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Posted by: Kristi Finefield
During the lifetime of the Picture This blog, we have published several dozen posts relating to some aspect of African American history. We have collected all of these posts under a single category for easy access here. In honor of Black History Month, we will highlight a few of those posts so you can revisit …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Portraits
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Antoinette O’Bryant, Senior Cataloging Specialist, Prints & Photographs Division. For as far back as I can remember I have stared at a portrait of a young sailor hanging on a wall at home. “Who’s that?” I asked. “That’s your Uncle Melvin. He was in the Merchant Marines,” was …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Images from the Prints & Photographs Division’s collections help to illustrate the sustained contributions of Black Americans to the United States through military service over the course of the nation’s history. We hope you can join us for one of two “Finding Pictures: African Americans in the Military” webinar sessions this month (details at the …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. The portrait of this African American family has such a powerful impact that it has become a widely used representation for many aspects of the Civil War era. Donated in 2010 to the Library of Congress, the photograph is already a …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
August was designated as National Black Business Month in 2004. Just about a century earlier, visitors to the Paris Exposition of 1900 also had an opportunity to appreciate the entrepreneurial endeavors of African Americans. The Exposition included a display devoted to the history and “present conditions” of African Americans. W.E.B. Du Bois and special agent …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?” – Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Today marks the birthday of Satchel Paige, one of the greatest baseball players to stand on the pitcher’s mound, and we find some …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Anastasia Sotiropoulos, the Prints & Photographs Division’s Stanford in Government Liljenquist Fellow. I came into my time as the Library’s Prints & Photographs Division Intern unsure of what cartes de visite were, let alone the big stories these tiny 3.5-by-2.5 inch photo cards hold. As I explored the …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is an interview with Antonio Austin, who has been serving as an Archives, History and Heritage Advanced virtual intern in the Prints & Photographs Division since early February, with a goal of recommending ways to bring historical material to a larger audience in innovative ways. Antonio is working on a PhD in history …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Shirley Chisholm laid the groundwork for many who would follow her footsteps into national politics. As an activist who was often in the public eye, she is well represented in Prints & Photographs Division collections. Elected as a Representative for New York’s 12th congressional district in 1968, Chisholm was the first Black woman to serve …
Posted in: African American History, Photographs, Posters, Women's History