Top of page

Archive: January 2018 (3 Posts)

Westward, the monarch capital makes its way. Photo by John Carbutt, 1866 Oct. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/stereo.1s00077

Camera and Locomotive: Two Tracks across the Continent: Stereographs as Souvenirs

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is the fourth in a series of guest posts by Micah Messenheimer, Assistant Curator of Photography, Prints and Photographs Division, that discuss the parallel development of two technologies in the 19th century: railroads and photography. A previous blog post examined Andrew J. Russell’s background as a photographer during the Civil War and his …

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

Calling All Photo Fans & History Detectives: Flickr Commons, 10th Anniversary

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. It’s a remarkable achievement for any social media program to still be going strong after ten years. But the most important part of the Flickr Commons is the opportunity to talk about pictures without the barriers of time and place. A …

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

Caught Our Eyes: The (Camera) Subject Rules?

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

I can never resist a demonstration that the subjects of photos sometimes undermine the efforts of even the most professional photographers. The original caption for this photograph emphasizes charity, but the expressions on the two young boys’ faces suggest that they were feeling anything but charitable towards the photographer. The photo is one of thousands …