originally published in the April 9, 1951, issue of LIFE magazine, W. Eugene Smith’s photo essay, «Spanish Village», has been lauded for more than six decades as the most moving photographic portrait ever made of daily life in rural Spain during the rule of dictator Francisco Franco”. – Time & Life Pictures. Photo: His wife, daughter, granddaughter and friends have their last earthly visit with a villager. (Photo by W. Eugene Smith/Time & Life Pictures)
“The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the “death strip”) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses. The Soviet-dominated Eastern Bloc officially claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. However, in practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period”. – Wikipedia
Photo: West Berlin policemen and East German Volkspolizei face each other across the border in Berlin, circa 1955. (Photo by Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Some of the best entries so far in the 2016 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. There are two weeks left to enter, and the winners will be announced in September. Here: Aurora over Laksvatn Fjord, Laksvatn, Norway. The aurora borealis dances in the skies over the town of Laksvatn, with the Milky Way to the left. The image is a single shot with no compositing, only post-processing to bring out the aurora, and some colour corrections. The photographer Matt Walford said: “I love the way the northern lights look like they are just wistfully dancing over the fjord, framed by the mountains on either side”. (Photo by Matt Walford/National Maritime Museum)
A Yorkshire Terrier has it's hair done on a grooming table on Day one of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 8, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete in a variety of categories, ultimately seeking the coveted prize of “Best In Show”. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A student, wearing a traditional costume and headdress, stands in line for interviews during a recruitment held by an airline company, hoping to stand out from more than 500 candidates for airline stewardess positions, in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, May 27, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)
In this Saturday, July 4, 2015 photo, Israeli and Russian members of knight clubs cook their breakfast before the reenactment of the Battle of Hattin in Lavi Forest, northern Israel. About a third of the participants arrived with their elaborate gear from Russia. The project is supported by the Lower Galilee Regional Council. (Photo by Oded Balilty/AP Photo)
An Indian women offers early-morning prayers or a “puja” at a ghat early in the morning on the banks of the Betawa River in Orchha in the state of Madhya Pradesh on July 5, 2015. (Photo by Rebecca Conway/AFP Photo)