This week's images are from RG 17-HD. They are mounted prints depicting beautiful race horses from the early 1900's! Accompanying metadata is limited to the captions, which are included with the images below. These captions, affixed to the mounts and written in Spanish, appear to include the date that the photographs were taken and the … Continue reading Spotlight: Race Horses
If you've ever read a Highlights magazine, you've likely played the hidden picture game--the one where children are asked to find out-of-place objects like pencils hidden in trees and candy canes hidden in striped dresses. As I came across photographs from the Women's Reserve Camouflage Corps, I was instantly reminded of the classic childhood time-killer. Only this time, … Continue reading Hidden Women: The Art of WWI Camouflage (Photos)
This post was written in collaboration with Carla Simms The National Zoo in Washington D.C. is one of the capital’s most celebrated landmarks. The zoo was created by an act of congress in 1889, and officially made a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution the following year. Since its founding, the zoo has been a pioneer in … Continue reading Historic Maps and Photos of the National Zoo
Previously we shared a blog post about counterfeiters and briefly mentioned how the artistic gifts of some were used to counterfeit money. This installment will discuss the creation of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and how currency was legitimately made in 1914. In 1914, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s (BEP) operations moved to … Continue reading Engraving, Inking, Trimming: The Production of Paper Currency in 1914
As a girl growing up in the 1980s, Sally Ride was my hero. On forward flight deck of Challenger, Mission Specialist (MS) Ride reclines above pilot's seat in front of pilot's station control panels. Forward control panels and windows appear on her right and seat back with stowage bag and personal egress air pack (PEAP) … Continue reading Sally Ride and the Women of NASA
To the women who play with us: Teach us: Keep us well and well-fed: Who work: Multi-task: And to mamas of pets: Happy Mother's Day
In the early afternoon of May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania made her way towards Liverpool, England. Six days earlier she’d left New York City on her 202nd transatlantic voyage, carrying 1,265 passengers and 694 crew members from all over the world, including nearly 150 Americans. The mood aboard Lusitania during the voyage was one … Continue reading Aftermath of Disaster: RMS Lusitania in Photographs
Paul Owen grew up in Jacksonville, Florida in the mid-20th century. He attended Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where he earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and then his Doctorate in Optometry (O.D.). In 1966, Dr. Owen became the first optometrist in the Public Health Service commissioned Officer Corps. Prior to this, any necessary … Continue reading Dr. Paul Owen: The First PHS Optometrist
Last year marked the sesquicentennial of the establishment of the United States Secret Service, the federal law enforcement agency assigned to protect the nation’s highest elected leaders and investigate and prevent counterfeiting activities. However, when the agency was formed on July 5, 1865, their mission was not twofold but rather concerned with combating the illegal production, … Continue reading Faces of Counterfeiters Past: Mugshots from the United States Secret Service Collections
The annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn - a longstanding American tradition. Maybe you're planning to hunt them down, dye them brilliantly, roll them across the White House Lawn - or maybe you're just hoping to get through the next two weeks with as few boiled eggs in your life as humanly possible. Whatever the case may be, it is … Continue reading Spotlight: Eggs through the Ages
