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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The following is a guest post by Melissa Lindberg, Reference Librarian, Prints and Photographs Division Now that autumn has begun, it’s natural to look forward to its visual splendor. Searching the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog for visual inspiration to match the brisk change in the air, I stumbled upon this autumnal scene from 1911 …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Julie Stoner
I am the first to admit that my knowledge of cars is rather limited. And perhaps like me, you thought electric cars were a relatively new phenomenon. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the 1919 photograph below of a car being charged! Much to my astonishment, the first practical electric car was invented in …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Julie Stoner
While browsing through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, the perfect timing and composition of this shot caught my eye. Seeing the final moment before the plane completes its flip and collides with the deck, I want to reach out and stop the accident from happening. Luckily, the caption on the back of the photo assures …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
As I swelter through the dog days of summer along with my fellow Washingtonians, my overheated mind called forth a favorite print from our Fine Prints collection. The grace and simplicity of this lithograph are compelling enough, but the promise of a refreshing splashdown and a cool breeze on the way down is what caught …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Jeff Bridgers
What first catches my eyes in Gertrude Käsebier’s 1913 photograph is the streaming sunshine illuminating the interior scene while one bold slant of sunlight has entered the room through the open screen door: Next, as I survey the five people gathered near the open door, the sailor’s attire worn by the four male figures prompts me to wonder: …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
As the days grow hot and humid in Washington, D.C., my mind turns to summer haircuts. A look back offers a reminder of reasons beyond the purely seasonal for hair cutting. This print from our Popular Graphic Arts collection depicts a character in the novel The Guardian Angel by Oliver Wendell Holmes. The story originally …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
Recently, frigid temperatures lingering in parts of the United States have caused a somewhat rare occurrence: the (partial) freezing of Niagara Falls. While water still flows, either visibly or under a frozen shell, sections of the massive falls are covered in ice, to the delight of tourists making the trip to the U.S./Canadian border to …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
When searching for that perfect gift, many of us now turn to the computer and the convenience of online shopping. However, I can’t help but be nostalgic for a time when shopping often meant looking at elaborate window displays of the newest toys or gadgets instead of tapping on a keyboard. I can almost hear …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
When I first saw this photo of a ship sporting a boldly patterned look, I definitely did a double take. This British ship is the Mauretania, a Cunard Line superliner pressed into service during World War I as both a troop transport ship and a hospital ship, then returned to civilian life in the post-war …
Posted in: Photographs, Posters, Series: Caught Our Eyes