Colour in Darkness

Today I had a physio appointment in Sydney and took the opportunity to visit the Colour in Darkness: Images from the First World War  exhibition at the State Library.

In the early 1920s a selection of hand-coloured photographs, taken mostly by soldiers, toured Australia to provide comfort to family and friends anxious to know "the fields their men folk trod". 
It was immensely popular.

This exhibition consists of 150 of the original prints, including Frank Hurley's image of the remains of the Cloth Hall in Ypres, pictured.

It is particularly interesting for me as next week I am going to Europe to meet with several family members and friends to commemorate the centenary of the death of my great uncle in the Battle of the Somme. 
Both my grandfathers also fought on the Western Front and I expect it will be a poignant pilgrimage.