One image from my latest Flickr album on fireworks really caught my eye. It is a 1929 postcard of the dedication of the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis, Minnesota: Foshay Tower dedication fireworks as seen from the parade, more than a mile away. Photo by Vern Gunsolley, 1929. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.39495 The three day dedication event in August and September of 1929 included fireworks. When I first saw this postcard, I knew nothing of the Foshay Tower. Now I know a little bit more. Wilbur Foshay built the tower as a headquarters for his utilities company. He claimed that the design of the building was inspired by the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. I like to see what connections I can make across…
Category: Picture this
The Wonders of the WPA Poster Collection
The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. The Work Projects Administration (WPA) Poster Collection is one of the Library’s treasures. We’ve hosted many orientations in person and online about these posters, and this time we’re offering an introduction to the collection during the evening hours! On Thursday, July 7, at 7:00pm EST, I will host a virtual webinar that discusses the collection history, topical themes represented in the posters, and how to download images. I will share some of my favorite poster designs, such as this reading-focused one by Arlington Gregg. A book mark would be better! Poster by Arlington Gregg, between 1936 and 1940. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.31264 In addition, the presentation will discuss…
Just About “Ready for Research”
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, and Aliza Leventhal, Head, Technical Services, both of the Prints & Photographs Division. Gloria Vanderbilt. Color slide by Toni Frissell, February 1966. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2021734524/ So many exciting collections are in the pipeline for routine access that it’s time for a look ahead. The Prints & Photographs Division works on about 20 “processing” projects at a time in order to make more collections readily available to researchers and reduce the arrearage of unprocessed collections that have to be served by appointment. To complete close to 10 projects and 400,000 items each year, we organize, rehouse, label, describe, and digitize a wide variety of visual materials every day. First, some breaking news. Two…
Celebrating the Red, White, and Blue
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established June 14 as Flag Day, to commemorate the 1777 adoption of the “Stars and Stripes” as the national flag of the United States. Flag Day had been celebrated unofficially prior to 1916, as you can see in the first photo below. I recently gathered images from the collections of the Prints and Photographs Division for inclusion in a Flickr album featuring flags, which inspired me to expand my search and mark the occasion of Flag Day. The images shown here are all retrieved in a search in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) using the search term “flag day.” The first two photos date to earlier Flag Day celebrations: Post Ofc. Dept. Flag…