Rainy Days

As one might expect given the season, April has arrived in the nation’s capital with substantial rain showers. Inspired by what I see outside and curious to see what kinds of rainy weather images I could find in the collections, I searched the online catalog.

There is no shortage of D.C.-based photographs in the collections. Among many photos of the U.S. Capitol I found this one, which captures a partial reflection of the building’s famous dome in a puddle:

When perusing rain-related photographs, I was struck by the high number that featured substantial crowds. Cold showers did not deter a multitude from observing President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s second inauguration in 1937, as evident in this photograph:

A few decades earlier, this New York City crowd came equipped with umbrellas to attend a parade in the rain:

Another New York City street shines in this photograph by New York World Telegram & Sun photographer Al Aumuller:

Judging by the smile on the bride’s face in this photo taken at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, rain has not put a damper on a happy occasion:

In addition to photographs, the collection includes works featuring rain by printmakers, including this famous woodcut, “Sudden shower over Shin-Ōhashi bridge and Atake,” by nineteenth-century Japanese artist Hiroshige:

This dream-like etching by Otto H. Bacher of a rainy night in Venice, with sources of light interspersed in the background and a gondolier at work in the foreground, conveys the romantic character of the city.

Learn More:

• See additional rain-related images from the collections.
• Read these Picture This blog posts on related topics:
  • Toni Frissell Fashion Umbrellas
  • Caught Our Eyes: Capturing Rainbows
• View this Flickr album: It’s Raining Umbrellas