News from the Prints & Photographs Division

The Transformation from an RSS Feed into a Blog

The end of this week marks the transformation of our two-year-old RSS feed into a new Prints & Photographs blog to be called "Picture This." This new blog will enable us to feature more of the pictorial marvels from our collections and enable you to participate in a dialogue with us and other readers. If you've been receiving the RSS feed via e-mail, you'll be "automagically" subscribed to receive "Picture This" in your inbox.

In honor of this last RSS post we feature a 1917 motion picture poster for "The Hungry Heart" which shows a butterfly with the shape of a woman hovering near roses. We look forward to having you along for the journey as "Picture This" takes flight!

"The Phoenix of Prosperity"

Today we feature "The Phoenix of Prosperity," an Udo Keppler illustration published in the August 5, 1903 issue of _Puck_. The illustration shows a female figure labeled "Prosperity" holding a cornucopia labeled "Legitimate Business" overflowing with coins and papers labeled "Increased exports, Good crop reports, Higher wages, Larger R.R. earnings, [and] Trade ascendancy;" she is rising from the flames of "Watered stocks, Wildcat schemes, Mad speculation, Undigested securities, False values, [and] Overcapitalization."

"The Phoenix" is just one of some 900 covers and centerfold cartoons from the humor magazine _Puck_, roughly spanning the period from 1890 to 1910, to have been digitized and described. This growing body of images expands access to the cartoons, caricatures, and political satire offered in America's first successful humor magazine, while preserving the Library's fragile original copies.

Two New Graphic Arts Galleries

Attention, fans of the the graphic arts! Two new graphic arts galleries introduce visitors to Library of Congress pictorial collections. The Swann Gallery features caricatures, political cartoons, comics, animation art, graphic novels and illustrations. The Herblock Gallery celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block--better known as "Herblock"--with an ongoing display of 10 original drawings, to change every six months. [View the Swann and Herblock galleries in myLOC: http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/Pages/Default.aspx]

Today, we feature a Russell Patterson illustration from the Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon, "Where There's Smoke There's Fire," of a fashionably dressed 1920s-era flapper standing with one hand on her hip and a cigarette in the other hand. A stream of smoke from the cigarette forms a curving, twisting, decorative line. So, be a dear, and pass on the word to your chums that there is something new to see during a visit to the Library of Congress.

Bastille Day: Vue brillante de l'aniversaire du 14 juillet 1801

In honor of Bastille Day, France's National Celebration, we feature a hand-colored etching "Vue brillante de l'aniversaire du 14 juillet 1801," which shows a crowd viewing fireworks at a Bastille Day celebration in Paris. Notice also that a balloon appears in the upper right corner. This print is but one of approximately 975 items comprising the Tissandier Collection which documents the early history of aeronautics with an emphasis on balloon flight in France and other European countries. Vive la France!

Two Photographers Taking Each Others' Picture

Flickr members inspired us to post a new set to the Library of Congress Flickr account called "Photographer in the Picture." After Flickr members spotted photographers in action in two of our photos, Prints & Photographs Division staff took up the challenge. We had a field day looking through our digitized collections and discovering even more photographers in reflections, in shadows, and in action, such as this National Photo Company image of two photographers, perched on a roof, taking each others' picture. How many photographers did it take to make this picture? The answer is three . . . think about it . . . and enjoy the set of photos on Flickr!

"Fourth of July. Tableau on Ellipse: 'Liberty,' 'Columbia,' and Dancers"

Let's see now, what do I wear to that July Fourth barbecue? In honor of the Independence Day weekend, we feature a 1919 Harris & Ewing photograph which may provide some inspiration. Miss Liberty and Columbia don costumes for the presentation of a tableau in celebration of the day. Regardless of your costume choice, we wish you a happy Fourth of July!

"Shirley Sees Her Old Friend the President," June 24, 1938.

We feature a June 24, 1938 photograph by Harris & Ewing which captures Shirley Temple outside the White House after "a very important conference with the President." From the caption, we learn further that Shirley and FDR discussed current events such as her recent loss of a tooth.

The Harris & Ewing Collection of photographic negatives includes glass and film negatives taken by Harris & Ewing, Inc., which photographed people, events, and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C., during the period 1905-1945. At this time, a substantial portion of the glass negatives have been digitized providing a visual record of Washington events, large and small, during this period.

School's Out!: "Boys Fishing in a Bayou, Schriever, Louisiana"

Many of our children finally finished school this week--firmly believing that they were the last in the nation to reach their summer vacation! Their anticipation of halcyon summer days reminded me of the photo "Boys Fishing," taken back in June 1940 by Marion Post Wolcott. This Huck Finn-like image speaks to the timelessness of summer leisure. More photos from the Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information Color Photographs are yours to enjoy online at http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/fsac/

Women Photojournalists: Jessie Tarbox Beals

Recently added to the Women Photojournalists site is an overview of the life and work of Jessie Tarbox Beals. Hired as a staff photographer in 1902 for two newspapers, _The Buffalo Inquirer_ and _The Courier_, Beals has become known as America's first female news photographer. Her tenacity and self-promotion in her later freelance work set her apart in a competitive field through the 1920s. Based in New York City most of her professional life, Beals enjoyed some critical success but financial security eluded her. The Beals overview joins information about women photojournalists from several generations presented through the Women Photojournalists site.

"Pot Luck" with the "Boys" - President Roosevelt's Cowboy Breakfast at Hugo, Colorado, 1903

More than 500 stereographs showing various facets of the life and career of Theodore Roosevelt are now available online. We feature "'Pot Luck' with the 'Boys'" in which Roosevelt, in top hat and morning coat, is seen ladling up some steaming grub with a group of cowboys in Hugo, Colorado. Other stereo cards in the collection commemorate Roosevelt's contributions as a Rough Rider during the Spanish American War, document his many public speaking events, advertise his presidential campaign, show him at work and leisure, and include other members of the Roosevelt family. How about a hot cup of mud to wash down the chow, Mr. President?

The Unofficial Start of Summer

The Memorial Day weekend signals the unofficial start of summer for many of us as swimming pools open for the season and thousands throng ocean beaches and lakes. Excuse us for jumping the gun a bit but with temperatures nearing 90 and the humidity climbing in Washington, it certainly feels like summer. We dive in head first with a Bain News Service photograph of "Miss Helen Foulds Ready to Dive into Water." Wishing you a happy start to summer!

The Preakness: Count Fleet, May 1943

Tomorrow, May 21, is the running of thoroughbred horse racing's middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. We feature 1943's Preakness champion, Count Fleet, ridden by jockey Johnny Longden. Office of War Information photographer Arthur S. Siegel snapped the winning horse and jockey adorned with the traditional blanket of Black-eyed Susans. This photograph is but one of some 175,000 black-and-white negatives comprising the Library's Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection that forms an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1944.

Count Fleet went on to win the Triple Crown in 1943. He quit racing as a four-year-old and retired to life on a stud farm siring numerous champion colts and fillies. Both Count Fleet and Longden were inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Portrait of Martha Graham and Bertram Ross by Carl Van Vechten

In honor of dance innovator Martha Graham's birthday (May 11, 1894), we feature a 1961 portrait of Martha Graham and Bertram Ross, who was for many years the principal male dancer in Graham's dance company. This portrait is from the Carl Van Vechten Photographs Collection which consists of 1,395 photographs taken by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) between 1932 and 1964, available via the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The bulk of the collection consists of portrait photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance.

