Gun photos in the Life magazine Google archive

Google is hosting a huge archive of millions of Life magazine images since 1750. I thought I would see what interesting gun photos I could find.

C
Winchester 1890 pump action rifle. © Time Inc.

Actress Donna Drake taking aim with a rifle on the balcony of her home, dressed in a two-piece swimsuit, her dog lying on a cushion nearby.

Location: CA, US
Date taken: 1942
Photographer: Peter Stackpole

Hollywood is just not the same anymore. Imagine the media frenzy if Scarlett Johansson was spotted with a rifle on her roof!

Full sized photo here.

Guy waterskiing with revolver. WTF?

Swiss farmer’s rifle with bandolier. Taken 1941. Presumably on hand in case of a German invasion.

Ordnance shop at Skoda Munitions factory. Too little too late. Less than a year later the factory would be producing arms for the German war machine.

What not to do with a gun.

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Steve Nov 20th 2008 photos Tags: , , , 4 Comments

4 Responses to “Gun photos in the Life magazine Google archive”

  1. Gregory Morrison 20 Nov 2008 at 2:41 pm link comment

    Wow. Kim du Toit is gonna be mad that you scooped him on that picture.

  2. anonon 20 Nov 2008 at 4:26 pm link comment

    “Swiss farmer’s rifle with bandolier”

    It’s a K-31, and your presumption is correct; it is a government issued civil defense rifle.

  3. DJKon 21 Nov 2008 at 11:57 am link comment

    You mean….there was a time when the governments of different countries ISSUED rifles for self defense?? That’d be the day…..

    What a great collection of photos. Search for GUN and SCHOOL. VERY interesting. Fits well with http://www.alphecca.com/?p=1012

  4. Sisyphoson 21 Mar 2009 at 9:10 pm link comment

    Still today, Swiss citizens are issued a rifle by the government, i.e. if the are doing their military duty. The only difference is that nowadays, we do not necessarily have an old K31 leaning against a wall (though I do), but a SIG 550 assault rifle. After leaving the military sometime between the age of 35 and 50, we may keep the rifle.

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