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Archive: 2025 (34 Posts)

Two nearly identical black-and-white photographs appear side-by-side and show a fountain covered icicles in the foreground and the U.S. Capitol in the background.

Nature’s Ornaments: Icicles in Photographs

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Whether you enjoy being out in cold weather or would rather observe a frozen landscape through a window, you’ll find it hard to deny the beauty -- and drama -- of the icicle-laden views featured in this post.  Let’s lean into the cold temperatures and feast our eyes on these eye-catching winter scenes.

A Letter to Santa

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The long tradition of children writing letters to Santa Claus to ask for special Christmas gifts is pictured in photos from the early 20th century from the Prints & Photographs Division’s collections.

Two women display a three burner heating device. One holds a bottle of alcohol and the other a piece of toast.

The Latest and Most Scientific Cooking Utensils: Technology in the Kitchen

Posted by: Kate Phillips

Holiday cooking season is upon us. Today we’re looking at technologies intending to make our lives in the kitchen a bit easier. Drawing from advertisements, trademark registrations, photographs, and architectural drawings, this post highlights time, energy, and space-saving devices designed (in theory) to streamline our culinary experiences.

Crop of color lithograph shows woman sitting in early car. Two men stand near her, and a city view is visible in the background.

Cold Weather Fashions in Print

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Popular graphic art prints often reflect the tastes of their times, and fashion trends are one particularly fascinating area to survey. As we find ourselves ensconced in the fall season and quickly approaching winter, we were inspired to look for cold weather fashions in print. Join us as we look at details from one print.

A box of matted engravings viewed from above. Two prints are visible: a portrait of a woman and a group of sailors.

Open a Box: Behind the Scenes with a Prints & Photographs Staff Challenge

Posted by: Kate Phillips

Every other month, staff in the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division come together for a “Learning Hour,” a time dedicated to knowledge sharing, training, and discussion. This month’s session took the form of a challenge: each participant opened an unfamiliar box from the collections and reported back on what they discovered. How is the collection arranged and described? What might a researcher encounter when using it? How could access be improved? This week’s post highlights some of the insights that emerged from that exercise.