Tag: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Aliza Leventhal, Head, Technical Services, Prints & Photographs Division. When the Annenberg Space for Photography closed in June 2020, they offered the Library of Congress more than 900 high quality prints from ten of their exhibitions. We responded enthusiastically to this rare opportunity to add work by 329 contemporary photographers to the collections. In a year when we organized and described 350,000 items using the standard archival description and housing techniques that work well for large collections, we also rose to the challenge of providing intensive, special attention for what is now the Annenberg Space for Photography Collection of Exhibition Prints. To provide the public with a way to experience the timely subject…

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…

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…

The world lost an inspired and inspiring researcher last April, when Joe Manning died. Manning devoted many years to researching people depicted in historical photographs, especially those found in National Child Labor Committee and Farm Security Administration collections. He leaves, however, a rich legacy, not only of his findings but also of his techniques for uncovering a wealth of information and a rich appreciation for individuals’ lives that can start with a photograph. Lewis Hine project from the Mornings on Maple Street web site. Some of the 16 volumes that allow one to page through printouts of the web site. Photo by P&P staff, 2021. The Library of Congress blog featured an interview with Manning in 2019, where he talked…