The following is a guest post by Mitsuko Brooks, an Archives, History and Heritage Advanced (AHHA) intern at the Library of Congress. Brooks is in her final semester as a student at Queens College (CUNY) working towards a Master of Library Science degree with a certificate in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials. This fall I worked in the Prints & Photographs Division on projects that combined visual literacy and subject indexing to improve the descriptions of images in online collections. One of my projects involved revising summary notes and adding subject headings to catalog records for War Relocation Authority (WRA) photographs that depict the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. This photo of Little Tokyo was taken…
Category: Picture this
A Slice of American Life from the FSA/OWI Photograph Collection
Thanksgiving in America is pie’s time to shine, as one or more of these delightful desserts often provide the sweet finish to Thanksgiving feasts across the country. Depending on where you live or your family hails from, the pies could contain pecan, sweet potato, pumpkin, apple, or a wide variety of other delicious fillings. The Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information (FSA/OWI) collection includes photo stories in which the photographer captures a simple task of daily life, sometimes taking a series of photographs of the steps it takes to complete it. Two photo series I found illustrate the everyday task of making a pie, offering visual insight into life in the 1930s and 1940s, and a chance to observe if…
African American Soldier: An Iconic Photo from the Civil War
The following is a guest post by Helena Zinkham, Chief, Prints & Photographs Division. The portrait of this African American family has such a powerful impact that it has become a widely used representation for many aspects of the Civil War era. Donated in 2010 to the Library of Congress, the photograph is already a much admired, iconic treasure. Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with his wife and two daughters. Quarter-plate ambrotype, 1863-1865. Shown without the frame. Liljenquist Family Civil War Photograph Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppss.00400 When historian Drew Gilpin Faust accepted the John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity in 2018, she selected this photo to represent the importance of history to transcend time. She…
New Research Guides: Artists’ Fine Prints at the Library of Congress
The following is a guest post by Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, Prints & Photographs Division. A longer version will appear in On Paper: Journal of the Washington Print Club (Fall 2021). Like poetry, literature, and music—visual art can reflect history, society, politics, and culture in uniquely powerful ways. Artists’ prints typically exist in multiples and have long been celebrated as being among the most democratic of art forms with the potential to be widely shared, experienced, studied, and appreciated.” From Fine Print Collections in the Library of Congress What do artists Emma Amos, Ugo da Carpi, Albrecht Dürer, Edgar Heap of Birds, Ester Hernandez, Blanche Lazzell, Roger Shimomura, and James McNeill Whistler have in common? They all created…