The Rescued Film Project is an organization dedicated to the preservation of unclaimed and undeveloped rolls of film from the 1930s to the 1990s. Photographer Levi Bettwieser, the project’s founder, came across something extraordinary late last year. At an auction, Bettwieser discovered a lot of 31 undeveloped rolls of film dating back to World War II.
The rolls included titles like Boston Harbor, La Havre Harbor, and Lucky Strike Camp.
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After acquiring the old rolls, Bettwieser took to the time-intensive work of cataloguing and developing them at his home.
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While many of the rolls were too damaged to be developed, the majority were able to be salvaged. The result is some truly spectacular photography from WWII that is just now being seen for the first time.
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While carefully studying the newly developed film, Bettwieser noticed a single, unidentified solider who keeps appearing in many of the pictures.
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Bettwieser believes this reoccurring soldier to be the person whose film rolls these originally belonged to.
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One of the stated goals of the Rescued Film Project is to reconnect the photos they find with their original owners or relatives.
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If any of these photos looks familiar, or if you recognize a person or place, be sure to get in touch with them.
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Check out a mini-documentary about The Rescued Film Project, and the process Bettwieser went through to develop these pictures.
(source This Is Colossal)
These pictures are jaw-dropping. I can’t believe they sat undeveloped for so long. You can learn more about The Rescued Film Project here. Don’t forget to get in touch if you recognize anyone in these photos.
