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Picturing a Love of Reading

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

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The love of reading crosses all boundaries, appealing to people of all ages, races, genders, and walks of life. For hundreds of years, readers have opened books to learn about history or science or to discover new, imaginary worlds. Books have furnished inspiration, excitement, and relaxation. The possibilities are limitless.

Within our collections, I found visual representations of people reading from five hundred years ago on up through the modern day. A lifelong love of books and visual materials put me on the path to my job at the Library of Congress. A similar passion for the written word as well as colorfully illustrated books and graphic novels will draw tens of thousands to the Library of Congress National Book Festival this weekend here in Washington, D.C.

Witness the desire to read over the centuries through the images below, and hopefully be inspired to pick up your next book and if you are in the area, to join us at the festival!

Sibyl reading a book. Chiaroscuro woodcut by Ugo da Carpi, between 1500 and 1530. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.18658
Sibyl reading a book. Chiaroscuro woodcut by Ugo da Carpi, between 1500 and 1530. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.18658
Dig. Chromolithograph by Sadie Wendell Mitchell, 1909. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.15753
Dig. Chromolithograph by Sadie Wendell Mitchell, 1909. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.15753
Reading a salvage book by one of the Salvage men on the salvage truck of the A.T.S. salvage office. St. Nazaire. Photo by American Library Association, 1919. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a27438
Reading a salvage book by one of the Salvage men on the salvage truck of the A.T.S. salvage office. St. Nazaire. Photo by American Library Association, 1919. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a27438
Washington, D.C. A man in the reading room of a public library. Photo by Esther Bubley, 1943 July. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d32385
Washington, D.C. A man in the reading room of a public library. Photo by Esther Bubley, 1943 July. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d32385
Girl sitting with legs folded, reading a book. Photo by Eva Watson Schütze, circa 1900. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3f05999
Girl sitting with legs folded, reading a book. Photo by Eva Watson Schütze, circa 1900. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3f05999
Blind youngsters display ability before Senate Committee. Washington, D.C. April 9. [...] In the picture, left to right: Frances Wright, 8 years old, reading a braille book; Andrew Birmingham, 10 years old; Dr. John W. Studebaker, U.S. Commissioner of Education; [...] Claude Pepper. Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1937 April 9. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hec.22529
Blind youngsters display ability before Senate Committee. Washington, D.C. April 9. […] In the picture, left to right: Frances Wright, 8 years old, reading a braille book; Andrew Birmingham, 10 years old; Dr. John W. Studebaker, U.S. Commissioner of Education; […] Claude Pepper. Photo by Harris & Ewing, 1937 April 9. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hec.22529
Interior view of library reading room with male and female students sitting at tables, reading, at the Tuskegee Institute. Photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston, circa 1902. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmscd.00084
Interior view of library reading room with male and female students sitting at tables, reading, at the Tuskegee Institute. Photo by Frances Benjamin Johnston, circa 1902. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmscd.00084
Middle River, a small crossroads in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland. FSA (Farm Security Administration) housing project (later administered by the National Housing Agency) for Glenn L. Martin aircraft workers. A children's reading hour. Photo by John Collier, 1943 Aug.? http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d32214
Middle River, a small crossroads in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland. FSA (Farm Security Administration) housing project (later administered by the National Housing Agency) for Glenn L. Martin aircraft workers. A children’s reading hour. Photo by John Collier, 1943 Aug.? http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d32214

Portrait of George R. Agassiz, professor of zoology at Harvard University, reading a book. Drypoint by Frank Weston Benson, 1915. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.02123
Portrait of George R. Agassiz, professor of zoology at Harvard University, reading a book. Drypoint by Frank Weston Benson, 1915. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.02123

Kobikicho arayashiki koiseya ochie. Color woodcut by Utamaro Kitagawa, 1780s, printed later. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/jpd.02053
Kobikicho arayashiki koiseya ochie. Color woodcut by Utamaro Kitagawa, 1780s, printed later. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/jpd.02053
Books, the best gifts. Poster by Edward Arthur Wilson, 1927. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.43582
Books, the best gifts. Poster by Edward Arthur Wilson, 1927. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.43582

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Comments (2)

  1. Gay Colyer says:

    Great selections Kristi!

  2. Ellen Ulken says:

    Every picture in the article is special. Thank you for sharing these great reminders that for centuries, for all people, reading has been vital to our education and for our amusement and entertainment. Books are priceless gifts.

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