Happy Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week! This week was established by the Chesapeake Bay Commission in 2016, and formally designates nine days each June to celebrate the history and natural beauty of the nation’s largest estuary. This year, Chesapeake Bay Appreciation Week is June 7 to 15, and focuses on the protectors and wonders of the bay.
For an overview of Military Personnel Photographs, please see our website https://www.archives.gov/research/still-pictures/military-personnel-photographs. This post was written in collaboration with Heather Sulier, Archives Specialist. The Still Picture Branch has multiple indexes to search for various branches of the U.S. Military. Our U.S. Air Force index, 342-Z: Personality Index to Photographs of Activities, Facilities, and Personnel is … Continue reading How to Search Still Photographs for Air Force Personalities
This weekend marked the 60th anniversary of the Gemini III mission, which took place on March 23, 1965. The flight, while being one of many that would eventually lead to Neil Armstrong’s famous first steps on the moon, would itself establish many firsts that would define mankind’s traversal of the stars. Photograph of Gemini III … Continue reading Trials, Tribulations, and A Smuggled Sandwich: The Story of Gemini III
Among hundreds of thousands of captions, just a handful proclaim Sgt. Irene Marquardt’s position as the “only Wac photographer" in the European Theater of Operations. A colleague had asked if we knew how many women photographers are represented in the holdings of the Still Picture Branch.
Original Caption: "Pfc. Omer Pelletier, 31392497, Lowell, Massachusetts, Quartermaster Corps, Camp Lee, Virginia, and his dog "Snooks" are shown entertaining at the Valentine Party held for the Port personnel and their guests at the Port Gymnasium, HPE, Newport News, Virginia. Official photograph U.S. Army Signal Corps, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Virginia. February … Continue reading Happy Valentine’s Day From the Still Picture Branch
This post was created in collaboration with Sarah Bseirani, Archivist, and Hilda Gitchell, Archives Technician, in the Still Picture Branch. Former President Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100. At the time of his passing, President Carter was the longest-lived president in U.S. … Continue reading Remembering President Jimmy Carter
Original Caption: Meeting in Paris after a two-year separation, Lt. Col. Barney Oldfield and his wife, Cpl. Vada M. Oldfield, initiate their reunion by signing each other’s “short snorters” in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The Oldfields come from Lincoln, Nebraska. France, 7/20/45. Local Identifier: 111-SC-210020. Going to war is never easy. Going to … Continue reading Short Snorts, Long Legacies: The World War II Club of the “Short Snorters”
Being the week of Thanksgiving, this time of year is usually all about pie. But National Cake Day sneaks in on November 26! To honor the delicious treat during a time when it may be overshadowed by its flaky-crust cousins, please enjoy this collection of images from the Still Picture Branch holdings of tasty cakes. … Continue reading Life’s Batter with Cake: Celebrating National Cake Day with the Still Picture Branch
From Rocket Belts to Air Cars, the National Archives and Records Administration holds many records related to the tests and demonstrations of the US Military's various experimental vehicles throughout the decades. Here in the Still Picture Branch, we have photographs showing the early adoption of new technologies like the Jet Pack and the Aerocycle, which were driven by the unique needs of military transportation at the time they were developed.
Sinking of the SS [President] Coolidge. October 26, 1942. Local ID: 80-G-36993 This October 26, 2024 marks the 82nd anniversary of the sinking of the SS President Coolidge. On October 26, 1942, the ship attempted to enter the harbor of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. However, as the ship entered the largest channel, it struck an American … Continue reading The Sinking of the SS President Coolidge
