Camp Hale, Colorado: Training the 10th Mountain Division During World War II

Mountain Troopers carrying a Ski Cargo Sled (Local ID: 337-TNG-199-1) Found in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the peaks and valleys that surrounded Camp Hale forged the elite soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division—the Army’s first and only mountain infantry division. During World War II, the soldiers at Camp Hale trained in mountain … Continue reading Camp Hale, Colorado: Training the 10th Mountain Division During World War II

306-NT: Photographic File of the Paris Bureau of the New York Times, ca. 1900–ca. 1950

The photographs that make up 306-NT were originally part of the New York Times photo morgue for the Paris Bureau of the newspaper. In December 1940, the Paris Bureau of the New York Times was seized by the Nazis and its Library of New Photos was transported to Berlin. After the liberation of Paris, the … Continue reading 306-NT: Photographic File of the Paris Bureau of the New York Times, ca. 1900–ca. 1950

Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays From the Cartographic Branch!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays from the Cartographic Branch! In the spirit of Christmas, with the help of RG 241: Utility Patents, we would like to offer up some guidance and general ideas surrounding Christmas trees and things to do this holiday season! Whether you are more into putting up and decorating the tree, wrapping … Continue reading Ho! Ho! Ho! Happy Holidays From the Cartographic Branch!

A Wartime Wedding at Versailles

Photograph of the Chapel at Versailles. Local ID: 286-MP-FRA-02033. National Archives Identifier Number: 19978495. On December 16, 1944, only months after American troops liberated the area surrounding the Palace of Versailles, a wedding ceremony was held in the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles. This year marks the 78th Anniversary of the wedding of M/Sgt. … Continue reading A Wartime Wedding at Versailles

A U.S. Postal Service employee sits behind the wheel of a mailster delivery van.

How to Drive the Mailster: A Time-Traveling Lesson in Postal Technology

Still image from "How to Drive the Mailster Safely" (28.96). With the holiday season upon us, we rely on the U.S. Postal Service to send Christmas cards and deliver last-minute gifts. We’re familiar with the sight of a small mail truck traveling the streets of suburbia, but how did we get there? Let’s travel back … Continue reading How to Drive the Mailster: A Time-Traveling Lesson in Postal Technology

This Just In! Three New Series Relating to Puerto Rico Fully Digitized and Available Online!

The Cartographic Branch is pleased to announce that three new series of records relating to Puerto Rico have been fully digitized and are now available online for viewing and download through the National Archives Catalog.  The first series, RG 95: Map of Puerto Rico Showing Federal Land Management Activities, 1949-1949, (NAID 1011336) contains a map … Continue reading This Just In! Three New Series Relating to Puerto Rico Fully Digitized and Available Online!

A Framework for Remembrance: NARA Contributes Holocaust Films to EU Project

This post was adapted from a presentation given by Criss Austin and includes extracts from an email she recently sent to staff. Criss is the supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.  The National Archives holds tens of thousands of feet of motion pictures recording the horrors … Continue reading A Framework for Remembrance: NARA Contributes Holocaust Films to EU Project

The Art of War

Still from US ARMY ARTISTS, 111-LC-55581 ABOUT THE FILM Working in the Special Media Division at the National Archives, we are used to seeing images of war captured by moving images and still photos. However, the US military also uses more traditional forms of artwork to document their operations and daily lives. All military branches … Continue reading The Art of War

Photograph of a Bird in front of Unexploded Ordnance

Bird is the Word

Generally, when thinking of Bird(s), you may have in mind those belonging to the animal kingdom, but at the National Archives, our Catalog will surprise you at every turn.  A search for the term “Bird” (filtered for Still Picture Branch results, only) comes back with 6,091 Items, 155 File Units, and 53 Series, all with … Continue reading Bird is the Word

Patent Drawings from Beyond the Grave

With Halloween just around the corner (at last!), I thought our readers would enjoy a little something spooky to get in the spirit.. or perhaps to get in touch with the spirit. Automatic writing, or psychography, as a means of communicating with the spirit world has been in use for almost a thousand years. However, … Continue reading Patent Drawings from Beyond the Grave