The LOC.GOV Wise Guide : Vacation, All I Ever Wanted . . . Vacation, Had to Get Away

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted . . . Vacation, Had to Get Away

Hotel reservations? Check.
Car gassed up? Check.
Subway map packed? Check.
Summer vacation and no work? Priceless.

The New York to St. Louis automobile parade. Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Photograph by C. H. Graves, 1904

Interior of the Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Fla. 1888

The blessed summer vacation — a favorite pastime of Americans today — wasn't such a staple during the 1800s. Like working families today, new immigrant families needed a safe and affordable place for children to stay while parents worked. In large cities, children of parents who worked in factories, shops or mills learned English and other subjects during an 11-month school year. A true vacation, including staying at a nice hotel or even owning a car to get you there, was something attained only by the wealthy.

The Library's Prints and Photographs Division has devoted select groups of images to vacations, or at least how to get there and where to stay — from the 19th century, that is. This illustrated list of images from the collections revives selections made for a 1955 publication, "Pictorial Americana: A Select List of Photographic Negatives in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress." Offering a perspective on earlier eras in American history, topics of interest for the family outing include hotels and inns, automobiles and city transit.

A. The New York to St. Louis automobile parade. Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Photograph by C. H. Graves, 1904. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ62-3056 (b&w film copy neg.)

B. Interior of the Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Fla. 1888. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Information: Reproduction No.: LC-USZ6-24 (b&w film copy neg.); Call No.: LOT 3282 [item] [P&P]