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Archive: 2015 (53 Posts)

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Sail Through a New Flickr Album: America’s Cup

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

Although I grew up within walking distance of the ocean, yacht races such as the historic America’s Cup–the match races between sailing yachts that have been held since 1851–have been largely off my radar. So I relished the opportunity to sail through nearly twenty years of America’s Cup history through a new Flickr album, “America’s …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Caught Our Eyes: Sunshine in the House

Posted by: Jeff Bridgers

What first catches my eyes in Gertrude Käsebier’s 1913 photograph is the streaming sunshine illuminating the interior scene while one bold slant of sunlight has entered the room through the open screen door: Next, as I survey the five people gathered near the open door, the sailor’s attire worn by the four male figures prompts me to wonder: …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

The Rush for Gold

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The January 1848 chance discovery of gold in northern California rapidly altered the course of America. On this day, August 19, in 1848, word finally reached the East Coast, when the New York Herald published a report of the discovery. By 1849, the rush was on in earnest, leading to the well-known term for gold …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Remembering Hiroshima in Photographs

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Verna Curtis, Curator of Photography, Prints and Photographs Division, assisted by Eiichi Ito, Reference Specialist in the Asian Division, and Tomoko Steen, Reference Specialist in the Science, Technology and Business Division. Two years ago, a small, old booklet caught my eye when it arrived in the Prints and …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

A Grand Entry: Entered According to Act of Congress

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

“Entered according to the act of Congress” sounds like a grand entry, indeed, and it’s a phrase we are often asked about because it appears near the bottom of many pictures. But what does it mean? Starting in 1802, that phrase was required by U.S. Copyright law to be on works for which a rights …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

New Video Series on “Reading” Pictures: Every Photo is a Story

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

When I look at my family photographs, the stories behind them usually come flooding back to me. I recall the occasion–and often people and events I associate with the occasion, even if they aren’t shown in the pictures. But lacking those personal associations, photographs–especially historical photographs–can seem like vast mysteries–or closed storybooks. Now a wonderful …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Beating the Summer Heat

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

During a Washington D.C. summer, it’s a given that it will be hot and humid, and this summer is definitely living up to that standard. While I was thinking about how much I love air conditioning, my attention was caught by these photos, featuring people seeking relief from the heat in a time when air conditioning …