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Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
A cartoon can be engaging and funny and tell a story without any audible sound at all; even newspaper cartoons of the 20th century featured characters such as Ferd’nand and The Little King, (external links) who went through their paces, frame-by-frame, with little or no dialogue to move the story along. But sometimes, more is more, as …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Exhibitions, Film, Music, Uncategorized
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
There’s nothing quite like the sound of a fighter aircraft, overhead. It can be thrilling — at an airshow, for example. It can also be reassuring — the way it was, for many, in the early morning hours over the Washington, D.C. area for months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Library …
Posted in: Collections, Exhibitions, Photos
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
In a world where we can keep tabs on our own backyards from our desks at work, via satellite, it’s difficult to imagine the impact one man armed with notebooks and pencils could have in 1861 as the Civil War began to rend our young nation. Generals on both sides of that conflict desperately needed good topographical information …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Collections, Exhibitions, History, Maps
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
When revolutionary-turned-president Thomas Jefferson still walked the streets of Washington, D.C., there were people who wanted to give him a good jab with their index finger and hand him a piece of their minds. These days, here on Capitol Hill, you can give Thomas Jefferson a jab … and dig a little deeper into his …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Collections, Education, Exhibitions, LC Web site, New Visitors Experience, Technology, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
From time to time, we ask ourselves: Where is the outrage? Well, for an amazing 72 years, it was on editorial pages, especially that of the Washington Post–in political commentary by the influential cartoonist Herblock (Herb Block), who made presidents and other public figures, from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush, ink-stained and wretched. The Library …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Collections, Exhibitions, History, New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Ninety-six years ago today, a riot broke out among audience members witnessing the premiere of a piece that changed classical-music history. The composer, Igor Stravinsky, was horrified; the impresario, Serge Diaghilev, was delighted. Feelings ran high at the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris that night, from the very opening bars of Stravinsky’s ballet “The …
Posted in: Collections, Exhibitions, Music, Today in History
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
It’s not unusual, today, for a song from Broadway or other popular music to be given new lyrics, usually for the purpose of a send-up or satire. So it’s noteworthy that our national anthem — yes, “The Star-Spangled Banner” — actually was an application of more serious lyrics to a tune associated with a drinking …
Posted in: Exhibitions, Music
Posted by: Jennifer Gavin
Sports, as any fan knows, can be heartbreaking — yet today, as we play ball in America, it’s always possible to walk away from a loss and say, “It’s only a game, after all.” But the Mesoamericans — Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs and such — played, shall we say, as if they really meant it. Their …
Posted in: Exhibitions, History, Maps
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Are you or any of your DC friends looking to make last-minute plans tonight? How about attending the public opening of “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition” from 5 to 9 p.m. this evening? Details here, online exhibition here. Normal visitor hours resume tomorrow (Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Events, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site