Top of page
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Adam M. Silvia, Curator of Photography in the Prints & Photographs Division. On August 18th, 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, which allocated federal funds to support the treatment of AIDS. To commemorate the 34th anniversary of this legislation and celebrate its …
Posted in: Acquisitions, Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
One of the photos I chose for my recent Flickr album, All Over the Map, caught my attention not just for the image, but also the associated title. This 1930 news photo from the Harris & Ewing Collection says, as part of its original caption: “Quite a contrast between the modern map in the background …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
In 1906, New York photographer A.B. Phelan created several photomontages of an oversized man looming over parts of New York City. He accomplished this feat by skillfully combining two photos into one wonderful ‘trick’ photo. Lucky for us, he submitted them for copyright registration and the montage photos made their way into the Library’s permanent …
Posted in: Architecture, Photographs, Visual literacy
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
From the most recent Library of Congress blog post for the Library intiative Of the People: Widening the Path, we learn about the work of visual artist Maya Freelon, and her visit to the Library of Congress to explore the collections for her current project, Whippersnappers: Recapturing, Reviewing, and Reimagining the Lives of Enslaved Children in …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Portraits
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Leigh Gleason, Head, Reference Section, Prints & Photographs Division. The Keystone Review was a magazine published by stereographic photograph publisher Keystone View Company and distributed to its sales staff, who sold Keystone’s stereo cards door-to-door. The magazine was published from 1898 through 1909, and the Library of Congress …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
During my search through our collections for interesting hats, bonnets, caps, and all manner of headgear for my most recent Flickr album, I found one hat that most certainly was never meant to sit on anyone’s head. When it opened in 1954 as the “Premium Tex” gas station, this red hat captured drivers’ imaginations on …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Some of us can think of no better companions than our pets, and photographic evidence shows that members of previous generations were like-minded. Dog lovers out there may be interested to know that the Prints & Photographs Division collections feature many pictures of people and puppies spending time in each other’s company, such as these: …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
On the 4th of July in 1918, World War I still raged, and so the New York City parade marking America’s independence focused on the war effort. This particular parade entry caught my attention because of the oversized model ship, and more specifically, the pattern painted on that ship! The idea of dazzle camouflage was …
Posted in: World War I
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Porches have many uses. They can serve as a gathering place for socializing with acquaintances, friends, or family. Or they can provide the backdrop for solitary activities like reading or people-watching. As structures, they can provide visual interest. And they come in all shapes and sizes. This photograph of men gathered on the porch of …
Posted in: Photographs