_Appalachian Spring_, with music by Aaron Copland and choreography by Martha Graham, was commissioned by and first performed at the Library in 1944. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. The Library's Music Division is now custodian to both the Martha Graham and the Aaron Copland Collections.

New Book: Photographic Memory: The Album in the Age of Photography

Many of our families have photo albums which are passed down through the generations that document our lives from cradle to grave. _Photographic Memory: The Album in the Age of Photography_ traces the rise of the photo album from the turn of last century to the present day, showcasing some of the most important examples in the history of the medium found in the collections of the Library of Congress.

This richly illustrated book, compiled by P&P photo curator Verna Curtis, includes albums by such photographers and filmmakers as Walker Evans, Danny Lyon, Holland Day, Jim Goldberg, Dorothea Lange, Duane Michals, Leni Riefenstahl and W. Eugene Smith. Made for varying purposes--to memorialize, document (officially or unofficially), promote, or educate and sometimes simply to channel creative energy--the photo album is a thoroughly twentieth century phenomenon paralleling the explosive access to and effect of photography in our lives.

National Preservation Week & Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress

In honor of National Preservation Week (April 24-30), we feature an Arlington Gregg designed poster, "A Book Mark Would Be Better!," created for the WPA Illinois Art Project. We recently added this item and four more relating to books to the WPA Poster Collection, which consists of more than 900 posters produced between 1936 and 1943.

The celebration of Preservation Week culminates in Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress, Saturday, April 30. Library staff will be on hand to talk directly with individuals about how to manage and preserve their collections. To learn more about the event and to sign up for free digital preservation updates, visit www.digitalpreservation.gov

Personal Archiving Day
Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
LJ 119, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress
10 First St. S.E.
Washington D.C.

Exhibition: The Last Full Measure: Civil War Photographs from the Liljenquist Family Collection

A steady stream of visitors has come to view "The Last Full Measure" exhibition, which opened this week. Drawn from a recent gift from the Liljenquist family, the exhibition features 379 Civil War-era ambrotypes and tintypes of enlisted Union and Confederate soldiers. These exceptional portraits document Civil War uniforms, hats, guns, swords, belt buckles, canteens, and musical instruments and include significant representation of African American troops and the families of soldiers. The exhibition brings new attention to the war as a seminal event in American history and puts a human face on both sides of the wrenching conflict. For those unable to visit the exhibition in person, an online exhibition enables a face-to-face encounter with these extraordinary images.

April 12, 2011-August 13, 2011
Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress
10 First Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C.

Civil War - 3D Viewing: A Set of Stereos on Flickr

The start of the American Civil War in 1861 coincided with a surge in stereo photography--a technique that makes it possible to see photos with three-dimensional depth. A pair of images combines into a single 3D scene, using a special viewer. We have added to the Library of Congress Flickr account a new set that lets you visit Fort Sumter; a Union war council and wounded troops; city ruins in both the South and the North; an ironclad monitor warship; and more. This set also includes a few examples of recently made "digital anaglyphs" that bring the 3D sensation to life when viewed with red/cyan glasses.

Baseball Season

If it's April, it must be time for baseball. The month that brings us fools, flowers, and showers, also brings us hope that this will be the year for our team. Featured today is a 1905 poster design by John E. Sheridan for baseball games between the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. This poster is but one of some 85,000 in the Artist Posters Collection which highlights the work of poster artists, both identified and anonymous. Here's hoping that your team blossoms this year!

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Centennial

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, a tragic workplace disaster, killed 146 people, mostly young women, in New York City. We feature Henry Glintenkamp's 1911 drawing which depicts three women standing across the street from the burned-out shell of a building from which hangs the sign, "Girls wanted." This drawing is in the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein Foundation Collection. The aftermath of the event galvanized many to take action to demand safer working conditions, including eyewitness Frances Perkins who played a major role in the resulting Factory Investigating Commission.

St. Patrick's Day in the Army, March 17, 1863

On March 17, 1863, sketch artist Edwin Forbes documented the Irish Brigade's Saint Patrick's Day celebration, complete with a horse race. Composed primarily of Irish immigrants, the Irish Brigade had seen some of 1862's fiercest fighting, including the Seven Days Battles, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. American military celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day date back to 1780 when George Washington declared a holiday. Images of Saint Patrick's Day festivities are abundant in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog -- we had trouble choosing just one!

Tuskegee Airmen Attending a Briefing, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945

In March 1945, photographer Toni Frissell shot a series of photographs of the 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen) in Ramitelli, Italy. Frissell took the photos while on a mission sponsored by the U.S. government to document war conditions in Europe. These images are possibly the only photos taken of the Squadron in Europe by a professional photographer. Sixteen photographs, of the more than 200 images Frissell shot, are available in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Lincoln Inauguration Ball, March 4, 1861

On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln celebrated his presidential inauguration complete with a swearing-in outside of the Capitol, a now famous address, and a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue. But, it was the events of that night -- the inaugural ball -- and specifically the "superb costumes of distinguished ladies on that brilliant occasion" that adorned the cover of _Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper_ on March 23. Enjoy a panoply of pictures associated with presidential inaugurations, parades, and balls in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Symbols: Sources for Identifying and Deciphering

Sometimes images include signs or icons that we cannot identify or that seem out of place. Online and printed resources help to decipher such elements. An academic intern in the Prints & Photographs Division compiled this annotated bibliography which cites online and print resources for identifying and deciphering symbols, signs, and icons, as well as offering tips for locating additional sources of information.

Freedmen's School, Edisto Island, S.C.

We feature a photograph of the Freedmen's School on Edisto Island, South Carolina, taken between 1862 and 1865. This image is one of almost 350 images showing African Americans and related military and social history found in the William A. Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs, recently added to the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. The Civil War era is an emphasis of the collection, which also features portraits of freed and fugitive slaves, Buffalo Soldiers, and military participation as late as World War II.

Thomas A. Edison's Birthday

Prolific American inventor Thomas A. Edison was born on February 11, 1847. We feature a portrait of Edison, taken between 1870 and 1880, seated with one of his most famous inventions, the phonograph. This portrait is just one of almost 5000 photographs, with subjects ranging from Mrs. Abraham Lincoln to Civil War generals, available in the Brady-Handy Collection, Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

A Profile of Eleanor Butler Roosevelt, Photojournalist

Who's that you say? No, it isn't "that" Eleanor Roosevelt, but rather Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Taking up photography soon after her marriage, Eleanor Butler Roosevelt started out by taking portraits of her expanding family. Over time, she published numerous illustrated articles dealing with her family's travels and experiences which included stints in Paris, the Phillippines, and China, amongst others. This profile, another in the growing series on women photojournalists, includes a brief biography, resources for further study, and an image sampler.

The Knickerbocker Storm, January 28, 1922

Having just experienced a Washington snowfall and attandant challenges, this photo caught our eyes. On January 27-28, 1922, a blizzard, dubbed the Knickerbocker Storm after the resulting collapse of the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre, swept through Washington, D.C. dumping over two feet of snow. This National Photo Company image shows two women settling into a snowbank, appearing to enjoy the snowfall. The photographic files of the National Photo Company, including an estimated 80,000 images (photographic prints and corresponding glass negatives), were acquired by the Library from its proprietor Herbert E. French in 1947.

