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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The semester is well underway in many U.S. schools and, by now, one would expect their classrooms to have acquired what my family referred to as the “lived-in look.” One of my favorite photo detail explorations is to peer closely at classrooms—particularly what appears at students’ seats, on the chalkboards and adorning the walls—and to …
Posted in: Photographs, Visual literacy
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
A visit to the Library of Congress is, I hope, on the bucket list of many Americans, either to tour the galleries and ornately decorated spaces of the Thomas Jefferson Building or to do research in any of our multiple reading rooms and research centers. However, if you can’t come to us, we will come …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Visual literacy
Posted by: Julie Stoner
We always enjoy opportunities to share samples of our holdings and resources at public events and had two chances to do so in the last couple of weeks. October is designated as American Archives Month, which provides a chance for cultural institutions to reach out to local communities and share the valuable resources available in …
Posted in: Prints
Posted by: Jeff Bridgers
But I am glad for the luck of light. Surely it is godly, that it makes all things begin, and appear, and become actual to each other. — from “October” by May Swenson There is a distinct quality to October sunlight. A softer radiance than the harshness in summertime, scenes glow with an amber or …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
While browsing through our millions of images in the Prints and Photographs Division, I often do a double take. I stop, look again, and start asking questions. In this new occasional blog series, Double Take, we will take a first and then a second look at those images together. Some images that we’ll feature will …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Double Take, Visual literacy
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
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 …
Posted in: News & Events, Photographs, Posters, Prints
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Along with my picture-loving colleagues, I’d like to nominate one of our favorite depictions of Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, as an appropriate symbol with which to mark the arrival of the new Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden. This mosaic of a studious Minerva greets visitors, researchers and staff in an area overlooking the …
Posted in: Architecture, Drawings, Photographs
Posted by: Lara Szypszak
College students have been back on campus for a few weeks now, and homecoming season is fast approaching. Although my college years are not yet too far behind me, I fondly reminisce about the days spent in those hallowed halls of learning. These classroom images below remind me of early morning lectures and exploratory laboratory …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by photographer Camilo José Vergara and Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. Skyscrapers at the World Trade Center site have dominated the New York City skyline since the 1970s. Except for the gaping hole left by the September 11th terrorist attack in 2001, which destroyed the twin towers, …
Posted in: Photographs