This film travelogue of the Normandy region of France, created before World War II, was found in the collections of the National Archives without any item-level description or detailed provenance and was intended to promote American tourism. Sure enough, in only a few years, Americans were visiting Normandy in droves, or perhaps, divisions!

The film collections of the National Archives and Records Administration are a national treasure, but years of budget parsimony means that much descriptive and cataloguing work remains to be done. According to one estimate, less than 10% of the moving image resources available at the Archives have item level descriptions, much less detailed logging.

This video and article was submitted by Steve Green, ARA member and independent archival professional who focuses on special media records: still photographs, recorded sound and moving images. Steve stresses the importance of hiring an expert archival researcher to find imagery or footage that will add impact to your production. Visit Steve’s website for more information here:https://historicity.co/