Bangalore: It may be a fantasy, but it would indeed be wonderful if one were to board a "time-machine" and go back on time to witness man stepping on moon, watch the Wright Brothers making their first flight or oversee the construction of the Empire State building.

But, such visual treats such as these can only be imagined. However, Bangaloreans were in for a special treat in the from of a 15-day photo exhibition 'Picturing the Century' from November 10 that nostalgically traversed through the past.

Organised by the National Archives of the United States, the 110 images on show were handpicked from among millions of photographs from the collection of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), US.

The exhibition that reflects the rapid changes of the last hundred years in America has been categorised under six themes - A New Century; The Great War and the New Era; The Great Depression and the New Deal; A World in Flames; Post-war America and the Century’s end.

Excellent and rare photographs by Walter Lubken, Lewis Hine, George W Ackerman, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, Charles Fenno Jacobs, Danny Lyon and some anonymous photographers successfully take one back into the history books of the US.

Jnanapeeth awardee and noted novelist Prof U R Ananthamurthy, who inaugurated the exhibition, told Indiainfo.com that different eyes view photographs in different perspects. "Images of the past enliven our memory with memorable moments. And these images of historical importance would take us back to the US of the 20th century," he said.

"This exhibition is a good attempt in showcasing the history of US. They reflect the lives and times of the common folk," he added.

The initial section on the early Twentieth Century includes Wright Brothers' first airplane flight, an assembly line and immigrants arriving at the Ellis Island in New York. From the era of World War I and the 1920s, come images of Liberty Loan bond rallies, women shipyard workers and the construction of the Empire State Building. Views of the Great Depression and Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal include migrant workers and public works projects.

Helen Lafave, spokeswoman of the American Consulate General, said that the exhibition was held to showcase the changing culture of the US through images.

"The US has changed a lot in the last century. And one can really realise the change of culture over the years in this exhibition," she said.

Venue: Chitra Art Gallery, Kannada Bhavan, next to Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore.

Date: November 10 to 24.

Time: 10.00 am (IST) to 8.00 pm (IST).