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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division (and a photographer himself). In honor of Earth Day, we wanted to take a deeper look at some of the Library’s historic collections of landscape photographs. When many people think of landscape photographs they think of wide-open spaces, empty …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is an interview with Antonio Austin, who has been serving as an Archives, History and Heritage Advanced virtual intern in the Prints & Photographs Division since early February, with a goal of recommending ways to bring historical material to a larger audience in innovative ways. Antonio is working on a PhD in history …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
In this entry in the occasional series where we look at portraits in the collections, I found myself, as always, fascinated by the process that creates an image, and wanting a peek into the story behind the portrait. In this case, I found examples of subjects sitting for an artist as the artist painted the …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Profiling Portraits
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information (FSA/OWI) color photographs provide a vivid glimpse into life in the United States from 1939 to 1945 — a period more often viewed through a monochromatic lens. If you are familiar with the FSA/OWI photographs at the Library of Congress, chances are that the first images that come …
Posted in: FSA/OWI, Photographs, Series: Revisiting Rights-Free
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The intent expression of the young woman seen (twice!) on the uncaptioned stereograph card draws one in — even more so if the photos are seen as a single three dimensional image when viewed through a stereograph viewer. But who is this woman, beautifully draped in lace, with red lips courtesy of some careful hand …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Shirley Chisholm laid the groundwork for many who would follow her footsteps into national politics. As an activist who was often in the public eye, she is well represented in Prints & Photographs Division collections. Elected as a Representative for New York’s 12th congressional district in 1968, Chisholm was the first Black woman to serve …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Posters, Women's History
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
The following is a guest post by Mary Jane Appel, photo historian and author of the recently published Russell Lee: A Photographer’s Life and Legacy (Liveright, in association with the Library of Congress, 2021). When Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographer Russell Lee drove through the small town of San Marcos, Texas on a sunny afternoon …
Posted in: FSA/OWI, Photographs, Researcher Stories
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. As we celebrate women’s history this month, we’re heading to the track, the open waters, the rink, the mat, the field, the mountains, and many more areas to highlight women in sports. While there isn’t one set collection to explore …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Women's History
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
In a recent search for a portrait of a different judge in the C. M. Bell Studio collection, reference librarian Jon Eaker came upon an image with the title “Gibbs, Judge M.W.” Struck by the man’s image, and wanting to learn more about him, Jon did some reading and learned that Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Prints