The most amazing National Geographic photo since 1984

[HHSDad]

 

This is a photo of the crypt of Rosalia Lombardo, a beautiful Sicilian 2 year old who died of pnemonia. She looks like she fell asleep after playing outside.

 

The thing is, she died in 1920. This photo was taken last month. In the February 2009 edition of National Geographic, the reader opens to this sad full page picture of this little girl who died so long ago.

 

If you haven't seen or read the article, I encourage you to find a copy of this months National Geographic. It is absolutely amazing.

 

In case you don't know what I'm referring to by 1984, that's the year that the picture below appeared on the cover of National Geographic.

 

[LRCW]

What is the picture from 1984 of?

[gchs_uk9]

What is the picture from 1984 of?

 

She was in a refugee camp in Afghanistan during the Soviet war. National Geographic went back to Afghanistan in 2002 and found the girl and took her picture again. Below is the old and new - after eighteen hard years in one of the world's hardest places.

[Jim Schue]

She looks like she aged 40 years instead of 17. Those eyes are incredibly striking …

[cooperstown]

I find the picture of the little child in the crypt rather creepy. I am surprised that such embalming capabilities existed back in 1920 and even more surprised that her hair ribbon would be in such pristine shape.

[MJAlltheWay24]

The comparison of those two picture is crazy...wow.

[corndog23]

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/sicily-crypts/gill-text

 

Here is the article.

[livinthedream]

Yeah and we worry about aging.......Living in such a hard oppressive society makes anybody age too fast...

[Sonny Crockett]

I remember that picture back in 1984 and her eyes are a thing of beauty!

[ScarHeel]

She was in a refugee camp in Afghanistan during the Soviet war. National Geographic went back to Afghanistan in 2002 and found the girl and took her picture again. Below is the old and new - after eighteen hard years in one of the world's hardest places.

 

Remarkable...

[formerkywrestler]

She was in a refugee camp in Afghanistan during the Soviet war. National Geographic went back to Afghanistan in 2002 and found the girl and took her picture again. Below is the old and new - after eighteen hard years in one of the world's hardest places.

Amazing how much she aged. But her piercing eyes still catch you the same.

[Henry521]

Her eyes in the young pic look scared. Her eyes in the older pic look tired.

[NkuRoyal31]

Her eyes in the young pic look scared. Her eyes in the older pic look tired.

 

Exactly my thinking, as young girl she was scared of what was going on around her and ability to survive. 17 years later she's run down and has aged so much.

[BoondockSaint]

She looks like she aged 40 years instead of 17.

That's what I was thinking.

[Hatz]

I find the picture of the little child in the crypt rather creepy. I am surprised that such embalming capabilities existed back in 1920 and even more surprised that her hair ribbon would be in such pristine shape.

 

I wonder if altitude plays a factor in preservation. Was it in the mountains of Sicily?