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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
Posted by: Lara Szypszak
As teachers prepare course materials for the upcoming school year, many will think of ways to combine fun with learning. One item from our collection that has proven attractive to many visiting teachers at the Library is the 1890 game Rambles Through Our Country- An Instructive Geographical Game for the Young. The goal of the …
Posted in: Prints
Posted by: Julie Stoner
One of my favorite memories of visiting my grandparents’ house during summer vacation is my grandpa teaching me to play croquet in the side yard. I became nostalgic for those summer days when I came across this Civil War era photograph of a group playing croquet in Washington D.C. I decided to search the collections …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Jeff Bridgers
The mid-season All-Star Game break provides baseball fans an opportunity to assess their team’s progress thus far, taking stock of strengths and areas for improvement, successes and failings. But, I’m going to take a much further distant historical look at baseball spectators and fans enjoying the game. Going back some 150 years to October 1865, the engraved …
Posted in: Photographs, Posters, Prints
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
The two people in the photo at right seem stopped in their tracks, much like I was when I saw this image for the first time. As I took in the details, I realized the towering metal behemoth was a Ferris wheel. It would take a bit more research to discover that this is actually …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
As summer gets into full swing, I’m recalling how much I enjoyed my public library’s summer reading club challenges when my children were younger (shout-out to all the public libraries that run summer reading clubs for children and adults!). One thing I loved about the challenge was the “randomizer” techniques library staff designed to inspire …
Posted in: Drawings, Photographs, Prints
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
The Great Hall in the Library of Congress Jefferson Building echoes with the hubbub of enthusiastic visitors absorbing the ornate details of its salute to knowledge and creativity. Much as I relish those sights and sounds, on a recent afternoon, I enjoyed dipping into a room just off the Great Hall to contemplate a small, …
Posted in: Architecture, News & Events, Photographs, Prints