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Category: Flickr

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Gadgets in Images: Obvious or Mysterious?

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Barbara Natanson, Head of the Prints & Photographs Reading Room, recently searched the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog for “gadgets” and shared one of the images that appeared in the results – this photograph by Russell Lee likely taken at the Gonzales County Fair in Texas in 1939. Lee did not, or perhaps could not, …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Mysteries in Stereo: Flickr Members Provide Answers

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The intent expression of the young woman seen (twice!) on the uncaptioned stereograph card draws one in — even more so if the photos are seen as a single three dimensional image when viewed through a stereograph viewer. But who is this woman, beautifully draped in lace, with red lips courtesy of some careful hand …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Flickr Commons: A 13th Anniversary and the COVID-19 American Experiences

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Adam Silvia, Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division. Thirteen years ago, on January 16th, 2008, Flickr announced The Commons, a space where libraries and museums can share photographs with the public, and the public, in turn, can share its collective knowledge with these cultural heritage archives. The …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Posing (and Solving) Mysteries: Harris & Ewing Photographs Invite Detective Work

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

I’m constantly amazed and amused by photographs from the Harris & Ewing Collection and the range in the information that came with them, from the sublimely detailed–full of names and dates–to the barer-than-bare bones: no caption at all. Here’s an example that intrigues me, particularly with the model wagon(?) beside her on the desk. Though …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

A Harvest of Pictures: New Flickr Albums

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

While many Prints & Photographs Division staff are working separately from their home offices, dens, and living rooms, pictures never fail to bring us together. In the waning days of summer, it’s a pleasure to immerse ourselves in the pictures that we gathered in response to seek-and-find challenges offered by reference specialist Jan Grenci. We …

Helen L. Gilson, Civil War nurse and head of the Colored Hospital Service. Photo by J.C. Moulton, between 1861 and 1865.

A Visual Salute to Nurses

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Karen Chittenden, Cataloging Specialist in the Prints & Photographs Division. National Nurses Week recognizes the contributions of professional nurses, and this year we’d like to do the same by highlighting recently acquired photographs of wartime nurses who marshaled resources, medical skill, and courage to offer help in dire …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Celebrating Eleven Years in the Flickr Commons

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

Eleven years ago today we posted our first sets of photos in the Flickr Commons, which was created to share treasures from the world’s public archives. Thousands of pictures, views, and comments later, we’re celebrating with a new album of pictures with an “eleven-ish” connection and an invitation to participate in a tagging activity in …

Smiling woman dressed in outdoor winter clothes holds a large, old-style camera

Calling All Photo Fans & History Detectives: Flickr Commons, 10th Anniversary

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. It’s a remarkable achievement for any social media program to still be going strong after ten years. But the most important part of the Flickr Commons is the opportunity to talk about pictures without the barriers of time and place. A …