79-AA: Ansel Adams Photographs of National Parks and Monuments, 1941 – 1942

In the mid-1930's, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes conceived the idea of commissioning painted murals for the department's headquarters building in Washington, DC. However, impressed by Ansel Adams' work, Ickes later broadened the scope of the project to include mural-size photographs and recommended Adams. According to Ansel Adams autobiography, he was "appointed at the … Continue reading 79-AA: Ansel Adams Photographs of National Parks and Monuments, 1941 – 1942

Happy 145th Birthday, Yellowstone National Park!

This blog post was co-authored by Aaron Arthur.  On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law. This legislation, officially named "An Act to Set Apart a Certain Tract of Land Lying Near the Head-Waters of the Yellowstone River as a Public Park," described 3,472 square miles of wilderness in … Continue reading Happy 145th Birthday, Yellowstone National Park!

Happy Birthday, Rocky Mountain National Park

On January 26, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law that established Rocky Mountain National Park.  That legislation laid out the coordinates of the park, and set aside the land for the "benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States." In recognition of the centennial anniversary, the National Archives' Special Media Division has gathered … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Rocky Mountain National Park

Images of the Week: New Digital Images

The photographs featured this week come from digital photographic series (born-digital and scans) that are now available or will be available in our online catalog. They are series 434-LB,  406-NSB and 311-MAD. The photos used for 311-MAD are accretions to an already existing digital series and these additions will appear in the online catalog soon. Local Identifier: 434-LB-2-XBD9706-02410tif.jpg, … Continue reading Images of the Week: New Digital Images

Images of the Week: Photographs of Photographers

The theme this week is Photographs of Photographers. Local Identifier: 111-B-1074,  "Mathew B. Brady" Local Identifier: 174-G-22-4, "Lewis W. Hine" Local Identifier: 80-G-324556, "Capt. Edward J. Steichen, USNR, (retired), photographic expert, on island platform, studies his surroundings for one of his outstanding photographs of life aboard an aircraft carrier. Capt. Steichen held rank of Comdr. … Continue reading Images of the Week: Photographs of Photographers