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…
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…
Dags för kollektivtrafiken igen
Dags för buss tidigt på morgonen. Efter att ha kört bil till jobbet sedan mars var det åter dags att köpa periodkort på Skånetrafiken och börja åka bussar och tåg igen. Lite ovant faktiskt efter det långa uppehållet. Det var inte alltför fullsatt på varken bussen i morse eller på tåget hem ikväll. Skönt med lite lagom med folk ombord. Covid-19 är ju inte över ännu så lite distans är inte fel. Kul att komma till Hyllie igen. Mina besök i Hyllie och på Emporia har varit lätträknade under året så här långt. Skönt ljus från fönstren på skyskrapan. Såg att bygget av ett nytt hyreshus börjat byggas av MKB mittemot City Gross. Kvarteret Magne ska det visst heta och…
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…