Breaking the World's 24 Hour Record for Roller Skating

Pictured are Raymond "King" Kelly and Frank Bryant after breaking the unofficial record for relay roller skating by covering over 348 miles in 24 hours. The Bain News Service published this January 22, 1915 photograph of the two fleet fellows. The image is just one of over 40,000 photos available via the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog in the George Grantham Bain Collection.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday, January 15, 1929

Civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. We feature a 1964 portrait by photographer Marion S. Trikosko of King at a press conference. This image is just one of almost 1.2 million original 35mm and 2 1/4 inch negatives (primarily black & white) taken between 1952 and 1986 that U.S. News & World Report, Inc., donated to the Library.

Abraham Lincoln, Seated Portrait, January 8, 1864

On January 8, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln visited Mathew Brady's studio in Washington, D.C. to sit for a portrait photograph. The small albumen photograph is mounted on thicker "visiting" card stock, hence the term "carte de visite." More pictures of Lincoln are available in a twenty-two image slide show which portray him over two decades--from the earliest known photographic likeness in 1846, through the U.S. presidential campaign of 1860. It also includes views from Lincoln's funeral in 1865 and portraits of his immediate family. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/608_lincoln_slide.html)

Happy Holidays to You All

In this December 23, 1921 National Photo Company photograph, St. Nick greets little Betty Sze, the daughter of the Chinese Ambassador and Madame Sze (pictured). This image demonstrates that the National Photo Company news service documented virtually all aspects of Washington, D.C., life during the administrations of Presidents Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. We wish you all a happy holiday season!

First Flight of the Wright Brothers

We feature a December 17, 1903 photograph of the first powered, controlled, sustained flight by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville Wright is seen at the controls of the machine, while Wilbur Wright, running alongside to balance the airplane, has just released his hold on the forward upright of the right wing. This image from a glass plate negative is but one of some 200 Wright Brothers Negatives (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/wri/) which document their successes and failures with their new flying machines. The collection also contains individual portraits and group pictures of the Wright brothers and their family and friends, as well as photos of their homes, other buildings, towns, and landscapes.

Sitting Bull by U.S.J. Dunbar, December 10, 1925

We feature a December 10, 1925 National Photo Company image of sculptor Ulric Stonewall Jackson Dunbar (1862-1927) at work on a likeness of Lakota Chief Sitting Bull. The statue is housed in the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. Dunbar, a transplanted Canadian who settled in Washington, D.C., executed over 150 statues during his career, many of which are housed in Washington's public museums and buildings including the halls of the United States Senate. This photo is just one of over 35,000 to be found in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog in the National Photo Company Collection (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/npco/) which document all aspects of Washington, D.C. life in the early part of the 20th century.

Automobile Show, Coliseum, Chicago, December 3, 1907

We feature a December 3, 1907 banquet camera photograph by the George R. Lawrence Company of the Automobile Show at Chicago's Coliseum. First staged in 1901, the Chicago Auto Show today is the largest auto show in North America. Lawrence used a banquet camera to produce sharp images with great depth. For more information about Lawrence, see: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/pnphtgs.html#lawrence

Thanksgiving

We feature an 1895 poster illustration by Will Bradley designed to promote the Thanksgiving issue of _The Chap Book_, a literary journal based in Chicago, which published the likes of Stephen Crane, Henry James, Thomas Hardy, and William Butler Yeats. The art nouveau design features two women presenting trays of food. Hope you are enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday!

Is There a Doctor in the House?: Dissertations and Theses Using Prints & Photographs Division Collections, 2008-2010

We mean a Ph.D., that is. Our collections support a variety of research topics. We identified these dissertations and theses through contacts with researchers and by searching electronic resources. Did we miss yours? Please let us know. Send us a full citation through our Ask a Librarian (http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-print2.html) online form.

Veterans Day

November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, is Veterans Day. We feature "The Heralding of Peace," a photograph snapped at 10:30 p.m. on November 11, 1921, the date of the first celebration of Veterans Day. The photograph captures the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, at night, reflected in the pool in the foreground and backlighted by spectral beams.

Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South

The Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South is a newly featured collection of photographs in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Noted architectural photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston created a systematic record of early American buildings and gardens. Photographed primarily in the 1930s, the collection includes more than 7,100 images showing an estimated 1,700 structures and sites in rural and urban areas of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, and to a lesser extent Florida, Mississippi, and West Virginia. An image sampler (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/slidecsas/) is available as well.

Western Survey Photographs: Checklists of the Stereographs from the Clarence King and George M. Wheeler Explorations, 1867-1874

The United States government sponsored several photographic surveys showing the western United States before it was heavily settled. These checklists focus on the more than 300 stereographs taken by Timothy O'Sullivan, William Bell, and Andrew J. Russell for two surveys that spanned several years--the Clarence King explorations (1867-69, 1872), and the George M. Wheeler explorations (1871-1874). Clarifying the complex publishing history and dates for these fascinating pictures can help researchers in many fields use the stereographs more effectively. The stereographs on these checklists are just a small subset of the over 8000 Stereograph Cards available in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, which, in turn, is but a percentage of the 52,000 found in the Division's holdings, covering many places and subjects.

Campaign Season

At the height of the 2010 campaign season, we feature an 1895 Louis Dalrymple illustration "The 'Press View' at the Candidate Show" from _Puck_, the American humor and political satire magazine. The "press," in the form of men cloaked in newspaper and armed with various optical devices, scrutinize caricatures of presidential candidates, including Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, and Adlai Stevenson, amongst others. This colorful illustration is just one of hundreds from _Puck_ found in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Baseball's Elysian Fields

As the American and National League Championship Series get underway this weekend, here's an early Currier & Ives print depicting "The American National Game of Base Ball. Grand Match for the Championship at the Elysian Fields, Hoboken, N.J." An estimated 20,000 fans attended this 1865 championship match between the Mutual Club of New York and the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn. Close viewing of the print reveals telling differences between the 19th-century game and that played today, such as the absence of gloves and an underhand delivery by the pitcher. This print is just one of thousands of baseball pictures, featuring some of the game's greatest heroes, in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

October

We feature an October 1895 poster design for "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine," which published general articles, literary criticism, and original works from the likes of Willa Cather, Rudyard Kipling, and Oscar Wilde. This poster is but one example from the online Artist Posters collection, consisting of a small but growing proportion of the more than 85,000 posters in the Artist Poster filing series held by Prints & Photographs. This series highlights the work of poster artists, both identified and anonymous. It includes posters from the nineteenth century to the present day from the United States and other countries.

Matson Negatives All Available Online

Today, we feature a 1932 image from the G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection of the Sumerian Ziggurat at Ur in modern-day Iraq. All 22,000 negatives and transparencies from the Matson Collection of historical images of the Middle East are now available in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. More than 7,500 nitrate negatives were recently added to the photographs that were already online. To learn more about recent publications, acquisitions, resources, and events, see "What's New in the Prints & Photographs Division" (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/whatsnew.html).

Supreme Court Established

On September 24, 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act, establishing the Supreme Court. In searching the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog for an appropriate image, we happened upon this 1862 "Diagram of the Federal Government and American Union," depicting a network of connections between the various states and the federal government with the "Judicial" branch featured at the top right. We were intrigued by the resemblance to a telegraph network, perhaps a reference to the growing technology, which had been introduced in the late 1840s. This diagram is just one of many 19th century popular prints found in the Popular Graphic Arts collection in our online catalog.

