Black and White Photos of Children of Europe After War in 1948

David Seymour (also known as Chim) was a Polish-born American photojournalist who is best known for his empathetic pictures of people, especially children. Seymour studied graphic arts in Warsaw and in 1931 went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, where he became interested in photography.

Seymour travelled extensively in Europe and the Middle East after the war. His photographs documented armed conflicts, the emergence of the Israeli state, and the efforts of UNICEF to aid needy children in Europe. David Seymour was killed in 1956 while on assignment in Egypt with his colleague Jean Roy to photograph the Suez crisis.

ITALY. Naples. 1948. These young Neapolitans like the danger of the strictly-forbidden practice of hanging on to the backs of street cars.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948. Boys play in bombed-out buildings in the working-class district of Favoriten.

Naples. Girl selling cigarettes which she gets from the Black Market, to people at the cafes.

ITALY. Naples. The Juvenile Court. 1948.

Naples. A young prostitute in the Albergo dei Poveri reformatory. Prostitutes, vagrants, and thieves were also sent there by the Naples Juvenile Court and taught embroidery by Catholic nuns. Over-population and misery have aggravated the problem of juvenile deliquency, which has increased in most countries because of the war and the aftermath of bad living conditions.

ITALY. Naples. 1948. A girl, raped during the war, in the Albergo dei Poveri reformatory.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948. A prison for juvenile delinquents. A young prostitute in her cell. The sign on her cell door says, "Venereal disease - contagious".

Near Budapest. In the children's detention room at the headquarters station of the Women's Police Corps, a boy in blankets waits while his clothes are deloused. He has been found in the streets, in need of care. Another boy brought in from the streets on a petty offence, plays ball.

ITALY. Naples. 1948. Some of the young Napolitans placed in a reformatory in the Albergo dei Poveri by order of the Juvenile Court. They work in different workshops attached to the reformatory. They also go to school in the same building. Discipline is very rigid and the boys' faces are wary and suspicious.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948. Displaced Persons Camp from the Sudeten land, an old arsenal, half-destroyed, which was given to the displaced persons. Here they live to work in Austrian farms and factories.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948. The shortage of shoe leather is acute and in many families the same shoes are worn alternatively by different children.

HUNGARY. Pilis. 1948. Noon meal for the village children. This half-destroyed house was repaired by the community and decorated attractively to serve as a kindergarten.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948. Bellevue Hospital for children. This little girl, suffering from spinal tuberculosis, must wear a special stiff body jacket.

ITALY. Rome. Villa Savoia. 1948. This home for crippled children is one of many such institutions in Italy to take care of the large numbers of mutilated children.

ITALY. Rome. Villa Savoia. 1948.

AUSTRIA. Vienna. 1948.

ITALY. Rome. 1948. Blind boy who lost his arms during the war has learnt to read with his lips.

Village of Ghortiatis near Salonika, burnt by the Germans in retaliation during the war. Children have gymnastics class in front of the burnt-out school. School is now held in the church.

Warsaw. Children attending a school which is still under construction. The upper floors are finished but workmen are still working on the lower floors.

Warsaw. Secondary school. Experiment to prove volume of oxygen in air.

HUNGARY. Budapest. Children's printing plant at the Children's Republic near Budapest. During summer about 2 000 children were camping there and a special camp newspaper was printed in this plant. A picture of the great printing pioneer, Gutenberg, is hanging in the background. 1948.

ITALY. Latium. Monte Cassino. 1948. Orphan girls playing amid the ruins of their former orphanage.

HUNGARY. Budapest. 1948. Children palying in a suburban park. Behind lies the Danube with the newly built Margareten Bridge.

(Photos © David Seymour/Magnum Photos)