The U.S. in Autochrome: 50 Stunning Color Photographs of American Life in the Early 20th Century

These stunning photographs were taken by National Geographic Society photographers using Autochrome process. The society eventually moved on to other more advanced processes and finally to Kodachrome by 1938.

New Orleans, Louisiana - Children gather by a vendor selling "snowball" treats, c.1929.

New Orleans, Louisiana - Five boys sit together, eating large watermelon slices, 1930.

Louisiana - Four children cultivate cotton in a field, 1930.

Manhattan, New York City - The sixty-story Woolworth Building in New York's skyline stands tall, 1930.

Miami Beach, Florida - A group of people sunbathe and look out on the ocean, 1930.

Washington, D.C. - A woman looks at fruit from a vendor in front of the U.S. Capital, 1930.

St. Petersburg, Florida - Six women sit on the beach with the water behind them, 1930.

Hopi Indian Reservation - Two men stand by a car in a field looking at the nearby canyons, 1929.

Arizona - Dude ranch guests pretend to be cowboys, 1929.

Bennington, Vermont - Two people stand among white birches in the Battenkill Valley, 1927.

Montana - Three men stand in front of a plane on the Crow Reservation, 1927.

Montana - A Native American family relaxes inside their tipi, 1927.

Montana - A chief on the Crow Indian Reservation, 1927.

Virginia - A woman and child do laundry outside in Sperryville, 1926.

Virginia - a girl poses with corn and pumpkins during corn harvest, 1926.

Washington, D.C. - A group of kids looks at an elephant in the National Zoo. c.1930.

Stowe, Vermont - Two women look west from the village of Stowe at Mount Mansfield, 1927.

Shasta, California - A woman stands at the edge of a pond observing the view, 1916.

Portrait of a Hopi Indian holding one of the baskets she has made, 1916.

A Hopi Indian and his burro stand at the edge of a high mesa, 1916.

New Orleans, Louisiana - A boy sits on a barrel outside a brewery in the French Quarter, c.1929.

New Orleans, Louisiana - A vendor sells pralines in the French Quarter, c.1929.

An informal portrait of a young New Orleans boy eating watermelon, 1930.

A woman sits outside the doorway of the Absinthe House in New Orleans, c.1929.

Atlantic City, New Jersey - Life guards of the Beach Patrol push a boat into the water, c.1930.

Ohio - People walk through stands at a Loundonville fair, 1929.

Ohio - Four women stand beside an apple stand at a fair in Loundonville, 1929.

Ashtabula, Ohio - Coastguardsmen go out in their boat, 1929.

San Antonio, Texas - A trick rider poses with her blue pony at the rodeo, 1928.

San Antonio, Texas - Cowboys and riders sit along a fence at the Rodeo, 1928.

Fort Worth, Texas - A cowgirl shows her sister how to handle the ropes, c.1929.

Fort Worth, Texas - Three young women attend a rodeo, 1928.

People enjoy the falls of a brook during a warm summer day, 1927.

Columbus, Ohio - A view of the high street in Columbus' business district, c.1929.

Galveston, Texas - Men load storage bins with sulfur on the docks, 1928.

Galveston, Texas - A man shovels sulfur in storage bins on the docks, 1928.

New York City - An aerial view of Manhatttan, 1930.

New York City - A view of the Hudson River, 1930.

Manhattan, New York City - A view of Washington Square, 1929.

New York City - A view of Washington Square at Fifth Avenue, 1929.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - Four tour guides of the Gettysburg battlefield wait for tourists, 1929.

New York State - A group of students relaxes on the terrace at Cornell University, 1929.

Crow Indian Reservation, Montana - Men stand at the site of the monument to the Seventh Cavalry, 1927.

Washington, D.C. - A scenic fall view of the capitol, 1927.

New Orleans, Louisiana - A view of galleries in the French Quarter, c.1929.

New Orleans, Louisiana - A woman sitting on stone steps in The French Quarter sells pralines, c.1929.

Manhattan, New York City - Commuters stop to look at hardware for sale along downtown streets, 1930.

Miami Beach, Florida - Crowds form at a pool for a swim competition, 1930.

Atlantic City, New Jersey - A panoramic view of the beaches, piers and hotels along the boardwalk, 1929.

(Photos: National Geographic Collection/Corbis, via Mashable/ Retronaut)