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Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
The following is a guest post by Leigh Gleason, Head, Reference Section, Prints & Photographs Division. The Keystone Review was a magazine published by stereographic photograph publisher Keystone View Company and distributed to its sales staff, who sold Keystone’s stereo cards door-to-door. The magazine was published from 1898 through 1909, and the Library of Congress …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
During my search through our collections for interesting hats, bonnets, caps, and all manner of headgear for my most recent Flickr album, I found one hat that most certainly was never meant to sit on anyone’s head. When it opened in 1954 as the “Premium Tex” gas station, this red hat captured drivers’ imaginations on …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Some of us can think of no better companions than our pets, and photographic evidence shows that members of previous generations were like-minded. Dog lovers out there may be interested to know that the Prints & Photographs Division collections feature many pictures of people and puppies spending time in each other’s company, such as these: …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
Porches have many uses. They can serve as a gathering place for socializing with acquaintances, friends, or family. Or they can provide the backdrop for solitary activities like reading or people-watching. As structures, they can provide visual interest. And they come in all shapes and sizes. This photograph of men gathered on the porch of …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
In my most recent Flickr album, Animals are Looking at You, twenty two animals are peering out at you from black-and-white photographs. The photos were initially selected by Office of War Information staff in 1945 for a display in the Photographic Section file room. The Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection (FSA/OWI) was transferred …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
When I come across similar images in the online catalog, it’s hard not to stop and compare them. Sometimes we have multiple copies of an image printed from the same negative, other times we see photographs that were taken seconds apart or from a similar vantage point — and sometimes an image is modified from …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
One of my favorite weekly activities is a trip to the local farmers market. The bounty of fruits and vegetables, as well as other products like meat, eggs, and baked goods, offers so much potential for cooking good meals and trying new flavors. Farmers have been bringing their goods to market for thousands of years. …
Posted in: Photographs
Posted by: Melissa Lindberg
One hundred and thirty-five years ago today, a devastating flood swept through Johnstown, Pennsylvania and neighboring communities. On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed following torrential rain, releasing a massive volume of fast-moving water from Lake Conemaugh. The resulting flood led to the loss of more than 2,200 lives. Photographers and artists did …
Posted in: Drawings, Photographs
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
American poster artist Lester Beall was hired to design posters to garner support for the work of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in the 1930s. The REA was launched by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order in May 1935, and then supported by Congress’ passage of the Rural Electrification Act in May 1936. At the …
Posted in: FSA/OWI, Photographs, Posters