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Category: Photographs

Lucille Ball with an unidentified photographer holding camera.

Look Loves Lucy

Posted by: Kate Phillips

On the birthday of comedian Lucille Ball, we are highlighting a story by Look Magazine staff photographer Charlotte Brooks documenting Ball’s return to her hometown at the height of I Love Lucy’s popularity. The post will draw from the Look Magazine Photograph Collection, as well as papers from the Charlotte Brooks Archive.

Hardanger Embroidery in Detail

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

A piece of Hardanger embroidery in a recent Flickr album on needlework inspires a deeper dive into the collections for more images of this regional style of embroidery, specific to the Hardanger area of western Norway.

Mid-century style classroom full of students looking ahead to teacher and another student standing at chalkboard.

Finding Pictures: Back to School

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Join Reference Specialist Ryan Brubacher online on Wednesday, July 16 at 03:00pm EDT as she explores school-related images from the collections. Showing a variety of perspectives and spanning the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the shared images will feature buildings and classrooms, sports, naptime, students engaged in artistic and scientific learning, and more. The images in this post provide a preview.

A man stands making ice cream and looks down toward child sitting on the ground in front of a two story residential structure.

Ice Cream for Summer Relief: A Prequel

Posted by: Kate Phillips

Continuing in the same vein as last week’s post, today we are looking at the people, technologies, and skills involved with making ice cream. The post will incorporate both photographs and printed matter from the collection and will focus on home production of ice cream.

Two men stand on front steps of building.

Finding Pictures: Shawn Walker – Reflections

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Join Curator Adam Silvia and renowned photographer Shawn Walker for a Finding Pictures webinar where they will debut their documentary interview on Walker’s life in photography, featuring images from the Shawn Walker Photograph Collection held in the Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. A founding member of the Kamoinge Workshop, a highly esteemed collective of Black photographers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Walker reflects on his youth growing up in Harlem, his journey to becoming a photographer, his experiences photographing in Cuba and Guyana and his creativity as an artist. Silvia and Walker will take questions from attendees afterwards.

The Floral Clock of Detroit

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

While researching clocks in the Prints & Photographs Division for a recent Flickr album, Around the Clock, a large flower-covered clock stood out. Enjoy the story of and more images of this wonder through photos from the early 20th century Detroit Publishing Company collection.

Close-up view of statue of golden flame, with New York City skyline in background.

Our Best Resource for Historic American Architecture, Engineering, and Landscapes

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. Do you need ideas for fixing up an old house? Close-up views of the Statue of Liberty? The dimensions of a Spanish mission? All that information and more is ready for you in the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection with 450,000 drawings, photographs, and …