An Amazing Look Inside the O’Reilly’s Bar on Third Avenue, New York in 1942

Marjory Collins, a seasoned photojournalist and self-described “rebel looking for a cause,” joined the photo unit of the Office of War Information in January 1942, and shot around 50 assignments covering life on the homefront. She spent much of her time documenting the lives of various ethnic “hyphenated Americans,” seeking to show the country’s diversity and unity in the war effort. She also covered industrial women workers.

Here, Collins photographed a night at O’Reilly’s Bar on Third Avenue in New York in 1942, with sailors on shore leave having fun before shipping out.