In its first viewing ever in the United States, an exhibition of Ryerson’s Black Star Historical Black & White Photography Collection is now being shown at the Canadian Embassy.

The exhibit, 50 Years of American Photojournalism: 1939-1989, features 330 images from Ryerson’s Black Star Historical Black & White Photography Collection, and is currently on display until Aug. 29. The images, taken by American photographers both here and abroad, captures moments forever etched in America’s collective memory.

The collection is one of the world’s great photography collections, providing a remarkable visual record of the 20th century’s defining moments, including the First and Second World Wars, popular culture and early space exploration.

Black Star was founded in 1935 by Kurt Kafranski, Kurt Kornfield and Ernest Mayer who were fleeing Hitler’s Germany. Mayer brought with him the soul of his Berlin-based photo agency: 5,000 photographs.

The Embassy Art Gallery is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Admission is free.