Constitution Day

September 17 is Constitution Day which marks the anniversary of the 1787 signing of the Constitution. Today, we feature a 1937 photograph of Harry Wilhelm, who won himself a job by his ability to recite from memory the Constitution and all its amendements. Wilhelm is pictured being put to the test by Rep. Sol Bloom, Chairman of the United States Constitutional Sesquicentennial Commission in this Harris & Ewing news photo. Harris & Ewing, Inc., photographed people, events, and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C., 1905-1945. More than 25,000 of the company's negatives are digitized and available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

The Battle Monument of Baltimore

Today, we feature a dagurreotype showing the Battle Monument of Baltimore which commemorates the successful defense of the city in mid-September 1814, the turning point of the War of 1812. This early photograph by John Plumbe is one of some 700 daguerreotypes available online in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Back to School Time

As children (and their parents!) embark on a new academic year, not all may be as happy as the two girls appear to be in this 1915 news photograph taken on the opening day of school in New York City. However, most can relate to the beginning of the school year as a time of promise and potential. Over the coming months, we look forward to sharing the promise and potential of the Prints & Photographs collections for every level of research project.

Window on the Middle East: Visual Materials from the Papers of John D. Whiting

We feature a rich assemblage of more than 3,200 images made and gathered by Whiting, a photographer for the American Colony in Jerusalem, highlighting places, events, and people in the Middle East, and daily life in the American Colony, 1870 to 1951. Twenty-two of the albums in the collection have been digitized. A reference aid offers biographical information on Whiting as well as a summary of the scope and strengths of the Whiting Collection and information about access and reproductions.

Bastille Day

In honor of Bastille Day, we feature a 1789 French political cartoon. The print shows Harné, a grenadier in the French Guards, and Humbert, leaders, respectively, of the first and second assaults on the Bastille, 14 July 1789. The two grenadiers are portrayed standing, facing each other, shaking hands, while Harné offers Humbert a laurel branch. Our French political cartoon holdings consist primarily of satirical images depicting events in French history, circa 1700-1871, with many relating to aspects of the French Revolution.

Publications: Three New "Fields of Vision" Books

Photographers Esther Bubley, Jack Delano, and John Vachon are featured in the most recent volumes in the "Fields of Vision" series, which highlight the work of Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information photographers during the Depression and World War II years.

Independence Day: July 4th Fireworks, Washington, D.C.

Today's image features a Carol M. Highsmith photograph of fireworks bursting in a glory of red, white and blue blazes. Washington, D.C. is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th. The National Mall, with Washington DC's monuments and the U.S. Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic backdrop to America's Independence Day celebrations. Happy Independence Day!

American Library Association Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., June 24-29

How many librarians does it take to hold a conference? Apparently, thousands, as librarians from across the country, and around the world, arrive in Washinton for the annual conference of the American Library Association, June 24-29. Today's photo shows a circa 1920 traffic cop stationed in front of the Carnegie Library on Mount Vernon Square, which is just across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the main conference site. Welcome librarians and friends of libraries!

Carol M. Highsmith's Alabama Photos

Join Carol M. Highsmith on her visual journey through Alabama. The first fifty images are available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, with more to come. Carol blogs about her experiences photographing in Alabama as part of her "Carol M. Highsmith's America" project.

Doris Ulmann - Photojournalist

We feature a new overview of the life and work of Doris Ulmann, who used her camera to provide socially meaningful images of people outside the rapidly industrializing American mainstream. Her photographic subjects included Native Americans, African Americans, craftsmen, musicians, and members of religious communities, as seen in her Appalachian and Sea Island photographs. This overview is one of a series which highlight the lives and works of women photojournalists.

World War II Sketches by Victor A. Lundy -- An Overview

A visual diary with 158 pencil sketches brings to life the wartime experience of noted architect Victor A. Lundy, who served in the U.S. 26th Infantry Division during World War II. Lundy applied his drawing skills to what was around him--training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; forced marches; men at rest; the PX and tents; New York harbor; aboard ship in the Atlantic crossing; Cherbourg harbor; and French villages. Many vivid portraits of fellow soldiers and frontline danger also fill the pages. The sketches cover May to November 1944 when Lundy was wounded, with some gaps where notebooks were lost.

Lecture: Swann Fellow to Present on Cartoons of Early Turkish Republic

Swann Foundation Fellow Yasemin Gencer will explore the visual and textual rhetoric of cartoons from the early years of the Turkish Republic in the lecture "Cartooning Progress: Secularism and Nationalism in the Early Turkish Republic (1922-28)" to be presented at the Library of Congress. In her illustrated talk, Gencer will discuss how cartoons had the power to create, shape and project a new Turkish national identity based on European models. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

Tuesday, June 1, Noon
Dining Room A, Sixth Floor, Madison Building
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C

Book Talk: Photo Book of American Music During Great Depression

Rich Remsberg's "Hard Luck Blues: Roots Music from the Great Depression (University of Illinois Press in association with the Library of Congress, 2010) features more than 200 Farm Security Administration photos. Remsberg will discuss and sign his work which highlights images of the regular music of everyday life, from informal songs in migrant work camps and farmers' homes, at barn dances and on street corners to organized performances at church revivals, dance halls and community festivals. This Books & Beyond program of the Center for the Book is co-sponsored with the Library's American Folklife Center, the Prints and Photographs Division and the Publishing Office. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

Wednesday, June 2, Noon
West Dining Room, James Madison Building
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Solo Transatlantic Flights: Lindbergh and Earhart

May 21 is a banner day for solo transatlantic flight! In 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed safely in Paris in his plane "The Spirit of St. Louis," becoming the first person to complete a solo Atlantic crossing. Five years later to the day, Amelia Earhart landed on the Ireland coast completing her solo journey from Newfoundland. Today, we feature a 1932 photograph of Earhart celebrating with Mayor James Walker of New York. This image is but one example of the many visual resources available in the Prints & Photographs collections spanning the history of flight from balloon travel to the Wright brothers, from Lindbergh and Earhart to John Glenn.

A Group of "Contrabands" at Foller's House, Cumberland Landing, Va., May 14, 1862

On May 14, 1862, Civil War era photographer James F. Gibson took this photograph of a group of "contrabands" in Cumberland Landing, Virginia. "Contrabands" was the term for former slaves who had come over to Union lines. The photograph is one from the main eastern theater of the Civil War, the Peninsular Campaign, of May-August 1862. Although nothing else is known of the story of this group of people--where they came from or what happened to them after the photograph was shot--the photograph is an indication of our strong Civil War holdings. In addition to photographs, recently digitized eyewitness drawings from the Civil War add dimension to our vision of the conflict.

Exposition Universelle de 1889, Paris, France

This week marks the opening of the Exposition Universelle de 1889, in Paris, France, a World's Fair most noted for the debut of the Eiffel Tower. Today, we feature a group of almost 300 views of the Exposition including interior and exterior views of the exhibition grounds and buildings as well as the Eiffel Tower and various national, municipal, and industrial pavilions and exhibits. This is but one of many groups of images documenting the Paris Exposition and other international expositions in the Prints & Photographs Division holdings.

