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Posted by: Erin Allen
More than 25 years ago, retired music executive Joe Smith accomplished a Herculean feat – he got more than 200 celebrated singers, musicians and industry icons to talk about their lives, music, experiences and contemporaries. In 2012, Smith donated this treasure trove of unedited sound recordings to the Library of Congress. In an effort to …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, History, Researcher Stories
Posted by: Erin Allen
(The following is a guest post by James Sweany, head of Local History and Genealogy in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division.) The best way to preserve your family history is to write it down. By publishing your family history, you are able to capture and preserve the stories, pictures and genealogical data, making it …
Posted by: Erin Allen
Blogs around the Library of Congress decked the halls with a variety of posts in December. Here are a few selections to unwrap. In the Muse: Performing Arts Blog Podcast: Song Travels | Michael Feinstein Interviews Rosanne Cash Singer and musician Michael Feinstein interviews Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal about Cash’s new album “The River and …
Posted in: Education, History, LC Web site, Podcasts, Social Media
Posted by: Erin Allen
On Dec. 22, 1864, William T. Sherman sent President Abraham Lincoln a telegram that included a pretty monumental “gift,” according to the Civil War general. “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah with 150 heavy guns & plenty of ammunition & also about 25.000 bales of cotton. W. T. …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Collections, History, Manuscripts, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and in the early 20th century, the Kodak Company wanted to make sure you were fully equipped to capture those moments, particularly for the holidays. In this ad from the Eastman Kodak Co., (1907), consumers were encouraged to buy a Kodak camera to capture their own Christmas …
Posted in: Collections, History
Posted by: Erin Allen
Twinkling lights, multicolored ornaments, sparkly tinsel, hanging candy canes – trimming the Christmas tree is a tradition of the holiday season, for those that celebrate. At 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton, Ohio, the Wright Brothers decorated their tree with popcorn garland, candles, paper angles angels, sparkly ornaments and a star topper. In this picture, ca. 1900, …
Posted in: Collections, History, Manuscripts, Photos
Posted by: Erin Allen
On Dec. 16, 1773, a group of Bostonians dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded ships docked in Boston Harbor and dumped some 340 chests of tea into the water. Today marks the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. “A number of brave & resolute men, determined to do all in their power to save their …
Posted in: Collections, Education, Events, History, Manuscripts, Maps, Today in History, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
The file boxes of Charles and Ray Eames yielded all sorts of eclectic items to archivists processing the collection at the Library of Congress – a letter from Georgia O’Keefe in this one, a receipt for a Moroccan robe in that one, printed butterflies in another. Buried in one carton, senior archives technician Tracey Barton …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Curators, Exhibitions, History, Preservation
Posted by: Erin Allen
This Thursday and Friday, the Library of Congress is hosting a special “Celebration of Mexico” to honor the culture and history of Hispanic Americans and highlight the Library’s collection of Hispanic materials, which is the largest in the world. During the event, the Library will present the world premiere of the oldest-known documentary footage of …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Collections, Curators, Events, History, Preservation, Uncategorized, Video