Spring outing in a villa, ca. 1862 from The Floating World of Ukiyo-e
The richness and variety of the Library’s exhibitions reflect the universal and diverse nature of the Library’s collections. Four major themes underlie most of the exhibitions—the presentation of great libraries and written traditions; the exploration of America’s past and character; the examination of world cultures and history; and the celebration of events, individuals, and works that shaped the twentieth century and beyond.
See Current Exhibitions at the Library Now
By Title (in alpha order)
A
1492: An Ongoing Voyage
August 13, 1992–February 14, 1993
Examines the first sustained contacts between Native American peoples and European explorers, conquerors, and settlers between1492 and 1600.
The African-American Mosaic: African-American Culture and History
February 9–August 29, 1994
Marks the publication of The African–American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. The exhibit explores four topics from the book: Colonization, Abolition, Migrations, and the Works Progress Administration.
The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
February 5–May 5, 1998
Showcases the Library’s incomparable African American collections. The largest black history exhibit held at the Library includes books, documents, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings.
Al Hirschfeld - Beyond Broadway
November 9, 2000–March 31, 2001
Celebrates a “Gift to the Nation” of original drawings given by the artist in honor of the Library’s Bicentennial. The exhibition features twenty–five drawings that span Hirschfeld’s remarkable career.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: 50 Years Cultural Ambassador to the World
May 8–September 6, 2008
Draws from the Music Division’s rich collections to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this acknowledged treasure of American modern dance.
America Reads
June 16–December 31, 2016
Celebrates the public’s choice of the top 40 books by American authors that had a profound effect on American life.
American Beauties: Drawings from the Golden Age of Illustration
June 27–September 28, 2002
Features early twentieth-century drawings of women selected from outstanding graphic art in the Library's Cabinet of American Illustration and the Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon.
American Ballet Theatre: Touring the Globe for 75 Years
August 14, 2014–January 24, 2015
The exhibition highlights ABT’s seventy-five year history with objects drawn from the Library’s American Ballet Theatre Collection, as well as from its extensive dance and music collections.
The American Colony in Jerusalem
January 12–April 2, 2005
Offers a glimpse into the remarkable history and work of the American Colony, a Christian utopian society that formed in Jerusalem in 1881.
American Treasures of the Library of Congress
May 5, 1997–August 18, 2007
Provides unique insight into various aspects of American history and culture. Objects displayed are organized according to the three categories that Thomas Jefferson used for his library: memory, reason, and imagination.
Ancient Manuscripts: From the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu
June 24–September 3, 2003
Presents ancient manuscripts, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which cover every aspect of human endeavor and are indicative of the high level of civilization attained by West Africans during the Middle Ages.
Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times
January 31–August 17, 2019
Thematically pairs Herblock’s political cartoons with artists’ prints, drawings, and posters. These juxtapositions underscore how various artists across time and place can be kindred spirits in expressing concerns about the world they inhabit.
Arthur Szyk: Artist for Freedom
December 9, 1999–May 6, 2000
Presents the work of one America’s leading political artists, in particular his work during World War II, when he produced hundreds of anti–Axis illustrations and cartoons in aid of the Allied war effort.
ASCAP: 100 Years and Beyond
February 13–July 26, 2014
Celebrates the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). It explores the society’s current work and challenges and looks to ASCAP’s future as a vital force in fostering and protecting the creativity of new generations. The Library of Congress celebrates the people who are ASCAP.
As the Old Sing, So the Young Twitter
May 6–October 30, 2010
Explores the different realms of flute-playing, from the lively to the serene, and takes an etymological and iconographic journey through the depth and breadth of the Library of Congress collections relating to the flute.
B
Baseball Americana
South Gallery, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
June 29, 2018–July 27, 2019
Explores baseball’s roots, its changing traditions, and the game today through a collection of items that cannot be found anywhere else.
Baseball's Greatest Hits: The Music of Our National Game
February 9–December 31, 2017
Features baseball sheet music from the Library’s collections that illustrate the congruence between the evolution of the sport from before the Civil War to the present and the musical counterparts that have chronicled in song baseball’s greatest moments.
