It is interesting to note how present day sensibilities have been so altered by the media that black and white photography is now considered more realistic than color. The Holocaust and all other past events were, of course, in color not in black and white but that idea is especially difficult for younger people (under 50 or so) to accept because all of their images of World War II are media derived (film and still photos in b&w.) I recall seeing the color films of the D-Day invasion taken by George Stevens' film unit and being stuck by how more effective they were because they WERE in color. The past did not look like how I'm accustomed to seeing the past look (which is in b&w). The past looked like the present. The soldiers in the invasion looked like real people (people I might have known) and were not the usual shadowy grey World War II figures. Would anyone expect a movie about the more recent past (post color film era) to be in b&w? THE DOORS, for example, or MY GIRL 2, which takes place in the 1970s. I doubt it. Media images of the 1970s are also in color so there is no conflict. Sensibilities are not disturbed. The conventions of 19th century photography have also effected our perceptions of that even earlier period. We see only stiff sourpusses. Having your photo taken was a big deal then. People wore their best clothes, did not smile (and exactly when did people begin saying Cheese?) and had to stand very still or else the picture would be fuzzy. Look at paintings from the same era. Painting was not limited in the same way. People were often smiling and badly attired. Mary Kalfatovic, Washington, D.C.