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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Beverly Brannan, Curator of Photography, picking up on a thread from an earlier post about the “Not an Ostrich” exhibition in Los Angeles, California. The title of the exhibition prompts viewers to ask “What are we really looking at?” Beverly demonstrates how that question can trigger an exploration …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Many pictures come into Prints and Photographs Division collections with little or no identification on them. It’s not entirely surprising, since a portion of our collections were generated or collected by individuals who readily knew the who, what, where and when that depictions can evoke and didn’t feel compelled to write it down. But even …
Posted in: Photographs, Portraits, Researcher Stories, Visual literacy
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is an interview with Shaunette Payne about some of her varied responsibilities as a Technical Services Technician in the Prints and Photographs Division. Here we discuss her work with the Division’s stereograph cards, circus posters, and offsite collections. Melissa: You and other colleagues in the technical services section are working on a project …
Posted in: Photographs, Posters, Series: Behind the Scenes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
Fancy, Romance, and Tragedy. They sound like the plot points for a romantic tearjerker, but they are in fact the titles of three drawings recently donated to the Prints and Photographs Division by the family of the artist, George Randolph Barse, Jr. Barse was one of nearly 40 artists and sculptors charged with decorating the …
Posted in: Acquisitions, Drawings, Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
One of the most enduring traditions of Memorial Day is the decoration of the graves of fallen service members with such items as flowers and American flags. This annual day of commemoration was at one time referred to as Decoration Day because of this practice. My grandmother grew up in the deep South, where tradition …
Posted in: Photographs
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: Lara Szypszak
Whenever I leave the urban landscape and go out driving in the country, certain things tend to catch my eye. One particular scene that always makes my head turn is a red barn on a hillside. The pop of color often draws me in. I have always wondered, though: Why red? It turns out, the …
Posted in: Photographs, Posters
Posted by: Lara Szypszak
Did you hear? April 30 is International Jazz Day! So I thought I’d search the Prints and Photographs collections to get an idea of what we have to represent the celebrated music genre- that thing we call jazz! The cartoon drawing below epitomizes the exuberance and dynamic feeling of the music! There are many gems …
Posted in: Drawings, 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