Event: Library of Congress to Host Millennium Arts Salon 10th Anniversary Lecture By Walter O. Evans, Noted Collector of African-American Art, Books, Manuscripts

Walter O. Evans, well-known for his remarkable collection of 19th- and 20th-century African-American artworks, has also assembled an extensive collection of more than 100,000 books and manuscripts. In an illustrated lecture, Evans will present the "Ten Favorite Books and Manuscripts in My Collection."

The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. The talk is part of a planned series of events, through 2010, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Arts Salon in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2000, the Salon is dedicated to advancing cultural literacy through its arts and cultural programming, including salons, exhibitions, tours and special events. The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs and Rare Book and Special Collection divisions are co-hosting the lecture.

Friday, April 30, Noon
Mumford Room (Sixth floor of the Library's James Madison Building)
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C.

Book Talk: "Framing the West: The Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O'Sullivan"

An upcoming book talk will highlight the lavishly illustrated new book on O'Sullivan's western survey work: "Framing the West: The Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O'Sullivan" (Yale University Press, in association with the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2010). Three of its four authors, Toby Jurovics, Carol Johnson and Will Stapp (the other is Glenn Willumson) will discuss their collaborative work on O'Sullivan's compelling images of the American frontier. Many of the featured photographs, which are also on display through May 9 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, are from the Library of Congress collections.

The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. The Center for the Book is sponsoring the program as part of its Books & Beyond author series, in collaboration with the Prints & Photographs Division.

Wedesday, April 28, Noon
Dining Room A, (Sixth floor of the Library's James Madison Building)
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C.

Event: Earth Day

Thursday, April 22, is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. We mark the day with a September 1939 photograph of a train bringing copper ore out of the mines in Ducktown, Tennessee. FSA photographer Marion Post Wolcott documented the extensive erosion in this area, the result of the total loss of vegetation, some 30 years before the first Earth Day celebration in 1970.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog - New look, New Features!

Our 15 year-old catalog has been revamped. In addition to a clean new look, it offers more robust searching and some new features, including easy ways to share and save links to images and searches you like. It also has a new, easy to remember Web address: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/ -- enjoy!

Event: Timothy O'Sullivan Symposium at Smithsonian American Art Museum

Issues concerning nineteenth-century western exploration, photographic practice in the post-Civil War West, wet-plate photography in the field, and the parallel tradition of landscape painting will be discussed in relation to the photographs of Timothy H. O'Sullivan. Curator of Photography Toby Jurovics joins western historian J. C. Mutchler, art historians Glenn Willumson and Joni Kinsey, and photographic process historian Mark Osterman. The program will conclude with a panel discussion featuring photographers Edward Ranney, Mark Ruwedel, and Martin Stupich, moderated by Eric Paddock of the Denver Art Museum.

Friday, April 09, 2010
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level
Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Wright Brothers Flying a Glider as a Kite

In this 1901 image, Wilbur Wright is seen at the left and his brother Orville in the right foreground as they fly a glider as a kite at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This image from a glass plate negative is but one of some 200 Wright Brothers Negatives which document their successes and failures with their new flying machines. The collection also contains individual portraits and group pictures of the Wright brothers and their family and friends, as well as photos of their homes, other buildings, towns, and landscapes.

"Then" & "Now" Views of Ireland on Flickr

Flickr members responded enthusiastically to the call for "Then" & "Now" photographs celebrating the photochroms of Ireland we posted in honor of St. Patrick's Day. From Patrick Street in County Cork to Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, the images provide a wonderful way to see how much -- or how little -- things change.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Civil War Drawings

The Civil War Drawings have been recently scanned, so that it is now possible to view online the more than 1,600 eye-witness sketches made during the U.S. Civil War. We feature a March 1864 Alfred Waud drawing of a snowball battle near Dalton, Georgia. The drawing portrays a grand mock battle between several divisions of Confederate soldiers. While Mathew Brady's photographers famously captured the aftermath of Civil War battles such as Antietam and Gettysburg, it was intrepid sketch artists such as Waud who put themselves in harm's way to capture troop engagements as they happened -- even if, as in this case, the greatest danger was being beaned by a snowball!

George Washington

In honor of George Washington's birthday earlier this week, we feature today an 1877 print from the Prints & Photographs Division's collection of Popular Graphic Arts. The Wittemann Brothers' tribute to George Washington is one of a rash of prints paying homage to the father of our country that was published during and in the immediate wake of the 1876 American Centennial. The United States' 100th anniversary renewed attention to the founding of the Republic, leading to an increased demand for such prints, and American printers met this demand with the likes of today's featured print.

Visit Mardi Gras in "Carol M. Highsmith's America"

This week saw the culmination of the Mardi Gras festival with the celebration of Fat Tuesday. We feature an image from "Carol M. Highsmith's America" of a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, a few months after Hurricane Katrina. This image is just one of an initial release of 1,000 remarkable images featuring roadside attractions, urban scenes and aerial vistas, glorious sights in national parks, and much more.

Highsmith, a distinguished and richly published American photographer, has donated her work to the Library of Congress since 1992. Starting in 2002, Highsmith provided scans or photographs she shot digitally with new donations to allow rapid online access throughout the world. Her generosity in dedicating the rights to the American people for copyright free access also makes this Archive a very special visual resource.

Event: Two Blizzards in One Week

Mother Nature, in the form of back-to-back blizzards, crippled Washington, D.C. and forced the closure of the Library of Congress this week from Monday, February 8 through Thursday, February 11. After so much shoveling we have snow etched in our minds, but we thought you might enjoy this vintage image of a snowstorm past from the National Photo Company Collection depicting seven Senate page boys engaged in a snowball battle in front of the U.S. Capitol.

Exhibition: "NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom"

The Library of Congress commemorates African American History Month 2010 with the launch of a new online exhibition, "NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom." The site initially features nearly 70 treasures from the NAACP's 100-year history, and will eventually expand to include some 150 items. Featured in the exhibition are a number of photographs and other images from the collections of the Prints & Photographs Division.

"Framing the West" Photo Set Added to Flickr

The Prints & Photographs Division added to the Library of Congress Flickr account a set of 22 western survey photographs by Timothy O’Sullivan, selected by P&P photo curator Carol Johnson. They are among the iconic landscapes featured in a joint Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution exhibition on O’Sullivan’s work that is opening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum on February 12.

Prints & Photographs Celebrates Second Anniversary on Flickr

In celebration of the second anniversary of the launch of the Library's account on Flickr, the photosharing Web site, we have collected a set of photographs which illustrate the bountiful information and interactions that have come out of the project.

To date, there've been more than 23,000,000 views of the images, while some 27,700 Flickr community members call us a contact. Over 1,000 records in the Prints and Photographs online catalog have been enhanced with information from the Flickr Commons community. The interactions with our photos are remarkably varied--ranging from the practical (corrected spellings and dates) to the imaginative.

Thank you, Flickristas!

Upcoming Events: Herblock Gallery Talks

The Library of Congress continues to celebrate Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herb Block with a look at his remarkable seventy-two-year career. The Herblock! exhibition includes eighty-two original cartoon drawings, primarily selected from the Library's extensive Herbert L. Block Collection.

