The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought on July 1-3, 1863, at a small town in Pennsylvania. The fierce fighting was a major turning point in the American Civil War, with an estimated 50,000 casualties—dead, wounded, and missing Union and Confederate soldiers. …
Ask any American to identify the Washington Monument or the U.S. Capitol, and it is likely they could. But would they recognize – or be surprised by – those structures as they looked in the first century of the nation’s capital? A newly expanded reference aid provides glimpses of the city as it evolved: Washington, …
Some people contend that great art is distinguished in the attention the artist paid to the most minute details. Artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) may be a good case in point in that he even turned his creative energy to the way in which he signed his work. H. Barbara Weinberg of the Department of American …
The following is a guest post by Gay Colyer, Digital Library Specialist, Prints & Photographs Division. While reviewing Civil War photographs of the Union’s Mississippi River Fleet (LOT 4183), I came across a type of ship that I hadn’t seen before. I’ve long admired the efficient design of the single or double turreted ironclads. In …
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. What tends to be 3.5 inches tall and 10 inches long? Postcards created in a panoramic view format. More than 400 oversize postcards are “new for you” in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The Library received most of the postcards …
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. How do the delicate blossoms of a cherry tree represent the strength found in friendship? A new video from the Library of Congress suggests many answers in an engaging gallery tour of the exhibition Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of …
Everyone who knows me knows I love snow. If there is even the slightest chance for a snowfall here in the D.C. area, I am always glued to the weather forecast. I study the Doppler radar, scrutinize the predictions, and listen with bated breath to every watch, warning and advisory. It looks like my ever-dwindling …
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we feature a 120-year-old card. This circa 1890 valentine features a curly-headed angel paddling a flower-laden love boat “Hearts Delight.” The sail bears the inscription: “Pray Sweetheart, send me just a line to say you’ll be my Valentine.” Happy Valentine’s Day! Learn More: Put a little romance in your life via …
This item from the Popular Graphic Arts collection recently caught the eye of Phil Michel, Digital Conversion Coordinator in the Prints & Photographs Division. Phil commented, “Early engineering marvels often catch my eye. Some of the ships, buildings, bridges, tunnels, etc., that were built in the industrial age were just phenomenal in their scale. I …