Different Years, Always New: The New Year in Photos

by Sarah Bseirani, posted in Photographs, Still Pictures

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 this post are select images located within the holdings of the Still Picture Branch at the National Archives, all related to New Year celebrations.

U.S. Marine Corps Marines of Al Asad, Iraq, celebrate at the base theater on New Year’s Eve during the band,”Off the Wall’s”concert. Dec. 31, 2004. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance CPL. William Dubose). Local Identifier: 330-CFD-DM-SD-07-14376.jpeg, National Archives Identifier: 6692891.

“Forest Adventure” Float in the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day entered by the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West. Local Identifier: 95-GP-114-488849, National Archives Identifier: 7002856.

Missouri infantrymen with the 19th Infantry Regiment along the Kumsong front wish Happy New Year to the stateside folks. Local Identifier: 111-SC-387519, National Archives Identifier: 531422.

Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Heart Mountain, Wyoming. Ruby Hifumi, 16 year old high school student with a special New Year’s flower arrangement. Photograph by Tom Parker. Local Identifier: 210-G-E604, National Archives Identifier: 539162.

American Red Cross – Christmas Activities – Kits for American soldiers at front. Volunteer workers, Lyceum Club, Paris, packing New Years kits. Men in uniform are ambulance drivers on leave who volunteered for the work. Local Identifier: 165-WW-43C-8, National Archives Identifier: 20803872. Cropped from mount.

Original caption: THE NEW YEAR–1869.–[Drawn by Winslow Homer.] From Harpers Weekly – January 9, 1869 – p. 20 – – Vol. 13. Local Identifier: 30-N-40-3435, National Archives Identifier: 135797386. Cropped from mount.

The photographs included in this post have no known copyright restrictions. If you have any questions about the images in this post or the holdings of the Still Picture Branch, please contact us at stillpix@nara.gov.

PUBLICATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS FURNISHED BY THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES STILL PICTURE BRANCH-RRSS

Generally, copies of photographic records held by the National Archives may be published without special permission or additional fees. The National Archives does not grant exclusive or non-exclusive publication privileges. Copies of Federal records, as part of the public domain, are equally available to all. A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions. The National Archives does not confirm the copyright status of photographs but will provide any information known about said status. It is the user’s responsibility to obtain all necessary clearances. Any use of these items is made at the researcher’s or purchaser’s own risk.

Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation. They also help inform the public about government photographic resources that are available.

*Because so many of our requests for information cite credits and captions that appear in published works, the inclusion of a photo number in hard copy and electronic publications is of great assistance to both us and the public.

Examples of preferred credit lines are as follows:

  • National Archives photo no. 210-G-C241
  • Credit National Archives (photo no. 83-G-41368)
  • Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 83-G-41430
  • National Archives (210-G-A14)

If using a large number of our images, the National Archives will appreciate receiving copies of publications that contain our photographs. Such copies can be sent to the Still Picture Branch or the Library, National Archives and Records Administration.