Benjamin Franklin: In His Own Words
Dec. 12, 2005–June 17, 2006
Indicates the depth and breadth of Benjamin Franklin’s public, professional, and scientific accomplishments through important documents, letters, books, broadsides, and cartoons.
Blondie Gets Married! Comic Strip Drawings by Chic Young
June 22–September 16, 2000
Presents twenty–seven drawings, classic examples of Chic Young’s much–loved creative wit, selected from the gift of 150 works donated by Jeanne Young O’Neil, the artist’s daughter.
Bob Hope and American Variety
May 10, 2000–January 9, 2010
Explores variety entertainment through the lens of Bob Hope’s long and rich career, in which he continued to practice the variety traditions he learned on the vaudeville stage.
Books That Shaped America
June 25–September 29, 2012
Marks a starting point—a way to spark a national conversation on books and their importance in Americans' lives, and, indeed, in shaping our nation. This exhibition will preface the National Book Festival scheduled in September 2012.
Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939–1943
September 8–January 21, 2006
Presents color images taken by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information. The photographs document not only the subjects in the pictures but also the dawn of the era of color photography.
C
Canadian Counterpoint: Illustrations by Anita Kunz
September 4, 2003–January 3, 2004
Features sixteen paintings selected from a gift by the artist. The paintings reflect the rich variety to be found in the hundreds of paintings that Kunz has created during her twenty–two–year career.
Cartoon America
November 2, 2006–January 27, 2007
Presents selections from the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature, which contains more than 36,000 original cartoon drawings.
A Century of Creativity: The MacDowell Colony 1907–2007
February 22–August 18, 2007
Provides a unique opportunity to appreciate the MacDowell Colony experience and success, from its earliest fellows to the most recent.
Chamber Music: The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Performing Arts Reading Room Gallery, First Floor, James Madison Building
August 13, 2015–January 23, 2016
Featuring selections from her personal papers and original music manuscripts commissioned by the Coolidge Foundation, this exhibit pays tribute to Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge’s remarkable life and legacy.
Churchill and the Great Republic
February 5–July 10, 2004
Presents the life of Winston Churchill, his career, and his connection with the United States, a country he called “The Great Republic.” A unique interactive presentation is a featured part of the exhibit.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom
September 10, 2014–January 2, 2016
Commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, looks at events that shaped the civil rights movement, and explores the far-reaching impact of the act on a changing society.
The Civil War in America
November 12, 2012–January 11, 2014
The Library's unmatched Civil War collections featured in this exhibition chronicle the sacrifices and accomplishments of those in both the North and South whose lives were lost or affected by the events of 1861–1865.
Coast to Coast: The Federal Theatre Project, 1935–1939
February 17–July 16, 2011
Explores a unique time in American history when the federal government organized and produced theater events in an effort to provide work for theater professionals during the Great Depression.
Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress
June 14, 2024–December 2025
The Library of Congress gathers and preserves our collective memories and shares them with you. The inaugural exhibition of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery brings together voice and video recordings, scrolls, diaries, manuscripts, art, photographs, maps, books, and more. This collection inspires us to consider our stories, collective memories, and recorded history. What do they have in common? How do they differ?
Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages
September 12, 2019–September 12, 2020
Explore the realm of comic art, where visual and narrative storytelling styles have evolved from panels in early newspapers to contemporary comic images. Through unique original drawings and printed pages, this exhibition features the artistic skills of master artists and emerging talents who have created some of the most famous, funny, and frightening characters to appear in print.
Creating French Culture: Treasures from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
September 8–December 31, 1995
Explores how the relationship between culture and power in France shaped the growth of the the country’s national library.
Creating the United States
April 12, 2008–May 5, 2012
Offers insights into how the nation’s founding documents were forged and the role that imagination and vision played in the unprecedented creative act of forming a self–governing country.
Creative Space: Fifty Years of Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop
February 20–July 26, 2003
Features artwork from the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Archives and Collection, including a selection of Blackburn’s work and prints by collaborators, students, personal friends, and colleagues.
