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Category: Photographs

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.

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.