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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Adam Silvia, Associate Curator of Photography. A new collection overview provides an entrée into the development of photographically illustrated books, which are well represented in the Library of Congress collections. What are photographically illustrated books? They are books that feature actual photographic prints to make a textual narrative …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints and Photographs Division. The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) displays amazing cars on the National Mall each spring. Their Cars at the Capital event tells the stories that make these rare automobiles, motorcycles, and trucks come to life. Once added to the National Historic Vehicle …
Posted in: News & Events, Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Beverly Brannan, Curator of Photography; Adam Silvia, Associate Curator of Photography; and Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints and Photographs Division. The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, California, has created a lively exhibition called “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library.” In support of the show, …
Posted in: News & Events, Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
We’re well into National Library Week, the week that is set aside each April to celebrate the contributions of libraries and librarians (although I’ll note that in my family–composed of many librarians–we celebrate libraries and librarians every day!). What better time to browse through pictures in our collections relating to public libraries? Two, in particular, caught …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Last week, Prints and Photographs Division staff had an opportunity to participate in Washington, D.C.’s first annual celebration of Harriet Tubman Day, which represented several very satisfying convergences. The official Harriet Tubman Day is March 10th, the date of Tubman’s death (the date of her birth is not known). The celebration was held March 8th …
Posted in: Acquisitions, African American History, News & Events, Photographs, Portraits, Women's History
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Photo preservation specialist Donna Collins recently added this photo to the “eye catching” images we share on our conference room wall. Donna noted, “For those of us who’ve shared the joyful experience of inviting an enthusiastic dog (or two) to hop in the car for a ride, the composition of this photo recently caught my …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Jonathan Eaker, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. Recently while going through some military photos in our collection I came across a set of twelve undigitized group portraits showing African American soldiers at the time of the Spanish American War. The photos launched me on research about a …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Portraits
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 …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Camera and Locomotive
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 …
Posted in: Flickr, News & Events, Photographs