The Cultures and History of the Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection at the Library of Congress
April 20–October 1, 2005
Celebrates the donation of the Jay I. Kislak Collection by featuring fifty highlights from the more than 3,000 rare books, maps, documents, paintings, prints, and artifacts.
D
Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine: Two Kids from Brooklyn
February 14–July 27, 2013
Explores the many talents of the powerful entertainment duo Danny Kaye (1911–1987) and Sylvia Fine (1913–1991), both raised in Brooklyn, New York.
A Day Like No Other: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
August 28, 2013–August 30, 2014
Transports visitors to the momentous day of the March on Washington—a day that transformed our nation—when 250,000 people participated in the largest nonviolent demonstration for civil rights that Americans had ever witnessed.
Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
June 29–July 4, 1995
Presents previews of unique documents from the collections of the Library of Congress.
Down to Earth: Herblock and Photographers Observe the Environment
September 22, 2012–March 23, 2013
Offers new perspectives with which to view our planet through Herblock's editorial cartoons paired with the work of photographers recording the environment.
Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustration
April 27–December 30, 2017
Showcases the Library’s collections of original art by talented artists hired by newspapers and television to capture the personal dynamics of legal trials. These artists create drawings that provide insight into the drama and impact of events in American law during the past fifty years.
Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
November 18, 2017–October 20, 2018
Features the rich collections of the Library of Congress and brings to light remarkable but little-known contributions made by North American women to the art forms of illustration and cartooning. Spanning the late 1800s to the present, the exhibition highlights the gradual broadening in both the private and public spheres, of women’s roles and interests, and demonstrates that women once constrained by social conditions and convention, have gained immense new opportunities for self-expression and discovery.
Dresden: Treasures from the Saxon State Library
April 11–July 13, 1996
Displays treasures from Dresden in order to provide an insight into the cultural riches of Central Europe—from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century.
The Dream of Flight
October 4, 2003–April 24, 2004
Honors the Wright Brothers’ achievement, using the Library’s rare and significant materials to explore the notion that flight, whether fanciful or actual, has inspired and occupied a central place in most cultures.
E
Earth as Art: A Landsat Perspective
July 23, 2002–July 3, 2005
Showcases images from the collection of Landsat photographs held in the Geography and Map Division that have been selected for aesthetic rather than scientific value.
Earth As Art 3: A Landsat Perspective
May 31, 2011–May 31, 2012
Showcases Landsat 7 images created by the United States Geological Survey. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected from space information about Earth’s continents and coastal areas.
Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I
April 4, 2017–January 21, 2019
Examines the upheaval of world war as Americans confronted it—both at home and abroad.
The Empire That Was Russia: The Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated
April 17–August 31, 2001
Features the work of a pioneering Russian photographer who photographically surveyed the Russian Empire. The exhibit uses digital technology to reproduce Prokudin–Gorskii’s images, which were originally created in color on glass plates.
Enduring Outrage: Editorial Cartoons by HERBLOCK
July 17, 2006–January 20, 2007
Features original work by the Pulitzer Prize–winning political cartoonist to explore themes important to Herblock that continue to resonate in American society.
Exploring the Early Americas: The Jay I. Kislak Collection
December 13, 2007–July 2, 2022
Features selections from the Jay I. Kislak Collection to examine indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and the changes caused by the meeting of the two worlds.
F
First Among Many: The Bay Psalm Book and Early Moments in American Printing
June 4, 2015–January 2, 2016
Tells the story of American printing as it evolved from a colonial necessity to the clarion of freedom.
The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance
September 27, 2001–January 19, 2002
Showcases the Library’s spectacular holding of Japanese “Ukiyo–e” prints, books, and drawings dating from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries.
For European Recovery: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
June 2–August 30, 1997
Marks the fiftieth anniversary of Secretary of State George Marshall’s speech proposing a solution to the hunger, unemployment, and housing shortages that faced Europeans in the aftermath of World War II and examines the ways his plan benefited Europe and the U.S.
Frank Lloyd Wright: Designs for an American Landscape, 1922–32
November 14, 1996–February 16, 1997
Presents five remarkable projects that Frank Lloyd Wright worked on during the 1920s, in which he developed architectural prototypes of far–reaching consequence.
