One of my favorite record groups is RG 241: Records of the Patent and Trademark Office, because of the dazzling displays of ingenuity! These patents, as usual, do not disappoint. Enjoy!! https://catalog.archives.gov/id/159160063RG 241: Restored Patent Drawings, 1836-1978. Patent 6558-X. J. Barron's Patent Drawing for a Mechanical Fan. NAID: 159160063. RG 241: Utility Patent Drawings, 1837-1911. … Continue reading Keeping Cool with Cool Patents the 4th of July!
While the pandemic significantly altered our day-to-day responsibilities in the Still Picture Branch, our team adapted to the challenges presented by the work-from-home environment and bolstered our Research and Reference capabilities by increasing access to our holdings, digitally and on-site. One of the projects we’ve undertaken to help in this endeavor is the description and … Continue reading Subject Finding Aid Project
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently partnered with the University of Maryland’s Cinema and Media Studies Program to present Films of State: Moving Images Made by Governments, a virtual conference running from April 7 to 9, 2021, highlighting current scholarship on the topic of government films and filmmaking. This inaugural conference featured international … Continue reading Films of State Conference Recordings Now Available
The Decennial Census of Population and Housing, aka ‘the census,’ counts each resident of the country every ten years. Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Constitution mandates the enumeration to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first census was taken in 1790 during George Washington’s … Continue reading Census Enumeration District Maps for 1940 and 1950 Available Digitally in Our Catalog
Today’s post was written by Alan Walker, archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. For Preservation Month, here is a visual story of how the staff of the National Archives once did important work on a small piece of American naval history. The Union's shallow draft navy was one … Continue reading The Voyage of the USS Chimo
This post is by Daniel Dancis, a Textual Records Archivist and blogger at The Text Message. When is a photograph more than just a photograph? Of the millions of digitized images in the National Archives Catalog it is always a thrill to find something new in an old picture. Even more, discovering a connection between two or … Continue reading Double Take II: Finding Posters within Photos
Have you ever wondered what the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area looked like from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century? Thanks to the Bureau of Public Roads role in documenting road constructions, highways, building structures, etc., you are in luck. Record Group 30: Historical Photograph Files, 1896-1963 (30-N) contains … Continue reading Historical Roads and Buildings in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia
Photograph of Researcher in the Central Search Room of the National Archives Building. 64-PR-20-1, NAID: 74228254 In this edition of Visual Cues and Clues, let’s step outside the box and explore photographs from a different angle. Instead of looking at what’s in the photograph, let’s explore what’s on the photograph. Markings, emblems, and logos sometimes … Continue reading Visual Cues and Clues: Looking ON the Photo
The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a 200-mile-long string of barrier islands located on the eastern coast of the United States, in the mid-Atlantic region. This tiny strip of land forms a barrier between the Pamilico Sound, the Albemarle Sound, and the Carrituck Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Now a major tourist destination, the … Continue reading BOOM! – Looking Back at When the Bodie Island Lighthouse Went Dark in May of 1863
You may be familiar with some of the big series of newsreels we hold here at NARA: March of Time, Universal, United News, and War Pictorial News. Recently, as part of an online course about newsreels, I took a deep dive into other newsreels domestic and foreign, which are frequently interfiled in other series. NARA … Continue reading Lesser-Known and “Hidden” Newsreels of NARA