On Wednesdays in January, Sara Duke and Martha Kennedy, co-curators of the Herblock! exhibition, will offer gallery talks focussed on sections of the exhibition:

Noon, Wednesday, January 13 - "Cold War"
Noon, Wednesday, January 20 - "McCarthy/McCarthyism"
Noon, Wednesday, January 27 - "1960s and 1970s"
Herblock! exhibition, 2nd Floor, South Gallery, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress

"Baseball Americana" Book Featured on NPR's "All Things Considered"

NPR's "All Things Considered" featured the recent book "Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress" this week. NPR co-host Melissa Block interviewed two of the book's co-authors: Susan Reyburn of the Library's Publishing Office, and P&P's own Phil Michel. The wide-ranging interview covered diverse baseball history including a 1786 diary entry of a game of "baste ball," the 1890's depiction of a baseball team which graces the ceiling of the Library's Great Hall, and the exploits of barnstorming "bloomer girls."

Research Aid: Women Photojournalists: Charlotte Brooks

Charlotte Brooks is a photojournalist who worked for Look magazine from 1951 until 1971. As a sociologist with a camera, she liked to document changes in American life, including politics, health and science, education, families, urban and suburban issues, entertainment, racial conflicts, and women's roles. Taken together, her 450 photographic assignments for Look form a two-decade long sociological survey of the United States.

Milton Rogovin--Best Wishes!

The noted social documentary photographer Milton Rogovin will celebrate his 100th birthday this month. In honor of this milestone, the Prints and Photographs Division's online catalog now offers more than 100 images to represent his six decades of achievement.

Research Aid: About the World War I Posters

"About the Collection" information available through the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog discusses the background and scope of the World War I posters with links to related resources. During World War I, the impact of the poster as a means of communication was greater than at any other time during history. The ability of posters to inspire, inform, and persuade combined with vibrant design trends in many of the participating countries to produce thousands of interesting visual works. The Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division makes available online approximately 1,900 posters created between 1914 and 1920.

Flickr Project: Photochrom Travel Views of Canada, Wales, Belgium and The Netherlands

The "Photochrom Travel View" set in Flickr now features more than 750 prints, including scenes in Canada, Wales, Belgium, and (most recently) The Netherlands photographed at the turn of the twentieth century. The Belgian scenes, in particular, feature people at work and recreation, in addition to the striking landscapes and landmark buildings characteristic of the photochroms in general.

Webcast: Historic American Buildings Survey 75th Anniversary

Webcasts provide access to the wealth of information exchanged at the November 14, 2008 symposium held on the 75th anniversary of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), America's first federal historic preservation program. A morning session, "Celebrating the Past and Present," featured four speakers who highlighted the origins and development of HABS. Two speakers in the afternoon session, "HABS: Planning for the Future," discussed opportunities and challenges, particularly in light of new technologies.

Research Aid: Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building Art and Architecture

The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, constructed between 1888 and 1897, houses murals and mosaics designed by a number of artists and featuring a variety of allegorical figures and references to classical mythology. This overview provides guidance for resources and search strategies for exploring the art and architecture of this historic building.

Upcoming Event: Herblock Gallery Talks

Everything's coming up Herblock!

The Library of Congress celebrates Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herb Block with a look at his remarkable seventy-two-year career. The Herblock! exhibition includes eighty-two original cartoon drawings, primarily selected from the Library's extensive Herbert L. Block Collection.

On Wednesday, November 4, Sara Duke and Martha Kennedy, co-curators of the Herblock! exhibition, will lead a tour of the WWII section. Subsequent Gallery Talks will focus on other sections of the exhibition.

If the exhibition just whets your appetite for Herblock, a growing proportion of the more than 14,000 drawings in the Library's collection are represented by online descriptions and, in some cases, digital images in a new category in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Also, you might enjoy the Herblock Collection Image Sampler -- an online slide show available from the Prints & Photographs Home Page.

Wednesday, November 4
Herblock! exhibition, 2nd Floor, South Gallery, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress

Upcoming Event: Patricia Fanning to Discuss New Book on Photographer F. Holland Day

Patricia Fanning will discuss and sign her new book, "Through an Uncommon Lens: The Life and Photography of F. Holland Day." (Massachusetts University Press, 2009). The event is co-sponsored with the Center for the Book.

Thursday, October 29, 2009, noon
Dining Room A, Madison Building 6th floor

Research Aid: Middle East Images in the Prints and Photographs Division: Subject Overview

An overview and set of search tips for finding images of the Middle East have recently been added to the Prints & Photographs Web site. An in-depth look at Turkish holdings indicates the kinds of materials that can be found for many countries in the Middle East.

Exhibition and Book Talk: Herblock!

Opening on the hundredth birthday of the four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, the exhibition displays 82 of Herbert Block's drawings. The drawings span a 72-year career during which Block influenced public opinion and jarred the lives of many elected officials.

Published in conjunction with this exhibition is a new book: "Herblock: the Life and Work of the Great Political Cartoonist." Authors Haynes Johnson and Harry Katz will speak in an event sponsored by the Center for the Book.

Exhibition
Oct. 13, 2009 - May 1, 2010
Jefferson Building, 2nd floor, South Gallery

Book Talk
Thursday, October 15, 2008, noon-2 p.m.
Dining Room C, Madison Building 6th floor

Upcoming Event: Photographer Philip Trager to Speak

Renowned for his architectural and dance photography, Philip Trager will discuss his work in an illustrated lecture, sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for Architecture, Design and Engineering.

The Library of Congress is the home of the Philip Trager Photographic Archive, an ongoing body of work which contains images, negatives, contact prints, unpublished pieces and manuscript materials. The collection will be available sometime in the future—after cataloging—to researchers in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division.

Thursday, October 8, 2009, 1 pm
Dining Room A, Madison Building 6th floor

Upcoming Event: Flickr Featured at National Book Festival

Flickr aficionados are invited to join the thousands who will be in attendance at the National Book Festival. Inside the Library of Congress Pavilion there will be demos of the Library of Congress Flickr pilot and other new Library initiatives in social media, as well as the opportunity to meet staff from the Prints and Photographs Division who will be available to chat about photos, Flickr . . . and more. Come on down, take some photos, and remember to tag them with "2009nbf" so that we can share and enjoy them after the event.

National Book Festival
Saturday, September 26
10 a.m - 5:30 p.m.
Library of Congress Pavilion
National Mall
Washington, D.C.

Upcoming Event: Baseball Americana Symposium

Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, 2009
Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress

The Baseball Americana Symposium will celebrate America's national pastime and the publication of a new illustrated book: Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress. Items from the Library's baseball collections, the largest in the world, fill the pages of the book, to be published by HarperCollins on September 29, 2009. The symposium will examine baseball from a number of perspectives, particularly the viewpoints of people who experience the game at home, in the stands, and on the field. Speakers will include former players, others who make their living through the game, and experts on baseball cuisine, the language of baseball, and baseball memorabilia. Registration is required for some symposium events.

Featured Acquisition: Daguerreotype of Edwin McMasters Stanton and Son

Recently added to the Library's substantial collection of daguerreotype portraits is a unique half-plate daguerreotype of American lawyer and politician Edwin Stanton formally posed with his son, Edwin Lamson Stanton. The portrait captures their likenesses a few years before Stanton became U.S. Attorney General for President Buchanan (1860-61) and subsequently Secretary of War for Presidents Lincoln and Johnson (1862-68). Purchase and gift from the James Madison Council and George S. Whiteley, IV.

