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Upcoming Exhibition

Esther Bubley: Photographing the World War II Homefront

Black and White photograph of a man in a military uniform and a woman dressed in 1940's attire sitting on a stone bench in front of the US Capitol building.

Hugh and Lynn Massman sightseeing on their first day in Washington, December 1943. Photograph by Esther Bubley, Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information photograph collection. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Location

  • Capital Jewish Museum
    575 3rd Street, NW, Washington, DC
  • Third Floor

Tickets

Tickets coming soon

Immerse yourself in 1940s Washington with the home front photography of Esther Bubley.

Esther Bubley (1921-1998), the daughter of Jewish immigrants, was a documentary photographer who worked for the Office of War Information during WWII. While in the capital she photographed Wilson (now Jackson-Reed) High School students and followed uniformed soldiers throughout the city—to the Loew’s Theater, Glen Echo amusement park, and Dissin’s Jewish boarding house, where her sister lived. Bubley’s evocative black-and-white photographs show us a bustling city welcoming thousands of new residents experiencing urban life. This exhibition pairs dramatic photography with artifacts from the Museum collection that help illustrate this glimpse into the capital city at a critical time in our nation’s history.