From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America
September 9–December 30, 2004
Features more than two hundred treasures of American Judaica from the collections of the Library of Congress, augmented by a selection of important loans from other cooperating cultural institutions.
From the Home Front and the Front Lines
May 24, 2004–November 13, 2004
Consists of original materials and oral histories drawn from the Veterans History Project collections at the Library of Congress.
G
Geppi Gems
September 17, 2021–September 27, 2022
Showcases a selection of Stephen A Geppi’s generous donation to the Library of Congress of contents from the Geppi Entertainment Museum that closed its doors in 2018. They represent themes from the museum, including Walt Disney’s iconic characters, westerns, superheroes, science fiction, horror, sports music and entertainment.
The Gettysburg Address
January 12–19, 1995
Shows the Library’s two copies of the famous address. President Lincoln gave a copy to each of his two private secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. The Nicolay copy is believed to be the earliest copy that exists.
The Gibson Girl’s America: Drawings by Charles Dana Gibson
March 30, 2013–August 17, 2013
Celebrates the work of Charles Dana Gibson and traces the art of the artist's career, highlighting the rise of the Gibson Girl from the 1890s through the first two decades of the twentieth century.
Grand Illusion: The Art of Theatrical Design
February 12–July 25, 2015
Journeys from the Baroque courts of Europe to the Broadway stages of the U.S. and offers a glimpse at the theatrical design collections at the Library of Congress.
H
A Heavenly Craft: The Woodcut in Early Printed Books
February 4–July 9, 2005
Presents woodcut–illustrated books from the Library’s Rosenwald Collection. These books were printed within the first century after Gutenberg mastered printing with moveable type in Europe.
Herblock!
October 13, 2009–May 1, 2010
Celebrates the gift of the Herb Block Foundation and features a selection of original cartoons spanning the artist’s remarkable career.
Herblock Gallery
Online Only
In-person - March 18, 2011–April 8, 2024
Celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block—better known as "Herblock"—with items drawn from the Library's extensive Herbert L. Block Collection.
Herblock’s Gift: Selections from the Herb Block Foundation Collection
March 12–June 28, 2003
Celebrates the gift of the Herb Block Foundation and features a selection of original cartoons spanning the artist’s remarkable career.
Herblock’s History: Political Cartoons from the Crash to the Millennium
October 17, 2000–February 17, 2001
Presents works by cartoonist Herb Block, who chronicled the nation’s political history and caricatured twelve American presidents from Herbert Hoover to Bill Clinton.
Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture
June 11, 2010–March 2020
Explore the interplay of politics and entertainment, focusing on the careers of Bob Hope and other entertainers who were involved in the political climate of their times.
Humor’s Edge: Cartoons by Ann Telnaes
June 3–September 11, 2004
Celebrates Ann Telnaes’s generous gift of eighty–one original drawings that represent the range of themes that engage this gifted artist who has recently emerged as a leader in American editorial cartooning.
I
“I Do Solemnly Swear...” Inaugural Materials from the Collections of the Library of Congress
January 8, 2005-April 8, 2005
Offers a glimpse into the history of American presidential inaugurations. Eighteen presidents are featured in the display, from George Washington to John F. Kennedy.
Illuminating the Word: The St. John’s Bible
October 6–December 30, 2006
Presents a single work of art, an illuminated, handwritten Bible commissioned by Saint John’s University and Abbey in Minnesota. The exhibit also includes several priceless volumes from the Library’s Bible collection.
I Love Lucy: An American Legend
August 4, 2011–January 28, 2012
In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the show's debut, the Library of Congress presents I Love Lucy: An American Legend. This exhibition explores the show's history through the Ball and Arnaz family scrapbooks as well as photographs, scripts, printed and manuscript music, and other documents from the Library of Congress.
In the Beginning Was the Word: The Russian Church and Native Alaskan Cultures
October 7, 1994–March 4, 1995
Presents objects from a relatively unknown archive of significant documents. The exhibit explores the moving human exchanges that took place between the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and Native Alaskans between 1794 and about 1915.