Indicommons Blog Spreads Word of Flickr Participation

The Library of Congress continues to enjoy great interactions with Flickr members who engage with the Library's images posted on Flickr. The Indicommons blog, started by Flickr enthusiasts, helps to spread the word and to provide outreach for cultural heritage institutions that participate in the Flickr Commons. Postings include interviews with individuals involved with The Commons, news of contributing repositories, and comments on content found in The Commons.

Research Aid: Pembroke Album

An overview and checklist of the 90 prints and 1 drawing English collectors Philip and Thomas Herbert, the 5th and 8th Earls of Pembroke, assembled between ca. 1683 and 1733. The prints are primarily chiaroscuro woodcuts by Italian printmakers active in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Featured Acquisition: Charles Randall Dean Collection

This exceptional collection of 125 Abstract Expressionist prints from the 1940s to the 1960s includes work by such noted American artists as James Budd Dixon, Sonia Gechtoff, Philip Guston, Grace Hartigan, James Kelly, Lee Krasner, Frank Lobdell, and Hedda Sterne.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Korab Collection

Interior and exterior views by master architectural photographer Balthazar Korab document nineteen sites by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. Included are corporate headquarters, airports, university facilities, embassies, private residences, churches, a museum, and a monumental arch.

Research Aid: Marjory Collins - Photojournalist

An overview of the life and work of Marjory Collins has been added to the Women Photojournalists Web pages. This research aid summarizes her career in photojournalism, provides examples of her work for the Office of War Information, and includes resources for further research.

FSA/OWI Favorites on Flickr

"FSA/OWI Favorites" features 10 of the most frequently requested photos plus 15 staff selections to introduce the vast archive of about 170,000 negatives and 107,000 prints from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection. The FSA/OWI Collection, which shows life in America during the Great Depression and World War II, ranges from Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother," the most famous photo in the Library of Congress, to pictures of a soda jerk, a juke joint, and wigwam tourist cabins.

Exhibition: "Form and Movement: Photographs by Philip Trager"

July 11, 2009 - January 3, 2010
National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.
"Form and Movement: Photographs by Philip Trager"

This National Building Museum exhibition features large-format black and white photographs selected from Philip Trager's forty-year career. The exhibition brings together his extraordinary depictions of architecture, from Italian Renaissance villas to views of Paris and New York City streetscapes, with his later explorations of dance and the body. Related archival material is held by the Library of Congress.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Postcards

You expect scenic vistas. But postcards found in the Library range from baseball to zeppelins, and from political wisecracks to giant fruit. The Library's 2008 Junior Fellows selected more than 60 cards to indicate the wide variety of subjects and styles available in this visual format. Bon voyage!

YouTube Videos about Pictures

Tired of watching clips of The Monkees on YouTube?

Presentations featuring the Library's pictorial holdings are among the videos gaining popularity in the Library of Congress YouTube channel. "Journeys & Crossings" presentations on Daniel Jenks's drawings of his westward journey in the mid-nineteenth century and representations of "Rosie the Riveter" have received high ratings.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Japanese Prints & Drawings

The Prints and Photographs Division houses more than 2,500 Japanese woodblock prints and drawings, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, by such artists as Hiroshige, Kuniyoshi, Sadahide, and Yoshiiku. They have been online for some time, but searching them was challenging because of the lack of description. All images now have titles (Japanese and English translation) and subjects, enhancing searching and identification of these woodblock prints and drawings.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: National Photo Company Image Sampler

Some staff favorites provide a sampling of the flavors to be savored in the National Photo Company Collection. The image sampler is available as a slide show or as a Web page.

Research Aid: Also Rans: Losing Presidential Candidates

Sure, you know that Truman actually defeated Dewey, but would you recognize Thomas Dewey's face if you saw it? A new research aid gathers together portraits of "also rans" -- the losing United States presidential candidates from the collections of the Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

Recent Acquisition: Ukiyo-e print by Toyohara Kunichika

Made in 1878, this color woodblock print shows a beautiful woman looking at photographic portraits, possibly of her admirers. This print highlights an early use of photography in Japanese culture and represents two strengths of the Library’s visual collections—Ukiyo-e prints and carte de visite photographs.

Photochrom Travel Views of Scotland on Flickr

The Library of Congress has added 182 travel views of Scotland to its set of photochroms on the photo-sharing site Flickr. Flickr members have responded enthusiastically with many "then-and-now" comparisons. Thousands of additional photochrom travel views of Europe and the Middle East are currently available via the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Exhibition: With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial

Closing Day: May 10, 2009
Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Second Floor

This exhibition marks the greatest assemblage of objects from the Library's Lincoln collections in history. Items from the Prints & Photographs Divsion are well-represented in the exhibition.

The Library is extending both the closing date and the weekend public hours. On Monday through Thursday, the exhibition will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The exhibition will remain open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday, May 10, its closing day, the exhibition will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Recent Acquisition: Spiderman Drawings

Extra! Extra! Spiderman sparks unabated interest at the Library of Congress!

The word has been out for a while, so it may come as no surprise to learn that the Library acquired 24 pages of original 1962 drawings from "Amazing Fantasy #15," which marked the first time the world's most famous web-slinger, Spider-Man, would appear in print anywhere. The Spider-Man origin story in "Amazing Fantasy" was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko; the pages are Ditko originals, complete with pencil erasures and white-out opaquing fluid.

Research Aid: Researcher's Toolbox

A new reference aid lists resources that provide information and methods for exploring image history, processes, content, and meaning.

Webcast: "Journals of a Pioneer Argonaut, Daniel Jenks"

Through unique drawings and other archival materials, Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, tells the story of Daniel Jenks, one of thousands of educated, literate, middle-class men who migrated west during the 1859 gold rush in Colorado. The Prints & Photographs Divison has twenty of Jenks's drawings. The Webcast and supplementary materials are presented as part of the Library of Congress "Journeys and Crossings" series.

Acquisition: Daguerreotype of Edwin McMasters Stanton and Son

The Library of Congress recently acquired a unique half-plate daguerreotype of American lawyer and politician Edwin Stanton formally posed with his son a few years before Stanton became U.S. Attorney General for President Buchanan (1860-61) and then Secretary of War for Presidents Lincoln and Johnson (1862-68). The purchase and gift are from the James Madison Council and George S. Whiteley, IV.

Upcoming Event: "The Artist as Translator: Thomas Nast and French Art"

Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at 12 noon
West Dining Room, James Madison Building, 6th floor
Co-sponsored by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon and the Prints and Photographs Division

Swann Foundation grantee Marie-Stephanie Delamaire will present an illustrated talk examining American cartoonist Thomas Nast's appropriation of the visual language used in prints and photographs of grand manner and history paintings in his political cartoons of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras.

Commemorating International Women's Day on Flickr

A set of photographs related to women's history commemorates International Women's Day (March 8) in the Library of Congress's Flickr pages. The twenty-three photographs highlight the many arenas in which women have striven individually and collectively not only for their own betterment, but for better conditions and greater justice in the world at large.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Tuskegee Airmen Photographs

These photographs by Toni Frissell of the 332nd Fighter Group were taken at an air base in southern Italy during World War II. The 29 images (selected from more than 200) include scenes showing the African-American squadron officers, pilots, and ground crew preparing for active duty and members of the group engaged in leisure activities at the Officer's Club.

Case Study: Solving a Civil War Photograph Mystery

A new reference aid explores the question: Is this photo fact or fiction? Using clues from the photograph's content, physical characteristics, source, and connections to other photographs, this case study examines whether the photograph actually portrays "General Grant at City Point."

