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Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
When I ran across this image recently, it struck me just how much parades and flags go together and, furthermore, how much people have experimented with displaying enormous flags. In this case, the flag was probably better seen from the photographer’s vantage point than by spectators on the ground. As is so often the case, …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
Clearly the ladies below are determined to get in their game of Mah-Jongg! A photographer for the National Photo Company snapped a photo of this inventive method of taking a game on the go while still enjoying a cooling dip in the water: A recent blog post about board games focused on the games themselves, …
Posted in: Photographs, Prints, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Jeff Bridgers
This curious picture of a woman mountaineer recently caught my eye as I happened upon it in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. My first thought was: “What is the Wicked Witch of the West doing traversing a high mountain pass in the Yukon Territory?” But, this playful impression was soon supplanted by two more germane …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Reference specialist Marilyn Ibach caught sight of this photo in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation for the Cape Saint George Lighthouse, Cape St. George, Apalachicola, Franklin County, Florida. Marilyn remarked: This 1852 lighthouse caught my eye because it’s at such an angle! (275 degrees off north). This November 1998 photo shows the lighthouse …
Posted in: Architecture, Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Reference specialist Jan Grenci pointed out this photo, which Farm Security Administration photographer Carl Mydans took in February 1936. Although February is not a month when people in the mid-Atlantic region generally get to enjoy their porches (as we can testify), Jan noted Carl Mydans’ keen eye for a photographic opportunity: I like the way …
Posted in: Architecture, Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Reference staff member Jon Eaker spotted this photograph several months ago in the Bain News Service photographs. Jon, who has looked at many a World War I photograph in our holdings, remarked: It may be my favorite of our WWI pictures. This beast symbolizes how the introduction of widespread mechanization changed warfare. It looks like …
Posted in: Flickr, Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Kristi Finefield
As I made my way to work in temperatures hovering near zero degrees Fahrenheit, it was hard to think of anything except staying warm. Millions of Americans were bundled up like me, experiencing this week’s shock of unusual Arctic cold. Once I thawed out and could start to think of other things, I recalled this …
Posted in: Prints, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson
Who can appreciate clear skies more than Santa? This 1927 Harris & Ewing photograph documents Santa receiving rather than giving: he gets the “all clear” to navigate the skies on Christmas Eve, complete with a pilot’s license. While a pilot’s license may not be on everyone’s wish list, anyone who has worked with historical photographs …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes
Posted by: Jeff Bridgers
This September 1924 National Photo Company image of an auto house caught my eye not only because of the delight it sparked in seeing such a novel vehicle, but also because the lack of contextual information set me to wondering and wanting to know more. For example, assuming that the photo shows Mr. Harris and …
Posted in: Photographs, Series: Caught Our Eyes