The Winter Olympics are in full swing and many are tuning in to watch the figure skating competition, which prompted me to look back into our collections for images of ice skating from years past. I particularly enjoy the photos of Washingtonians enjoying ice skating on the Reflecting Pool, which stretches between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. It became an unofficial ice rink for locals in the early part of the 20th century whenever it froze solid enough. (Skating on the Reflecting Pool is no longer permitted, so these older photos give us the best glimpse of this past experience.) This photo from almost exactly 100 years ago caught my attention, as it evoked my favorite sport on…
Tag: Kristi Finefield
The Changing Face of Washington, D.C. in the U.S News & World Report Magazine Photo Collection
One of the most fascinating and enjoyable aspects of research with visual materials is the wide variety of information you can learn from a single image, from the obvious to the unexpected. A photographic portrait, for example, has a primary job of showing you what someone looks like. But beyond that, you could learn about hairstyles and clothing of the era. What does the expression or clothing suggest about the occasion the photo was taken for – was it for a solemn event; was it candid or posed? What was its purpose – for a publication or a family photo? Looked at together, multiple photos taken by a single photographer can indicate something of their style, their studio set-up, their…
New Year, New to See
The following is a guest post by Hanna Soltys, Reference Librarian, with contributions by Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Arts, and Micah Messenheimer, Curator of Photography, all of the Prints and Photographs Division. To kick off the New Year, the Prints & Photographs Virtual Orientations for January 2022 look at newly processed, acquired, and/or digitized collections. While we often discuss and share new collections and acquisitions, this orientation will also highlight resources such as finding aids to help with research projects. One of the newly processed collections you can expect to learn about is the William Kennoch Collection. This collection includes over 1,200 photographs from the U.S. Secret Service of counterfeiters, criminals, and others accused of…
Documenting Historic American Landscapes – Challenge Accepted!
The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. In late November, the winners of the 2021 HALS Challenge were announced. The announcement offers a good opportunity to highlight the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) collection, including the historical reports found within this collection, as well as the National Park Service’s annual challenge to create short format histories to be added to the collection. Ala Moana Park (Hawaii) - HALS HI-21 – a man-made landscape with a lively history of public use and development over its nearly 100 year history. 2014 Challenge: Documenting Landscapes of the New Deal – Entry. 5. Banyan Courtyard at McCoy Pavilion: Overall view of banyan courtyard. View facing southeast. –…