J
Jacob Riis: Revealing "How the Other Half Lives"
April 14–September 5, 2016
Repositions Jacob Riisas a multi-skilled communicator who devoted his life to writing articles and books and delivering lectures nationwide to spur social reform.
Jazz Singers
February 11–July 23, 2016
Offers perspectives on the art of vocal jazz from the 1920s to the present. Rare video clips, photographic portraits, musical scores, correspondence, drawings, and watercolors reveal the sometimes exuberant, sometimes painful, but always vibrant art and life of jazz singers.
John Bull & Uncle Sam: Four Centuries of British-American Relations
November 18, 1999–March 4, 2000
Brings together for the first time treasures from the two greatest libraries in the English-speaking world—The British Library and the Library of Congress—in order to illuminate the relationship between the two countries.
Join In: Voluntary Associations in America
December 16, 2022–July 6, 2024
America has been called “a nation of joiners.” In their daily lives, in their communities, and in their work and play, Americans have long joined voluntary associations to connect with others, pursue shared goals, and spur social change. Join In: Voluntary Associations in America explores this impulse to join together for a common purpose through a selection of items from the Library of Congress collections representing organizations from across the nation and across time.
L
Language of the Land: Journeys Into Literary America
August 5, 1993–January 18, 1994
Offers a tour of four sections of the United States through literary maps that focus on geographical areas, individual authors, and particular works. Features passages from authors whose works are rooted in a particular place as well as images of the places.
The Last Full Measure: Civil War Photographs from the Liljenquist Family Collection
April 12, 2011–August 13, 2011
Features 379 Civil War-era ambrotypes and tintypes of enlisted Union and Confederate soldiers.
Library of Congress Bible Collection
April 12, 2008–May 30, 2017
Explores the significance of the Giant Bible of Mainz and the Gutenberg Bible, as well as sixteen selected Bibles from the Library’s collections.
Life of the People: Realist Prints & Drawings from the Ben & Beatrice Goldstein Collection
October 20, 1999–January 29, 2000
Presents a collection of American prints and drawings informed by a sympathy for the condition of working people, as well as a concern for social and political issues.
Los Angeles Mapped
January 28, 2006–January 2007
Shows historical maps of Los Angeles from the Library’s Geography and Map Division. These diverse works provide a guide to some remarkable stories of the city’s history.
Louis Braille: His Legacy and Influence
November 5, 2009–January 30, 2010
Gives insight into the legacy of Louis Braille and his version of a tactile system of reading and writing—later refined to enable blind and visually handicapped people throughout the world to read and write.
M
Madison’s Treasures
One day only, March 16, 2001
Examines documents related to two seminal events in which Madison played a major role: the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution and the introduction of the amendments that became the Bill of Rights.
Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor
November 6, 2014–January 19, 2015
Features the magnificent 1215 Lincoln Cathedral Magna Carta and explores it emergence as an enduring symbol of law.
Mapping a Growing Nation: From Independence to Statehood
September 1, 2016–April 10, 2023
Abel Buell’s New and Correct Map of the United States of North America is the first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed, and published in America by an American. This important early American map is known to exist in only seven copies. Philanthropist David M. Rubenstein has generously placed his copy of the map at the Library.
Mapping a New Nation: Abel Buell’s Map of the United States, 1784
November 11, 2013–August 20, 2016
Abel Buell’s New and Correct Map of the United States of North America is the first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed, and published in America by an American. This important early American map is known to exist in only seven copies. Philanthropist David M. Rubenstein has generously placed his copy of the map at the Library.
Maps in Our Lives
September 14, 2005–August 19, 2009
Explores surveying, cartography, geodesy, and geographic information systems. It draws on the Library’s American Congress on Surveying and Mapping Collection as well as on historic maps.
Margaret Mead: Human Nature and the Power of Culture
November 30, 2001–May 31, 2002
Documents Mead’s life, her career as an anthropologist, and the critical reception of her work by drawing upon the 500,000–item Mead Collection, one of the Library’s largest collections for a single individual.
