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Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The Prints & Photographs Division’s collections include a fair number of donut-related images that collectively demonstrate the sugary treat’s long-standing presence in American culture. These rich indulgences can be seen in such varied areas of American life as roadside architecture, military history, and even public affairs. A search of the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog …
Posted in: Photographs, World War I
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. Our talented teams in the Prints & Photographs Division (P&P) organized and described 250,000 pictures during the past year. The processing teams completed several new collections for you to enjoy from a distance or examine in person, and digitization staff added some …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Ready for Research
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
For some of us, it’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t have portable communication devices that fit in our pockets — when a phone call required access to a wired line. I recently came across a photograph with a phone booth in it and I struggled to remember the last time I had …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Whether you think black cats are spooky, good luck, or simply adorable companions, the many images featuring these striking felines in the collections are evidence that photographers and other artists have found them compelling since at least the 19th century. This photograph by Arthur Rothstein highlights the tonal contrast between the cat’s dark fur and …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Many of us spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, a space that can serve both a utilitarian and a social function. The Prints & Photographs Division collections provide great images of kitchen spaces that highlight prepared food, architectural elements, and the labor that goes into ensuring our nourishment. The photograph below shows …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The Prints & Photographs Division’s collections include many images that feature the humble bicycle. This familiar, ingenious transportation technology appears in pictures in multiple formats, including photographs, prints, and drawings, produced across decades. This popular graphic art print showing the scene at the 1883 Bicycle Camp-Exhibition & Tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts gives a sense of …
Posted in: Drawings, Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Every fall, as the weather begins to transition from hot and humid to cool and brisk, my mind turns to happy memories of comforting foods and trips to pumpkin patches from years past. View this post to explore some pumpkin imagery from the collections.
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Kate Fogle, Assistant Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division. The solstice has come and gone, and summer has invariably set in. While the temperature is cool in the Prints & Photographs (P&P) Division’s storage spaces —to safeguard our materials from the ravages of heat and humidity—a selection …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
I recently came across this photograph when perusing some images from the Carol M. Highsmith Collection, and, hailing from the American West, I was cheered by its familiar landscape – not to mention the symmetry of the rainbow. As the title of the image indicates, the hint of a second rainbow is visible above the …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes