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Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

If you are interested in learning more about visual literacy and historical thinking and about resources such as historical newspapers and photographs, you are in luck! Join us online for a free two-day event: “The Library of Congress and Teachers: Unlocking the Power of Primary Sources.” The virtual conference will take place October 27-28, 2015 …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

The Rush for Gold

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The January 1848 chance discovery of gold in northern California rapidly altered the course of America. On this day, August 19, in 1848, word finally reached the East Coast, when the New York Herald published a report of the discovery. By 1849, the rush was on in earnest, leading to the well-known term for gold …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

From Decoration Day to Memorial Day

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Jan Grenci, Reference Specialist, Prints and Photographs Division Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday in May to honor all those who have died in service while defending the United States. But the name, meaning and timing of this special day have changed over the years. …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Pictures to Go: Up in the Air

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

My fascination with hot air balloons dates back to childhood, and the first time I saw one in the movie The Wizard of Oz. I’m not sure if it was because of my youth or because the balloon belonged to the “Wizard of Oz,” but it seemed pretty magical to me that there existed balloons …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Pictures to Go: Express It!

Posted by: Jeff Bridgers

When Barbara Natanson, fellow blogger and head of the reference section here in Prints & Photographs, shared with me the 1910 Lewis Hine photograph [below, left] of the boy assisting with deliveries in St. Louis, it brought home once again how enormously the world has changed in just over a century. In a similar fashion, …