June 1, 2006 "American Treasures" Exhibition to Close June 18 Through July 16

“American Treasures of the Library of Congress” will close for one month, beginning on June 18. The exhibition will reopen on July 17 with a featured presentation of Herbert Block (Herblock) political cartoons titled “Get Out the Vote!”

The “American Treasures” exhibition opened on May 1, 1997, as the centerpiece of a yearlong celebration marking the official reopening of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building during its 100th anniversary. Made possible by a grant from the Xerox Foundation, the rotating exhibition features the rarest and most significant items from the Library’s collections relating to America’s past.

A unique sampling of rare books, music, manuscripts, maps, photos, drawings, audio selections and video clips gives visitors a firsthand look at a cross section of the vast repository that has been called “America’s Memory.” Highlights of the exhibition include the first extant book printed in America, the earliest known baseball card, the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night of his assassination, a photograph of the Wright brothers’ historic first flight taken at the instant of takeoff and the earliest surviving copyright registration for a motion picture (made in Thomas Edison’s laboratory in 1894).

For preservation considerations, some of the more fragile documents are displayed on a rotating basis. “Top Treasures” are rotated into a self-contained display case with the most advanced environmental and security technology.

The exhibition can be viewed online at www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures.