Before comic books, people read comics in their local newspapers such as Little Nemo, Mutt and Jeff, and the Yellow Kid. Read more about these early comics in the collections of the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.
Why do we commoners get a kick out of royal weddings? Maybe it’s the garb: brides in white silk with laced veils, grooms decked out in full military dress. Or the pomp and circumstance: ancient rituals, gilded carriages, thousands of cheering spectators. Or it could be the simple desire to watch a fairy tale turn […]
Before she became our First Lady, Jacqueline Bouvier wrote for the Washington Times Herald newspaper as the “Inquiring Camera Girl,” asking questions of the public and publishing their photographs and opinions.
As Prohibition loomed, Budweiser ads celebrated George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and other “Framers of the Constitution” as “moderate” drinkers of “barley-malt brews.” Historic details specific to each Founding Father were interwoven with an overall strategy of praising them and the Constitution for guaranteeing “Religious, Commercial and Personal Liberty,” and for lauding […]
The flapper bursts onto the American scene in the early 1920s and becomes America’s post-Great War aesthetic ideal. She’s daring, with a sassy and independent spirit and exists at a time when the entire world’s a stage—and she’s the “It” girl. This new modern girl might drive cars, smoke cigarettes, vote, drink hooch, and kick […]
For those of you celebrating #StarWarsDay on this May 4th, we thought we’d geek out with you a little bit by showing off some of the amazing items from the Library of Congress’ Comic Book Collection - did you know that many of your favorite characters have their own comics? Of course, we also have the original […]
Introducing a blog dedicated to showcasing the amazing stories, both real and imaginary, found in the incredible collections of newspapers and comic books found in the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room. Read about the famous, notorious, scandalous, the superheroes and average Joes.