Focus on Eyeglasses

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My latest Flickr album focuses on depictions of eyeglasses in the collections of the Prints & Photographs Division. Many of the images in the group are photographs, but a number of posters and prints appear as well. I added two WPA (Work Projects Administration) posters to the mix. Take a look at some equally worthy WPA posters featuring eyeglasses that weren’t included in the album.

Be kind to books club Are you a member? Poster by Arlington Gregg, between 1936 and 1940. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b48892

What about India? Poster by Maurice Merlin, between 1941 and 1943. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.33812

When I look at the next poster, I see a monocle on the left eye of the cancer quack. Though I suppose it could also be a stylized eye or a physician’s head mirror. What do you think?

Beware the Cancer Quack. Poster by Max Plattner, between 1936 and 1938. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b48897

Finally, let me share one of my favorite WPA posters. As you will see, there are no eyeglasses visible, but the clear implication of the design is that eyeglasses may solve John’s problems:

John is not really dull – he may only need his eyes examined. Unattributed poster, 1936 or 1937. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3f05332

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The Lincoln Memorial at 100

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At the end of the month, we mark the centennial of the Lincoln Memorial. This monument to our 16th President was dedicated on Memorial Day (then Decoration Day) in 1922 and its one hundred year birthday falls on Memorial Day this year. The Lincoln Memorial is visited by millions every year in Washington, D.C., and […]

Mystery Gadgets Galore!

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Attention all who are curious about gadgets, inventions, science, technology, and a good old-fashioned mystery! This week will offer two opportunities to explore mysterious thingamabobs and whatchamacallits and perhaps give them their real names. Within the Harris & Ewing Photograph Collection, we have a number of uncaptioned photographs that feature “gadgets” of unknown purpose – […]

Behind the Scenes: Reflecting on a Career While Continuing to Explore the Collections

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The following is an interview with Barbara Orbach Natanson, former Head of the Prints & Photographs Reading Room. Melissa: Can you tell us about your background, and what roles you played at the Library of Congress before you retired this past December? Barbara: I first came to the Library of Congress in 1980 to do […]

Reading is for Everyone

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The collections of the Prints & Photographs Division include many images that depict the act of reading. When I recently prepared a Flickr album on the subject, I had a number of photographs, prints and posters to spare. Let me show you some of the posters that I didn’t use but are equally worthy of […]

A Virtual Window into Deaf History

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In honor of Deaf History Month, we are offering a webinar showcasing photographs and prints of Deaf people, notable figures, education, careers, and activities found in the Prints and Photographs Division’s collections. The first half of the presentation will be in American Sign Language (ASL) with closed captioning and voice interpretation for non-signing viewers. The […]

Celebrating the 110th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Gift and U.S.-Japan Friendship

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The following is a guest post by Mari Nakahara, Curator of Architecture, Design, and Engineering, and Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. The year 2022 marks the 110th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to Washington, D.C. in 1912, an enduring symbol of the […]

Reflections of Dorothea Lange

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Each month, I gather images from the holdings of the Prints & Photographs Division for a Flickr album. The albums have a theme, the most recent one being Women Photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information (FSA/OWI). It features the work of Esther Bubley, Marjory Collins, Dorothea Lange, And Marion Post Wolcott. As […]