Last year photographer Edwin Martin generously placed 138 of his photographs of traveling circuses in the care of the Library of Congress. An extraordinary record of a challenging way of life, the collection is a testament to the hard work and dedication of circus members who, for over 200 years, have brought joy to the American people. In honor of World Circus Day (April 19th), we are sharing excerpts from a recent interview with Martin about his experiences.
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 …
The famously democratic art of printmaking is a perfect medium for experimentation and innovation, creative collaborations, and the fluid sharing of ideas among artists and audiences. All of these qualities shine brightly in the artist print portfolio called: In Unison: 20 Washington, DC Artists. This post celebrates the recent acquisition of this portfolio, published by the Millennium Arts Salon in 2010-2011.
The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, with contributions by Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, and Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, all of the Prints and Photographs Division. To kick off the New Year, the Prints & Photographs Virtual Orientations for January 2022 look at newly …
The following is a guest post by Aliza Leventhal, Head, Technical Services, Prints & Photographs Division. When the Annenberg Space for Photography closed in June 2020, they offered the Library of Congress more than 900 high quality prints from ten of their exhibitions. We responded enthusiastically to this rare opportunity to add work by 329 …
The following is a guest post by Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, Prints and Photographs Division. Popeye, Superman, Wonder Woman, Black Panther – some cartoon characters have become both instantly and internationally recognizable, but they didn’t get their start on television or in the movies, but rather on the pages …
The following is a guest post by Charlotte Giles, Reference Librarian, Asian Division. In a new acquisition by the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Chitra Ganesh, a visual artist based in Brooklyn, retells the 1905 Indian feminist utopian essay, “Sultana’s Dream” by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat, but in the style of a graphic novel …
The following is a guest post by Gillian Mahoney, Technical Services Technician in the Prints & Photographs Division. On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four airplanes, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into a field in Pennsylvania, and the fourth, American Airlines Flight 77, into the western side of the …
The following is a guest post by Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, Prints and Photographs Division. “Exceptionally rare and believed to be previously unknown,” in the seller’s letter intrigued me. On offer, an 1836 anti-Martin Van Buren woodcut print, depicting Van Buren as a witch and riding the coattails of …
