I managed to acquire a vast collection of photos, hundreds of which are breathtaking.  This series contains over 5000 pictures, and the photographers are unfortunately not credited.  I have only scratched the surface in looking at them, but I am consistently surprised by the magnitude of emotion, detail, and nuance that is captured within this library.  Extraordinary minutiae and epic grandeur are captured in frame after frame.

I will warn you that many of these are heartbreaking in the very human reactions they display.  As of yet I have found nothing gory; just potent documentation of both the impressive accomplishment of the buildings themselves, as well as the ripple effect of their destruction at all levels, from the gigantic to the subtle and otherwise overlooked.

The diversity of content, style, and function within this collection is immense.  You could spend weeks appreciating the work of its many contributors, whoever they are….

I created a simple script to allow easy navigation of this huge album.  Enjoy, and be patient with yourself.

andrew.fm/wtc

While a lot of these resemble images we’ve all seen ad nauseum, there are also some real gems in here; moving and affectionate moments that we never saw in the papers, or on television.  A lot of the pictures do offer a unique perspective of the destruction itself, but so many others expose how the event indirectly affected everyday life far away from those buildings.

(for some wtc-themed photos i’ve taken, click here)