PRE WAR EUROPE: A SUMMER STORY

Finch's wine bar in Oxford Street, London, next to John Lewis & Co, is pictured left in January 1936. The property was due to be auctioned the following March and was expected to fetch an extremely high price - after a £100,000 offer had already been turned down. Pictured right is a swimming pool on the roof of the Piccadilly London hotel in August 1932

Quai des Tuileries

From the 1930s reveal a bustling pre-Blitz London The men from nearby St. Thomas' Hospital are pictured resting in their beds in open air while being tended to At nearby Hyde Park three women are seen carrying their gas masks while going for a swim in the Serpentine The shots are from Getty Images - which holds tens of millions of historical negatives in hundreds of archives These fascinating black and white pictures turn back the clock to a bygone era - revealing bustling city scenes in pre-Blitz 1930s London.The collection of images shows everything from swimsuit-clad women carrying their gas masks to tuberculosis patients enjoying the sun on the banks of the Thames.The men - who were wheeled out from nearby St. Thomas' Hospital - are pictured resting in their beds in the open air while being tended to by a nurse.The Houses of Parliament can be seen in the background in the historical photograph from 1936.  +24 Tuberculosis patients from St. Thomas' Hospital rest in their beds in the open air by the River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament, in May 1936 +24   Three women pictured going for a swim in the Serpentine, Hyde Park, London, while carrying their gas masks +24 Emergency buses leaving Victoria station in London, following an underground train crash on the District Line in May 1938Meanwhile at nearby Hyde Park three women are pictured carrying their gas masks while going for a swim in the Serpentine.The stunning collection also shows American silent film actress Phyllis Gordon window-shopping with her four-year-old cheetah.The animal was flown to Britain from Kenya and she happily walked it around the capital on a chain and collar while she was on shopping trips. +24 American silent film actress Phyllis Gordon window-shopping in Earls Court, London with her four-year-old cheetah who was flown to Britain from Kenya +24 Children pour out of their school in Drew Street, Silvertown, in the east end of London, with the liner Rajputana in the background in January 1932 +24 Two divers jumping off the Embankment into the River Thames in London, near Westminster Bridge +24 A water cart man turns the water main on a group of boys to help them cool off in a street in Westminster, London during a heatwave in August 1930 +24 A Black & White milk bar on the corner of Whitefriars Street and Fleet Street, London in August 1935 Other images show relics of the past such as a Black & White milk bar on the corner of Whitefriars Street and Fleet Street - as well as Finch's wine bar in Oxford Street, London, next to John Lewis & Co.The property was due to be auctioned the following March and was expected to fetch an extremely high price - after a £100,000 offer had already been turned down.In other pictures women can be seen enjoying themselves while on holiday and nannies are photographed pushing prams through Hyde Park - which appears to be far less crowded than it is nowadays.The shots are from Getty Images - which holds tens of millions of negatives in hundreds of archives chronicling some of the most important periods in history. +24 Early morning rush hour traffic crossing London Bridge, central London in January 1933 +24 Victor Berlemont, a moustachioed French publican working in an establishment of London's Soho +24 A crowd of people wearing swimwear bathing in the Serpentine during the high temperatures in London's Hyde Park in August 1930 +24 Nannies push prams in Hyde Park, London alongside Rotten Row in 1936 +24 Two holidaymakers amuse themselves with a porter's trolley whilst waiting for their train at Euston Station, London, in August 1939 +24 A young exhibitor arrives with her kitten on a lead at the National Cat Club show at Crystal Palace, London, in December 1931 +24 +24 Finch's wine bar in Oxford Street, London, next to John Lewis & Co, is pictured left in January 1936. The property was due to be auctioned the following March and was expected to fetch an extremely high price - after a £100,000 offer had already been turned down. Pictured right is a swimming pool on the roof of the Piccadilly London hotel in August 1932 +24 School children play in Hyde Park on a sunny day in 1935. +24 Londoners in bathing suits taking advantage of a heat wave at Hyde Park lido in June 1933 +24 Two young boys are pictured out for a walk wearing shorts because of the heatwave in London, England in August 1932 +24 Children playing cricket in a street in Millwall, east London in August 1938. A liner on the Thames is seen in the background +24 Four swimmers enjoy an ice-cream at the water's edge in Roehampton swimming pool in May 1936 +24 Queen Victoria's Jubilee Clock is moved to another place in front of a crowd of spectators in August 1938 +24 A cleaner dusts a cast of a dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum in London in November 1936. The cast was made from the D. Carnegiei diplodocus at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh in the US state of Pennsylvania A little girl drinking from a fountain with a lion's head at Finchley Swimming Pool, London in August 1937. Outdoor swimming pools became popularly known as 'lidos' in the 1930s - and proved to be very popular during the first half of the 20th century Sunshine and swastikas: Rare colour pictures of 1930s Berlin show carefree life in Hitler’s capital before war that reduced it to rubble Uncovered images show glimpse into life in the city as it lurches toward war As well as