Top of page

Archive: 2019 (16 Posts)

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

Donuts in the American Visual Landscape

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The Prints & Photographs Division’s collections include a fair number of donut-related images that collectively demonstrate the sugary treat’s long-standing presence in American culture. These rich indulgences can be seen in such varied areas of American life as roadside architecture, military history, and even public affairs. A search of the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog …

Frances Benjamin Johnston Puts Her Stamp on Documenting Work at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Finding written documentation to provide context for images in the collections is not something we can always bank on, but when that information does exist it can be a real luxury. Happily, soon after Frances Benjamin Johnston took photographs of work in the Stamp Division at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, she wrote “Uncle …

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

Sounding the Call, for Sounds

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. A good research quest often leads you to unexpected finds and drops you right at the edge of a rabbit hole. While working through the topic of listening (the subject of a previous blog post), two World War I posters …

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

The Looks of Listening

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. It’s been quite the musical month at the Library: just this past week, the newest additions to the National Recording Registry were announced. This made me think of music’s role in my day-to-day life. Sing-alongs with 2013’s Gershwin Prize honoree …

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

Snowy Labor: Clearing the Roads in the Nation’s Capital

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

As we approach the end of the winter season here in Washington, D.C. — and the threat of snow that comes with it — we thought it would be fitting to recognize the efforts of those who have helped keep our local roads safe during and after storms. Consider the crews shown in the two …

Les incommodités de Janvier 1786, Publish'd as the Act directs Feby. 20th, 1786, by H. Humphrey, No. 51 New Bond Stt., Etching by Inigo Barlow. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.07535

Researcher Stories: Mining a Royal Collection

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is an interview with researcher Kate Heard, Senior Curator of Prints at Royal Collection Trust. Melissa: Thank you for participating in this interview. We always enjoy having you in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room, and we’re delighted to have this opportunity. Could you start by describing where you work? Kate: I’m Senior …