As we move into 2022, celebrations of the New Year take shape in many different forms. Due to the current circumstances, the celebrations for 2022 most likely looked very different than those in 2021, and even 2020. However, consider how different the New Year celebrations looked in 2004, 1952, 1943, and even 1869. Pictured in … Continue reading Different Years, Always New: The New Year in Photos
Author: Sarah Bseirani
Visual Cues and Clues: Born-Digital Photographs and their Metadata
Navy photographer, PH1 Greg McCreash, downloads a Kodak DCS 420 digital camera into the Electronic Imaging Center (EIC) while deployed to Zagreb, Croatia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. Local Identifier: 330-CFD-DD-SD-99-03481.jpeg, NAID: 6503275. With the move to a digital world, photography follows suit. Born-digital photography is becoming increasingly popular and prevalent. The term “born-digital” … Continue reading Visual Cues and Clues: Born-Digital Photographs and their Metadata
Remembering 9/11
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States. On September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks were committed against the United States when two hijacked planes were flown into the North and South Towers at the World Trade Center, a third hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., … Continue reading Remembering 9/11
Visual Cues and Clues: Cracking the Code of Glass Negatives
Aquarius Plateau. J.K. Hillers at work (as photographer). Local Identifier: 57-PS-809, NAID: 517983. This image is cropped from the original. When you think of photographic negatives today, perhaps you imagine flexible, plastic-like film. However, some of the earliest negative images would be found on glass. Glass served as a viable support to capture the photographic … Continue reading Visual Cues and Clues: Cracking the Code of Glass Negatives
Visual Cues and Clues: Looking ON the Photo
Photograph of Researcher in the Central Search Room of the National Archives Building. 64-PR-20-1, NAID: 74228254 In this edition of Visual Cues and Clues, let’s step outside the box and explore photographs from a different angle. Instead of looking at what’s in the photograph, let’s explore what’s on the photograph. Markings, emblems, and logos sometimes … Continue reading Visual Cues and Clues: Looking ON the Photo
Spotlight: US Air Force World War II Photography
Photograph of Members of the Tokyo Raid; Local Identifier: 342-FH-3A-48559-59885AC; NAID: 148728204 If you’re searching for World War II-era United States Air Force photography, look no further! Earlier this year, scans were added to our online catalog for nearly all of the World War II, US Air Force photography. Originally, the military branch was known … Continue reading Spotlight: US Air Force World War II Photography
Visual Cues and Clues: Picking the Right Record Group for Still Pictures
Photograph of Josephine Cobb holding a Mathew Brady photograph. Local Identifier: 64-NA-1595, NAID: 12169321. Finding a specific photograph on the internet can be easy. Finding a specific photograph within the holdings of the National Archives can be trickier. If you have a specific photograph you found in the course of your research and it is … Continue reading Visual Cues and Clues: Picking the Right Record Group for Still Pictures
Alexander Gardner’s Photographs of the Civil War
Alexander Gardner may be best known for his photographic work during the American Civil War era of the 1860s. Gardner was born in Scotland in 1821 and started originally as an apprentice jeweler. After seeing Mathew Brady’s photographs at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, Gardner knew he had to be involved in the … Continue reading Alexander Gardner’s Photographs of the Civil War
Space and Beyond: Locating NASA Photographs Using Online Indexes
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) photographic records is one of the largest groups of records within the holdings of the Still Picture Branch. The photographs range in date between 1903 and 2011, and include subject matter such as daily operations, personnel, events, facilities, and come in the form of both analog and born-digital … Continue reading Space and Beyond: Locating NASA Photographs Using Online Indexes
Pumpkin, Spice, and Everything Nice: The Fall Season Along the National Scenic Byways
As the leaves start to change with the seasons, we can take this time to enjoy the cooler temperatures and fall foliage. Fittingly, the fall season may be some of the best times to explore the country through photographs, and there is no doubt the National Scenic Byways of the United States are home to … Continue reading Pumpkin, Spice, and Everything Nice: The Fall Season Along the National Scenic Byways