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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
I find the relationship between words and pictures endlessly intriguing. Sometimes I type a single word into the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog simply to see what variety it turns up. It’s a little like the best parts of opening a gift: full of surprises and meaning. The other day, I was meditating on the …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Julie Stoner
While recently browsing through the National Photo Company collection, I paused when I saw this photograph. My first thought was “what happened to the top of the tree?” After puzzling about the tree for a while, I looked closer at the gathering of the Dickey family. I had to smile as I have been in …
Posted in: Prints, Series: Double Take
Posted by: Lara Szypszak
Whether you like your brew light, dark, milky or sweet, this chilly weather leaves many reaching for a hot cup of coffee to warm up and wake up. As I sipped my own morning cup, I wondered what images our collections would hold of my coffee drinking comrades. I searched our holdings for relatable and …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Lara Szypszak
The following is an interview featuring Jan Grenci, Reference Specialist – Posters, Prints and Photographs Division. Many may ask if campaign posters make a difference in political elections. Some of us will stick a sign in our lawn, and others may simply see posters hung in storefront windows. With another election upon us, I turned …
Posted in: Posters, Prints, Visual literacy
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
A visit to the Library of Congress is, I hope, on the bucket list of many Americans, either to tour the galleries and ornately decorated spaces of the Thomas Jefferson Building or to do research in any of our multiple reading rooms and research centers. However, if you can’t come to us, we will come …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Visual literacy
Posted by: Julie Stoner
We always enjoy opportunities to share samples of our holdings and resources at public events and had two chances to do so in the last couple of weeks. October is designated as American Archives Month, which provides a chance for cultural institutions to reach out to local communities and share the valuable resources available in …
Posted in: Prints
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
The love of reading crosses all boundaries, appealing to people of all ages, races, genders, and walks of life. For hundreds of years, readers have opened books to learn about history or science or to discover new, imaginary worlds. Books have furnished inspiration, excitement, and relaxation. The possibilities are limitless. Within our collections, I found …
Posted in: News & Events, Photographs, Posters, Prints
Posted by: Julie Stoner
The end of August reminds me of the sweltering hot days I spent as a teenager in band camp, marching back and forth across the black pavement of the high school parking lot, attempting to learn field formations while simultaneously playing only half-remembered music. Though well past my marching days, I still appreciate a well-executed …
Posted in: Prints
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