The Mexican Revolution and the United States in the Collections of the Library of Congress
Tells the dynamic story of the complex relationship between Mexico and the United States during the Mexican Revolution. Drawn from the vast and unique collections of the Library, the online exhibition features extraordinary items from many parts of the Library including letters, photographs, books, manuscripts, maps, and songs and videos.
Molto Animato!: Music & Animation
November 12, 2009–March 27, 2010
Explores the unparalleled collections in the Music; Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound; and Prints and Photographs divisions of the Library of Congress. Molto Animato (“very animated”), juxtaposes music scores, lyrics, and drawings with film clips and sound recordings to provide a glimpse into the intricate wedding of art forms that bring drawings to life. This exhibition provides a small sample of the Library’s treasures that demonstrate the magic of animation and the music that makes it come alive.
Monstrous Craws & Character Flaws: Masterpieces of Cartoon and Caricature at the Library of Congress
February 25–July 6, 1998
Reveals how for centuries great graphic artists have created enduring images that demonstrate the power of art as a vehicle for social and political commentary.
The Musical Worlds of Victor Herbert
August 16, 2012 – January 26, 2013
Explores the work of Victor Herbert (1859–1924), Irish-American composer, conductor, and activist, whose best-known work is Babes in Toyland (1903).
N
A Night at the Opera
August 15, 2013–January 25, 2014
Presents opera-related items from the Library of Congress Music Division, including manuscript and printed scores, librettos, photographs, and set designs dating from the late-eighteenth century through the beginning of the twentieth century. The exhibit also commemorates the bicentennials of opera composers Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, both born in 1813.
Not an Ostrich: & Other Images from America's Library
Opened March 23, 2022
Organized by the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles and drawn from the photography collections of the Library of Congress, presents a taste of this institution’s spectacular holdings of more than 14 million photographs. The images reproduced for this exhibition, made between 1839 and today, trace the evolution of photography, from daguerreotypes and other early processes to contemporary digital technology.
O
Oliphant’s Anthem: Pat Oliphant at the Library of Congress
April 29–August 15, 1998
Commemorates the Library’s acquisition of sixty cartoon drawings, sketchbooks, and illustrations by one of America’s foremost editorial cartoonists.
On the Cutting Edge: Contemporary Japanese Prints
March 29–June 30, 2007
Marks an exceptional cross–cultural exchange and celebrates the generous donation of prints exhibited in the show to the collections of the Library by the College Women’s Association of Japan.
Out of the Ashes: A New Library for Congress and the Nation
May 8, 2015–November 12, 2016
Marks the two-hundredth anniversary of the acquisition of Jefferson’s 6,487-volume library. This acquisition was the foundation of the modern Library of Congress.
#Opera Before Instagram: Portraits, 1890-1955
August 11, 2016–January 21, 2017
Explores what opera critic Charles Jahant’s Instagram account might have looked like had he lived in the internet age, with photographs of his favorite opera singers, along with captions giving his assessment of each singer’s talent and history.
P
Petal From the Rose: Illustrations by Elizabeth Shippen Green
June 28–September 29, 2001
Focuses on Green’s art and distinctive features of her illustrations and working methods. Although her work shares similarities with that of other women in the profession, it stands apart in its scope, quality, and originality.
Pointing Their Pens: Herblock and Fellow Cartoonists Confront the Issues
March 21, 2015–March 19, 2016
Features editorial cartoons by Herblock paired with the work of his contemporaries, providing visual insights into key moments that shaped the United States in the twentieth century.
Politics and the Dancing Body
February 16–July 28, 2012
Explores how American choreographers between World War I through the Cold War realized this vision, using dance to celebrate American culture, to voice social protest, and to raise social consciousness.
R
The Red Book of Carl G. Jung: Its Origins and Influence
June 17–September 25, 2010
Features the preeminent psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung’s famous Red Book, which records the creation of the seminal theories that Jung developed after his 1913 split with Sigmund Freud, and explores its place in Jung’s work through related items from the Library’s collections.
Reflections: Russian Photographs, 1992–2002
September 14–December 27, 2003
Presents photographs from a larger group of pictures that were generously donated to the Library by the Moscow Times, the first English–language daily newspaper ever to be printed in Russia.
