Spotlight: Aerial Photography of Woodstock Festival Site

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Music Festival, which took place August 15-18, 1969 at a farm near Bethel, New York. The festival, billed as three days of peace and music, drew nearly half a million attendees and has become legendary in American history. Although the Special Media Division doesn't hold … Continue reading Spotlight: Aerial Photography of Woodstock Festival Site

John Purroy Mitchel: The Boy Mayor of New York

This post was written by Harry Kidd.  Harry is a volunteer at the National Archives working on textual and photographic digitization projects.  Harry is a former Navy photographer himself and came across this story while researching military photographers.  John Purroy Mitchel (1879 – 1918) was a native New Yorker. Trained as a lawyer, he gained … Continue reading John Purroy Mitchel: The Boy Mayor of New York

Hidden Women Update: WWI Camouflage in Action

You may remember our July 2016 post about the Women’s Reserve Camouflage Corps, made up of women artists who developed camouflage for use by American troops in Europe during World War I. The website Atlas Obscura also featured the story and photos in October 2016. The Women’s Reserve Camouflage Corps photos held by the National … Continue reading Hidden Women Update: WWI Camouflage in Action

Black Tuesday: 85 Years Gone By

October 29 marks the 85th anniversary of Wall Street’s most infamous day, Black Tuesday. While the crash alone did not cause the Great Depression, the sharp drop in stock prices symbolized the end of the Roaring Twenties and the beginning of a decade of hardship. As prices plummeted, many lost their life savings. Many more lost … Continue reading Black Tuesday: 85 Years Gone By

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

This Week In Universal News: New Year’s Eve, 1932

This week in Universal News, the New Year is celebrated in the United States and Cuba. 1933 would be the year that Prohibition was repealed, although the festivities evident in this story certainly do not seem lacking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbDXtoOXjSI&feature=youtu.be From the release sheet: BIG CITIES CELEBRATE AS 1932 PASSES OUT; GAILY WELCOME 1933 Unprecedented whoppee and … Continue reading This Week In Universal News: New Year’s Eve, 1932

Images of the Week: Airscapes

Photographs posted this week come from one of my favorite series, "Airscapes" of American and Foreign Areas, 1917 - 1964" (18-AA). Click on the images below to view higher resolution versions. Local Identifier: 18-AA-138-5. Washington, D.C. - Keystone Bombardment airplanes of 2nd Bombardment Group. April 23, 1931. Local Identifier: 18-AA-139-2. Washington, D.C. - Griffith Stadium. … Continue reading Images of the Week: Airscapes