Every year Washingtonians are treated to a feast for the eyes as ornamental cherry trees bloom across the city, most prominently by the Tidal Basin. As cherry blossom season approaches, we would like to share information about two related resources that we hope will offer some inspiration for those near and far: a selected set …
Below is an interview with Jon Eaker, Reference Librarian in the Prints & Photographs Division at the Library of Congress. Melissa: Thanks for agreeing to an interview, Jon. Can you fill us in on your background, and what led you to become a reference librarian here in the Prints & Photographs Division? Jon: Well, I’ve …
The following is a guest post by Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, Prints and Photographs Division. As a curator of historical prints, one of the first questions I ask myself is, “Why does this print exist?” It is an essential question to ask when trying to use pictures to explain …
The following is a guest post by Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. As moderator for the Veterans Art Showcase’s Combat Paper panel, she would like to thank the participating panelists and artists for sharing their knowledge, art, and stories. The extensive Library of Congress collections of art and documentation related …
Although I’m risk averse in most things, I’m a gambler when it comes to choosing my pleasure reading. One of my ongoing sources of literary surprises is the Free Little Library boxes that have sprouted all over my community, stocked alluringly with books my neighbors are ready to pass along. The joys of discovering an …
This photo provides an unfamiliar view of a very familiar structure: Yes, that is the unfinished stump of the Washington Monument, as it looked for about 25 years. In 1856, when funding shortages interrupted construction, the monument stood only 156 feet tall out of a projected 500 feet. During the U.S. Civil War, the site …
A version of the following post by Katherine Blood and Melissa Lindberg originally appeared in the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center’s “From the Catbird Seat” blog as part of a series discussing Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s visits to several Library of Congress reading rooms. We were excited by the news that Joy Harjo …
The Library of Congress’s exhibition, “Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote,” is a visually rich celebration of the women who laid the groundwork for women’s suffrage in the United States. Discussing the origins of the movement, the activities immediately leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, and the …
The month of August appears to have regularly been a busy time for Abraham Lincoln. He won a seat in the Assembly in August of 1834 at the age of 24 and was re-elected three times in the Illinois August elections. His son Robert Todd Lincoln was born on August 1, 1843. And in 1858 …