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Category: Prints

View of kitchen/dining space showing table with dishes on it on left, oven on right and staircase in background.

Timeliness and Timelessness, or Spot the Wall Calendar

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is a guest post by Kate Phillips, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division.  As our name suggests, here in the Prints & Photographs (P&P) division, we collect both prints AND photographs. It’s always fun when items work across categories and photographs speak to print culture.   This month, as we’ve turned the page …

Triptych woodcut scene features snowy landscape and two figures on each side of the image.

Wintry Weather Wishes

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Although Washington, D.C. has seen little icy precipitation this year, the past weekend’s official turn to winter has turned my mind toward the possibility of snow this season. Enjoy these 19th-century woodcuts, with hopes that wherever you are these beautiful images will bring you some peace. Learn More: Explore additional Picture This blog posts featuring …

Black-and-white photo of car from 1910s driving on mountain dirt road with view of snow-capped mountain in the backgroudn.

Finding Pictures: Automobiles

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Let Prints & Photographs Division Reference Librarian Gillian Mahoney take you for a four-wheeled tour of car-related images from the collections this Wednesday, November 20 at 3:00pm EST. Explaining her interest in P&P’s extensive pictorial representation of cars, Gillian notes that, “images of cars in our catalog offer a fascinating glimpse into automotive and industrial …

Black-and-white photograph shows close-up view of black kitten with arched back.

Purr-fectly Charming Black Cats

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Whether you think black cats are spooky, good luck, or simply adorable companions, the many images featuring these striking felines in the collections are evidence that photographers and other artists have found them compelling since at least the 19th century. This photograph by Arthur Rothstein highlights the tonal contrast between the cat’s dark fur and …

Color photograph shows open kitchen cupboard with four shelves containing various spices on bottom three shelves and glass dishes on the top shelf. The cabinets and walls are white.

Everything Including the Kitchen Sink

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

Many of us spend a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, a space that can serve both a utilitarian and a social function. The Prints & Photographs Division collections provide great images of kitchen spaces that highlight prepared food, architectural elements, and the labor that goes into ensuring our nourishment. The photograph below shows …

Views of Mulberry Street in Little Italy

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 …

Bicycles: A Lasting Trend in Pictures

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The Prints & Photographs Division’s collections include many images that feature the humble bicycle. This familiar, ingenious transportation technology appears in pictures in multiple formats, including photographs, prints, and drawings, produced across decades. This popular graphic art print showing the scene at the 1883 Bicycle Camp-Exhibition & Tournament in Springfield, Massachusetts gives a sense of …

Rainy Days

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

As one might expect given the season, April has arrived in the nation’s capital with substantial rain showers. Inspired by what I see outside and curious to see what kinds of rainy weather images I could find in the collections, I searched the online catalog. There is no shortage of D.C.-based photographs in the collections. …

Birds-eye view of orange groves, with shadow of mountains just visible in the background.

Pining for Citrus

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

It’s usually right about this time of year when I start pining for warmer weather and fresh, local fruit. This may have something to do with my California roots. My family always had fruit trees, including varieties of orange, such as the one you see below. There were only a few months out of the …