Lincoln Photos on Flickr

In honor of the two-hundredth anniversary of his birth, the Library of Congress has recently added a set of twenty-two photographs relating to the life of Abraham Lincoln to the photo-sharing site Flickr. Lincoln lived in the era when photography was introduced to the world and then became a mass communication tool. Lincoln was the first U.S. presidential candidate to tap the new technology frequently and has been called the most photographed man of his day.

Photochrom Travel Views on Flickr

Inviting viewers to take a century-old "grand tour," we recently added color photochrom prints to the sets of photos featured on the photo sharing site, Flickr. The first group of more than 160 photochroms shows scenes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Flickr members have responded enthusiastically and informatively. We will gradually add images of more countries to Flickr from the total holdings of 6,500 photochrom prints of Europe and the Middle East that are currently available in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Popular Graphic Arts Large Size Prints Scanned

High resolution scans for more than 3,000 large prints (approx. 24" x 36" or larger) are now available via the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Published primarily between 1800 and 1890, the work of Currier & Ives dominates the collection, with publishers such as Bufford, Duval, Prang, and E. Sachse & Co. also represented. Subject matter ranges from battle scenes and cityscapes to portraits, religious iconography, and technology, with cartoons, advertising, and political campaign material among the diverse forms represented in these once widely distributed prints.

Research Aid: Vice Presidents: A Select List of Portraits

We've recently added an illustrated list of Vice Presidents of the United States, a companion to Prints & Photographs' lists of Presidents and First Ladies.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Harris & Ewing Glass Negatives

More than 9,500 scans of glass negatives from the Harris & Ewing Collection now appear online. The photography firm of Harris & Ewing documented people, events, and architecture, particularly in Washington, D.C., during the period 1905-1945. As P&P has no prints corresponding to many of the negatives, this is the first time that many of the images can be easily seen.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: More Subject Access for Lewis Hine Child Labor Photographs

Thanks to the work of volunteer interns, these evocative photographs of working and living conditions of children in the United States during the early part of the twentieth century are more readily retrievable by their subject matter. Students from the Catholic University of America, the University of Michigan, and other colleges and universities trained in subject indexing with Karen Chittenden, P&P cataloger, over a period of four years and added subject headings to more than 5,000 catalog records.

Library Releases Report on Flickr Pilot Project

Nine months into the Library of Congress's pilot project placing Library photos on the Web site Flickr, the photos have drawn more than 10 million views, over 7,000 comments and more than 67,000 tags, according to a new report from the project team overseeing the project. Following the Library's lead, museums and libraries from around the world are sharing selections from their photo archives and inviting the public to contribute information on Flickr.

Upcoming Event: Model City: Buildings and Projects by Paul Rudolph for Yale and New Haven

Tuesday, December 16, 2008, 12 noon
Whittall Pavilion, Thomas Jefferson Building

Kluge Fellow Timothy M. Rohan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, discusses the exhibition he curated, "Model City: Buildings and Projects by Paul Rudolph for Yale and New Haven." Paul Rudolph (1918-1997) was one of the most innovative American architects of the post-World War II period. The exhibition draws upon works from the Paul Rudolph Archive in the Prints and Photographs Division.

Upcoming Event: A Colorful Union: The Development of Union Patriotism in Henry Louis Stephens' 1863 Chromolithographs

Monday, December 8, 2008, 12 noon
Dining Room A, Madison Building, 6th floor

Mazie Harris, a 2008-2009 Swann Foundation Grant winner, offers this illustrated lecture on an underappreciated graphic artist and his effort to portray race relations as a motivation for the Union cause during the U.S. Civil War. The program is co-sponsored by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon and the Prints and Photographs Division.

Upcoming Event: Presentation on "Public Markets" Visual Sourcebook

Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 12 noon
Dining Room A, Madison Building, 6th floor

Author Helen Tangires, administrator of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, will discuss "Public Markets." The book, the sixth volume in the Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebooks in Architecture, Design and Engineering series, is a richly illustrated compendium of the wide variety of architectural structures devoted to the urban marketplace.

Research Aid: Pictorial Americana Additions

Eighteen more chapters are available for this Web site offering selections originally made for a 1955 publication, Pictorial Americana. Recently added lists feature images relating to: U.S. Congress, Uniforms, Waterworks, and views of locations in the United States, organized by state. Suggestions for locating additional images on the topic are included.

Prints & Photographs Contributes to Armistice Day Remembrance on Flickr Photosharing Site

In commemoration of Armistice Day, the Library of Congress joined other institutions in loading images to the Flickr photosharing site. The Library of Congress has posted fifteen panoramic photographs related to WWI. The Prints & Photographs Division has more than 4,000 panoramas that document cityscapes and group portraits across the United States, with some coverage of foreign countries as well.

Event: American Place: A Symposium Celebrating the Historic American Buildings Survey at 75

Friday, November 14, 2008, 9:00-4:30
Mumford Room, Madison Building, 6th floor

Celebrating the establishment of America’s first federal historic preservation program, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the National Park Service, presenters will discuss its history, art, technology and future. Initiated during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” administration, the program, later expanded to include engineering records (HAER) and landscape surveys (HALS), continues through a thriving tri-lateral partnership between The Library of Congress, The National Park Service and the private-sector American Institute of Architects.

Publication: Public Markets: A Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebook

In this richly illustrated compendium of the wide variety of buildings and spaces devoted to the urban marketplace, author Helen Tangires includes more than 800 historical and contemporary photographs, architectural drawings, maps, and posters.

Full citation: Helen Tangires. Public Markets: A Norton/Library of Congress Visual Sourcebook. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog: Master Drawings

Descriptions for the 5,000 original drawings in the Master Drawings Collection can now be searched in the online catalog. The collection represents drawings in diverse styles and media, primarily dating between 1830 and 1930. Most are by American artist Joseph Pennell, with notable drawings by James McNeil Whistler (1834-1903), Rockwell Kent, Jean Francois Millet, and many other artists. Some records are accompanied by digital images.

Upcoming Event: Adams Scholar To Discuss "Ansel Adams and His Books: Photographs In Ink"

Thursday, October 16, 2008, 12 noon
Mumford Room, Madison Building, 6th floor

Anne Hammond, an expert on the photographer Ansel Adams, will discuss his works that have been published in books. This talk highlights three books by Adams that are representative of the three major forms of ink reproduction of photography: Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail (letterpress halftone); This Is the American Earth (photogravure); and Images, 1923-1974 (offset lithography).

Upcoming Event: Pulitzer Prize Winner To Discuss New Library of Congress Depression-Era Photography Books

"Fields of Vision"
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 6 pm
Montpelier Room, Madison Building, 6th floor

Timothy Egan, Pulitzer Prize winner and writer for The New York Times, will lead a discussion of the photos of the Farm Security Administration focusing on the three photographers: Ben Shahn, Russell Lee and Marion Post Wolcott, which are featured in three Library of Congress-published books in the "Fields of Vision" series.

Webcast: J&R Lamb Studio

Celebrating the oldest decorative arts firm in continuous operation in the United States, this Nov. 28, 2007, event featured illustrated presentations by Elizabeth Terry, curatorial assistant, and Donald Samick, current owner of the studio (Morning session); Tom Seeley, son of archive donor; and Virginia Raguin, professor of art history at the College of Holy Cross (Afternoon session).