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Posted by: Ellen Terrell
In 1876, human hair imports to the United States were valued at $4.5 million in today’s dollars. Where did all this hair come from and what was it used for? We investigate the hair industry and Library of Congress resources relevant to trade data, including our new research guide on international economics and trade.
Posted in: Business
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
The quintessentially American holiday, Thanksgiving evokes images of vast dinner spreads, centered on turkey, and as we cook and bake, prepare and labor on these elaborate feasts, who has time to think about breakfast? Well, some cook book authors in the 1900s didn’t forget breakfast when they shared their Thanksgiving day menus.
Posted in: Cookbooks and Food, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History
Posted by: Ellen Terrell
As the Library of Congress continues to acquire material, some of the titles from Jefferson’s library that were lost in the 1851 fire have returned to the shelves. This year, the Library acquired one business title and two agricultural titles that were part of Thomas Jefferson’s original collection.
Posted in: Business, Rare Books and Special Collections, Science
Posted by: Natalie Burclaff
The Library of Congress Business Section invites you to a 30-minute webinar at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24. The session will highlight collections featuring materials related to the hospitality industry.
Posted in: Business, Lunchtime Lectures and Videos
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Home Health Manuals gained popularity in the United States during the 19th century and played an important role in medical care up until the early 20th century. This blog post highlights these manuals and the broad range of topics they covered.
Posted in: Health Sciences, Science
Posted by: Nate Smith
This post gives a brief description of the 79 CE eruption of Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples, which destroyed several nearby cities. It goes on to focus on a four-volume work, one of first comprehensive studies of the site, which includes illustrated plates of sculptures and other artwork. This work also led to increased scholarship of and tourism to the area into the present day.
Posted in: Engineering, Favorites From the Fifth Floor, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History, History of Science and Technology
Posted by: Ellen Terrell
Looking at an edition of Investment Bankers and Brokers of America opened my eye to New Orleans' past investment community.
Posted in: Business, New Orleans
Posted by: Natalie Burclaff
Railroad industrialist Jay Gould and stockbroker Jim Fisk artificially drove up the gold market in 1869 in a scheme that resulted in a dramatic price crash on September 24, 1869, known as Black Friday. This post looks at three political cartoons that depict the players involved in the 1869 Gold Crisis.
Posted by: Ellen Terrell
This last post about the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal is all about tea! It includes a wonderful chart looking at both coffee and tea consumption from 1886-1925.
Posted in: Business, Cookbooks and Food, Favorites From the Fifth Floor