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
June 4–August 29, 1998
Documents the role religion played in the shaping of early American life and in forming the American republic.
Revelations from the Russian Archives
June 15–July 16, 1992
Presented documents, photographs, and films from the highly secret internal record of Soviet Communist rule for the first time in a public venue.
Revising Himself: Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
May 16–December 3, 2005
Traces the different occupations and preparations that led Whitman to become the author of Leaves of Grass, as well as his subsequent evolution as a poet.
Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America
July 24, 2003–November 29, 2003
Features the Library’s rich collections of exploration material documenting the mid–eighteenth to mid–nineteenth century quest to connect the East and the West by means of a waterway passage.
Roger L. Stevens Presents
May 16–September 7, 2002
Examines Stevens’s career through the great number of stage productions that he presented or fostered indirectly, his involvment with the National Endowent for the Arts, and his role as in creating the John F. Kennedy Center
Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library and Renaissance Culture
January 8–April 30, 1993
Documents how the Vatican Library became a center for the revival of classical culture known as the Renaissance.
Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words
December 5, 2019–May 31, 2022
Showcases rarely seen materials that offer an intimate view of Rosa Parks and documents her life and activism—creating a rich opportunity for viewers to discover new dimensions to their understanding of this seminal figure. The materials are drawn extensively from the Rosa Parks Collection, a gift to the Library of Congress from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
S
Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship
March 20–September 15, 2012
Offers an opportunity to deepen understanding of Japanese culture while celebrating the Washington cherry blossoms as symbols of the enduring friendship between the people of Japan and the United States. Coincides with the city-wide centennial celebration of the 1912 gift.
Scrolls from the Dead Sea: The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Scholarship
April 29–August 1, 1993
Presented twelve scrolls and archeological materials from Israel. It told the fascinating story of the scrolls’ discovery and explored their archeological and historical context.
Serge Diaghilev and His World: A Centennial Celebration of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, 1909-1929
June 4, 2009–October 10, 2009
Features material concerning Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, one of the most influential dance companies of the twentieth century, including objects from the Library's Bronislava Nijinska collection.
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote
June 4, 2019–October 30, 2021
Tells the story of the seventy-two-year campaign for women’s suffrage. Considered the largest reform movement in American history, its participants believed that securing the vote was essential to achieving women’s economic, social, and political equality. For years, determined women organized, lobbied, paraded, petitioned, lectured, picketed, and faced imprisonment. Their collective story is one of courage, perseverance, savvy, creativity, and hope that continues to inspire activists today.
Share the Perspective of Genius: Leonardo’s Study for the Adoration of the Magi
December 7–8, 2006
Presents a single drawing, in which Leonardo da Vinci meticulously created a refined perspective grid in order to place architectural structures, human figures, and animals in a realistically proportioned way.
Sigmund Freud: Conflict & Culture
October 15, 1998–January 16, 1999
Examines Freud’s life, his key ideas, and their impact on the twentieth century. The exhibit includes photographs, prints, manuscripts, first editions, home movies, and materials from newspapers, magazines and comic books.
Stagestruck!: Performing Arts Caricatures at the Library of Congress
November 5, 1998–April 3, 1999
Explores how performing arts caricature came of age as an art form in the United States as celebrities of song, stage, and screen were transformed into popular icons of American culture.
Swann Gallery
March 18, 2011–Present
Introduces visitors to the fascinating world of caricatures, political cartoons, comics, animation art, graphic novels and illustrations. A permanent memorial exhibition features fifteen facsimiles of treasured cartoons from the Swann and other cartoon collections, which represent the broad range of holdings in the Library of Congress.
T
Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation
February 24–July 4, 1994
Presents the story of building the nation’s Capitol and the symbolic, aesthetic, and pragmatic issues that surrounded the creation of America’s most important public building.
Thomas Jefferson
April 24–October 31, 2000
Draws on the Library’s Thomas Jefferson materials to examine the influence Jefferson’s thoughts and interests had on his own life, the American republic, and the world.
Thomas Jefferson’s Library
April 12, 2008–Present
Reveals how books were vital to Thomas Jefferson’s education and well–being and how his personal library provided Jefferson with a broad knowledge of the contemporary and ancient worlds.
