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Category: Photographs

Side view, from above, of tan colored boxes that include small thumbnail images of 19th century photos on top of boxes. Handwritten call numbers for the images are also visible on the boxes.

Behind the Scenes: Exploring the Historic and Aesthetic Value of Photographs

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is an interview with Ramon Jr. Salado Romo, Stanford in Government Liljenquist Fellow in the Prints & Photographs Division. Melissa: Thanks for talking with us. Can you describe your background and how you came to this internship? Ramon: I grew up in Southern California in the Coachella Valley region. After high school I …

Teenage boy wearing a denim jacket styles younger boy's hair in kitchen, with stove top visible in background and sink and counter visible in foreground and at right.

Ryan White: Through the Lens of Taro Yamasaki

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

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 …

Powder Horn or Map? Both!

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

One of the photos I chose for my recent Flickr album, All Over the Map, caught my attention not just for the image, but also the associated title. This 1930 news photo from the Harris & Ewing Collection says, as part of its original caption: “Quite a contrast between the modern map in the background …

A Giant Visitor to New York City

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

In 1906, New York photographer A.B. Phelan created several photomontages of an oversized man looming over parts of New York City. He accomplished this feat by skillfully combining two photos into one wonderful ‘trick’ photo. Lucky for us, he submitted them for copyright registration and the montage photos made their way into the Library’s permanent …

Widening the Research Path

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

From the most recent Library of Congress blog post for the Library intiative Of the People: Widening the Path, we learn about the work of visual artist Maya Freelon, and her visit to the Library of Congress to explore the collections for her current project, Whippersnappers: Recapturing, Reviewing, and Reimagining the Lives of Enslaved Children in …

Three men, clothed in warm winter coats and hats, with ice crystals and/or snow covering parts of their faces.

The Keystone Review: Shedding Light on the Stereograph Business

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 …

A Truly Ten Gallon Hat

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 …

Puppy Love

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: …

A Porch with a View

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 …