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Archive: 2016 (53 Posts)

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

New Year’s Cheers

Posted by: Lara Szypszak

Whether you observe the end of a year or the coming of a new one, you probably have a way you like to celebrate. I spend my New Year’s Eve cozy at home with a good cup of cocoa, but others may choose sequins and bubbly. A glimpse into our collections shows a whole panoply …

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

All the Trimmings: One Word, Many Pictures

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

I find the relationship between words and pictures endlessly intriguing. Sometimes I type a single word into the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog simply to see what variety it turns up. It’s a little like the best parts of opening a gift: full of surprises and meaning.  The other day, I was meditating on the …

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

Christmas “Shipping”

Posted by: Jeff Bridgers

Hurrah! Hurrah for the Christmas Ship As it starts across the sea With its load of gifts and its greater load Of loving sympathy. –“Hurrah! Hurrah for the Christmas Ship,” song written and composed by Henry S. Sawyer Even prior to America’s entry into the First World War, U.S. Navy vessels were pressed into special holiday service …

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

Double Take: Christmas Tradition

Posted by: Julie Stoner

While recently browsing through the National Photo Company collection, I paused when I saw this photograph. My first thought was “what happened to the top of the tree?” After puzzling about the tree for a while, I looked closer at the gathering of the Dickey family. I had to smile as I have been in …

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

An Ordinary Cup o’ Joe

Posted by: Lara Szypszak

Whether you like your brew light, dark, milky or sweet, this chilly weather leaves many reaching for a hot cup of coffee to warm up and wake up. As I sipped my own morning cup, I wondered what images our collections would hold of my coffee drinking comrades. I searched our holdings for relatable and …

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

Thanksgiving Day 1918

Posted by: Jeff Bridgers

This year we have special and moving cause to be grateful and to rejoice. God has in His good pleasure given us peace. It has not come as a mere cessation of arms, a mere relief from the strain and tragedy of war. It has come as a great triumph of right. Complete victory has …

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

Veterans on Parade

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

On Veterans Day, Americans recognize and thank those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Initially known as Armistice Day and marking the cessation of major hostilities in World War I, the holiday grew to include all veterans, and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. Crowds turn out in droves to watch parades of …

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

Political Posters: An Evolving Campaign Tool

Posted by: Lara Szypszak

The following is an interview featuring Jan Grenci, Reference Specialist – Posters, Prints and Photographs Division. Many may ask if campaign posters make a difference in political elections. Some of us will stick a sign in our lawn, and others may simply see posters hung in storefront windows. With another election upon us, I turned …