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New for You on Flickr: Library of Congress Life

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

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The following post by Neely Tucker originally appeared in the Library of Congress Blog as part of its Pic of the Week series (July 19, 2019).

Cinderella waltzes down the Great Hall staircase during a celebration of the film’s addition to the National Film Registry, June 20, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller
Cinderella waltzes down the Great Hall staircase during a celebration of the film’s addition to the National Film Registry, June 20, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller.

The Library has featured some of its best historical photographs on a Flickr page for years, with more than 34,000 images in more than 45 albums. If you haven’t checked it out before, we hope you’ll take a minute now. Delights abound. Readers have flocked to see the 1930s-40s in Color album, with more than 3.9 million views. The 23,824 pictures in the News of the 1910s album have drawn more than 1.04 million views. There are also albums as specialized as Japanese Prints: Seasons & Places; Bridges; and WPA Posters. New pictures and albums go up all the time as more collections are digitized.

But starting today, there’s a new Flickr in town, and “Library Life” will take a decidely more contemporary approach, chronicling the Library’s  exhibitions, events and happenings.  Shawn Miller, the Library’s photographer, spends his days (and often nights) chronicling life at the world’s largest library, and his work will give you close-ups and behind-the-scenes access to some of the Library’s productions. The page goes live today, but Miller already has posted albums of the 2018 National Book Festival, Cinderella’s magic visit to the Great Hall and the Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote exhibit.

Los Cenzontles performs Mexican American music during the Homegrown Concert Series in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 25, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller
Los Cenzontles performs Mexican American music during the Homegrown Concert Series in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 25, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller.

Albums and events will be updated continually, so be sure to hit the “Follow” button. It’s your passport to seeing the Library like you never have before.

The cast of “Queer Eye” looks over a collections display in the Whittall Pavilion, April 3, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller.
The cast of “Queer Eye” looks over a collections display in the Whittall Pavilion, April 3, 2019. Photo: Shawn Miller

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Comments

  1. Rosemary in Charlotte says:

    This picture reminds me of our standing admonition to our four children as we visited museums in the USA and Europe. “Look with your eyes, but don’t touch. And try not to breathe directly on a painting.” They’re adults now, working in various aspects of the visual arts! THANK YOU to the LOC for collecting and sharing all these treasures.

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