chilling images of swastikas and soldiers, the pictures show life scenes of ordinary Germans This collection of rare color photos of Berlin in 1937, taken by Thomas Neumann and uncovered from Norwegian archives, show life in the German capital during a tumultuous decade. They capture scenes in the vibrant city, which was under the iron grip of Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich at the very height of his power. Yet just eight years later the city was in ruins as Russians and Allies occupied it in victory. But at the time these images were taken, Hitler's Berlin was vibrant. Hitler had taken power after the collapse of the democratic Weimar Republic in 1933 as severe economic problems caused by the Great Depression drove ordinary Germans into the far-right party's arms. As well as chilling pictures of buildings emblazoned with swastikas, there are scenes of ordinary life as Germans go about their business. They show a child in a sun-drenched square, smiling friends at a train station, a cart selling bananas and a food vendor in a sunny park. Regal: These rare color photos of Berlin in 1937 give a unique perspective of the capital's pre-war period. The Stadtschloss, or Berlin City Palace, was heavily damaged during bombing and demolished by East German authorities after the war Devastated: The Stadtschloss after it was gutted by Allied bombs. It was torn down by East German authorities after the war but is currently being rebuilt Ominous: In 1937 Hitler was at the very peak of his power. Ordinary Germans were content and opposition was being ruthlessly crushed Smiling: An unknown trio at a train station. It is likely they were friends or colleagues of the photographer Rally: Soldiers and civilians at a rally on the decorated streets in Berlin. This photo is believed to have been taken on Labour Day (May 1) in 1937 Bustle: A cart sells fruit on a busy Berlin street Norwegian engineer Thomas Neumann (1901-1978) took the photos while working in Germany. The film he used was the first of its kind, and there are few similar images preserved in Norwegian collections. His coloured pictures gives historians a valuable view of the interwar period. In 2007 his photo gallery given to the National Archives of Norway by his daughter. Thomas Neumann trained as an electrical engineer in Dresden. After graduating in 1928 he worked in Berlin until 1933. Neumann was a member of the National Unity party, a fascist organisation and was appointed its propaganda leader in Oslo and Akershus. He left the party in 1937 and in October 1944 he was arrested for illegal activities and sent to the notorious Grini concentration camp. Echoes of history: This street scene shows the Augustiner Keller, a beer cellar in central Berlin. Few buildings were not festooned with Nazi regalia Power: Hitler had consolidated his power by the mid-1930s, thanks to widespread disillusionment with the Weimar Republic Youth: A little boy outside an unknown sunny square in Berlin Order: This intimidating picture shows troops lining a boulevard festooned with swastikas in anticipation of a parade Relaxation: Berliners enjoy snacks in a sun-soaked park Crowds: The pictures were taken by Thomas Neumann, a Norwegian engineer who worked in Germany Church and state: Swastikas and a maypole outside Berlin Cathedral Docking: Two men in suits aboard the steamer Preussen, presumably approaching Germany Quiet moment: A driver leans against a state car and enjoys a cigarette. The photos show candid moments among Berliners One candid picture shows a Brownshirt (a member of Hitler's paramilitary force) lounging against a state car in front of a building draped with the maligned Nazi symbol. On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg, under pressure from Franz von Papen, appointed Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Shortly after the Fuhrer seized power. The Nazi government restored prosperity and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending and a free market economy. Extensive public works were also undertaken, including the construction of the Autobahns, to boost employment. Just two years later Germany would invade Poland and begin the most destructive war the world has ever seen. An estimated 60 million people lost their lives as a result of the Second World War and the global political landscape changed forever. Ripple: The 1937 May Day celebration was also a celebration of 700 years of Berlin's history Grand: The Messe Berlin situated in Berlin-Westend. It was completed in 1937 yet heavily bombed by Allied aircraft Masses: A lkarge crowd in Berlin, presumably in connection with Labour Day Force: In this picture we see military personnel father beneath decorations. An officer appears to be inspecting the men Overseer: A guard in a pristine white uniform looks on at a gathering crowd Civilians: Walkers on a mystery German street. Eight years later it would have been filled with Russian, British and American troops Serene: An unknown park in Berlin. The heat of the summer of 1937 meant sprinklers were required to keep the grass verdant History: Flags snap and flap in the breeze among a throng of Germans celebrating May day Colourful: Berliners gather to look at a giant maypole outside the Berlin City Cathedral Porte de Paris Boulevard Exelmans, 1920 Rue de la Roquette – 1918 Rue de la Roquette – 1918 Hôtel de Ville Invalides – 1909 Invalides - 1909

Samaritaine - 1930 Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis – 1914 Exposition Universelle - Trocadéro 1937 Rue du Pot de Fer - 1914 Quai de Bourbon - vers 1910 Place de la Concorde – 1918 Hôtel de Ville – 1918 Invalides – 1918 Hôtel de Ville – 1919 Rue de la Paix – 1919 Rue de la Paix – 1919 Vendeuses aux Halles – 1920 Parvis de Notre Dame – 1918 Quai du Louvre – 1920 Quai de Béthune – 1923 Aubert Palace – 1925