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Archive: 2023 (17 Posts)

1. Toni Frissell poses for a photographic portrait with ski poles in front of a snowy mountain.

Here Comes the Sun

Posted by: Jan Grenci

My latest Flickr album – Toni Frissell – The Great Outdoors – showcases the photographer’s work in and with nature. Let’s focus on a few images that feature the sun or spotlight its effects. This photo from 1960 shows the sun rising over a mist-covered racetrack in Saratoga Springs, New York: The sunlight dapples the …

Here’s Looking at You, Mom

Posted by: Jan Grenci

The following is a guest post by Kate Fogle, Assistant Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division. Mom. Simple to say, this monosyllabic version of ‘mother’ entered the American lexicon in the mid-1800s, and its ease of use has yet to waver, as moms throughout the U.S. can attest. It’s a palindrome that conveys comfort …

Hats On For Easter

Posted by: Jan Grenci

The following is a guest post by Kate Fogle, Assistant Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division. Bunnies and baskets. Two words heard often this time of year. With the Easter holiday nearly upon us, the consumer push to provide a bountiful Easter, even to the youngest of children, is felt by most parents I …

Posters With a WOW Factor

Posted by: Jan Grenci

Not too long ago, I gave a presentation on posters to a group of university students studying the history of graphic design. I included this poster designed by Adolph Treidler: Treidler designed posters for a variety of organizations/causes during both world wars. During World War II, he created a number of posters for the Woman …

Of Postcards and Postage

Posted by: Jan Grenci

I love postcards. I send them, collect them, and even make them. In my latest Flickr album, You’ve Got Mail, I included a 1939 photo of what was described as the “largest postcard ever sent through the mail.” A regular postcard cost one cent to mail in that year. I spot an interesting error in …

Shave and a Haircut: The Blog

Posted by: Jan Grenci

The barber pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the barbering trade. In my latest Flickr album, Shave and a Haircut, you will see a small selection of images of barber poles from the Prints and Photographs Division. The collections hold many more photos than I could use in the album. This is the kind …

The Poodle is in the Details

Posted by: Jan Grenci

This is my favorite photo from the Flickr album Toni Frissell Dog Photography Part One: It’s not my favorite because of the red Ford Country Sedan station wagon. It’s not my favorite because of the Mainbocher coat worn by C.Z. Guest. It’s my favorite because of the doggy in the window if you will. The …

When in Rome

Posted by: Jan Grenci

If you have read any of my earlier blogs, you know that I like to point out the connections between items from different collections housed in the Prints & Photographs Division. Keep reading to see what links a travel poster and a stereograph. This gorgeous travel poster of Rome by Roger Broders was published in …