via Buzzfeed: The Golden Years of Disney

Confession: I am an absolute sucker for historical photos. It's all well and good to read a history textbook (or, more likely for me, a historical fiction novel), but photos just make history come alive. And, however cliche it is, pictures are worth a thousand words.

For instance--it's great to say that Walt Disney valued authenticity and realism in his animation, and pushed his animators to constantly capture that "authentic" essence, but...doesn't this picture say it so much better?

PC: Getty Images via Buzzfeed

This recent Buzzfeed post -- 23 Magical Pictures From The Golden Years of Disney -- is a fascinating look at the early years of the Disney company. 

There's one of Walt talking with a pair of animators -- the second color photo -- and you can clearly see artwork from Sleeping Beauty. Buzzfeed says the photo is circa 1950 -- which is incredible, given that Sleeping Beauty didn't come out until 1959. I'm sure Disneyland delayed production, and maybe there were other factors but...still. Nine years to work on a film. 

And, of course, there's one of my favorite photos of Walt:

PC: Getty Images via Buzzfeed