A Thousand Years of the Persian Book
March 27, 2014–September 20, 2014
Explores a millennium of Persia’s rich literary tradition with materials selected from the outstanding Persian collection in the Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division.
Timely and Timeless
September 15, 2011–March 10, 2012
Celebrates the development and growth of the comic art collections at the Library of Congress.
To Know Wisdom and Instruction: The Armenian Literary Tradition at the Library of Congress
April 19–September 26, 2012
Commemorates the 500th anniversary of the first Armenian printing press and book at Venice in 1512 and the designation of Yerevan, Armenia, as UNESCO's Book Capital of the World 2012.
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Voices of Civil Rights
February 24–March 26, 2005
Documents events during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States through personal stories, oral histories, and photographs collected by the “Voices of Civil Rights” project, as well as marking the arrival of these materials to the Library.
Voices from Afghanistan
February 24–May 8, 2010
Highlights letters sent by citizens of Afghanistan to Radio Azadi, the Afghan branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. These letters capture the concerns and hopes of ordinary citizens in Afghanistan living under the extraordinarily difficult conditions of conflict and war.
Voices, Votes, Victory: Presidential Campaign Songs
October 9, 2008–March 7, 2009
Presents a sampling of the rich collection of campaign songs housed in the Music Division of the Library of Congress. From pocket-sized songsters to sheet music, the wide variety of subjects reflect virtually every party platform and national issue on which presidential elections have focused.
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The Water-Babies: Illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith
June 10–September 18, 1999
Presents the artist’s drawings created for book The Water–Babies in 1916. She bequeathed all twelve drawings to the Cabinet of American Illustration, which is preserved within the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division.
West Side Story
September 26, 2007–March 29, 2008
Draws on the Library’s rich music materials, especially those from the Leonard Bernstein Collection. When the show opened on Broadway in 1957, it changed the nature of the American musical and challenged the country’s view of itself.
When They Were Young: A Photographic Retrospective of Childhood
September 26, 2002–March 22, 2003
Captures through photographs the experience of childhood as it is connected across time, different cultures, and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
“With an Even Hand”: Brown v. Board at Fifty
May 13–November 13, 2004
Commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark judicial case, which declared that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” This decision was pivotal to the struggle for racial desegregation in the United States.
With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition
February 12–May 10, 2009
Commemorates the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the nation’s revered sixteenth president. The exhibition reveals Lincoln the man, whose thoughts, words, and actions were deeply affected by personal experiences and pivotal historic events.
Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress
September 7–October 26, 2002
Features the collections that the Library amassed during the year following the attacks of September 11, 2001. The exhibit is the story of how the materials arrived and how they reflect what America experienced in the aftermath of the attacks.
The Wizard of Oz: An American Fairy Tale
April 21–September 23, 2000
Looks at the creation of this timeless American classic and traced its rapid and enduring success to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the book’s publication.
Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During WWII
September 28–November 18, 1995
Features women journalists who were chosen because of the strength and variety of their collections in the Library. Like their male counterparts, the women followed various paths to their wartime assignments.
Words Like Sapphires: 100 Years of Hebraica at the Library of Congress, 1912–2012
October 25, 2012–April 13, 2013
The Library’s Hebraic Section is one of the world’s foremost centers for the study of Hebrew and Yiddish materials. Its beginnings can be traced to Jacob H. Schiff’s gift in 1912 of 10,000 items.
World War I: American Artists View the Great War
May 7, 2016–August 19, 2017
Presents the work of American Artists who galvanized public interest in World War I from its onset through its aftermath (1914–1918).
The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention
May 20–September 4, 1999
Explores how this famous couple shaped America’s culture in the twentieth century. Charles and Ray Eames’s work represented defining moments in American history, such as the economy’s shift from making goods to producing information.
World Treasures of the Library of Congress: Beginnings
June 7, 2001–March 15, 2003
Looks at how various cultures explained the beginning of the world, depicted the first human beings, and defined the heavens and the earth by drawing upon unique items from the Library’s international collections in more than 450 languages.
