What's New in the Prints & Photographs Division

New Book: Framing the West

This companion catalog to a new Smithsonian exhibition focuses on the photographs of Timothy H. O'Sullivan. Considered to be one of the most important photographers of America's Western wilderness, O'Sullivan created a distinguished body of work. The Prints and Photographs Division holds more than 900 O'Sullivan images from throughout his career. The volume includes essays by Toby Jurovics, curator of photography at the American Art Museum; Carol Johnson, curator of photography at the Library of Congress; Glenn Willumson, associate professor at the University of Florida; and Will Stapp, an independent scholar.

Full citation: Framing the West: the Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O’Sullivan by Toby Jurovics, et al. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress and Smithsonian American Art Museum; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.

More information

Weavers at work [between 1910 and 1915].
Example of a photo that has generated rich discussion over time as information is added.
View image in Flickr

With Thanks to Flickr Members

In celebration of the second anniversary of the launch of the Library's account on Flickr, we collected a set of photographs which illustrate the bountiful information and interactions that have come out of the project. More than 1,000 records in the Prints and Photographs online catalog have been enhanced with information from the Flickr community. The interactions with our photos are remarkably varied--ranging from the practical (corrected spellings and dates) to the imaginative.

View "Thank You" set

Common Ground Event--Projecting Photos All Over the World

Photography fans all over the world enjoyed the community-curated event, "Common Ground." Users voted for their favorite images from each of the (then) 27 Flickr Commons institutions. The resulting slideshow of more than 400 images was projected on buildings at multiple sites Oct 2-3, 2009.

More information from Indicommons blog

Setting up for the Common Ground event at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia, 2009 Sept. 24.

Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. Trail West Boots, Hats, Apparel, mural in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. 2008 October 12.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/highsm.04391

Carol M. Highsmith's America

Journey through the United States with Carol to enjoy remarkable roadside attractions, urban scenes and aerial vistas, glorious sights in national parks, and much more. The initial offering provides 1,000 recent born-digital photographs.

View the images

Civil War Drawings

The drawings have been recently scanned, so that it is now possible to view online the more than 1,600 eye-witness sketches made during the U.S. Civil War

View images and descriptions

Groups of Images Relating to
Sigmund Freud

Images from the Sigmund Freud Archives and other collectors have been organized into groups and prepared for service. The groups include portraits of Freud, his family and associates, as well as sites associated with the Freud family.

View descriptions of the images

Carol M. Highsmith's America - Image Sampler

Take an armchair tour of a selection of Carol M. Highsmith's photographic journey across America.

View the sampler

Charlotte Brooks - Photojournalist

An overview of the life and work of Charlotte Brooks, who documented changes in American life, particularly in her work for Look magazine, 1951-1971.

View the overview

Exhibition:  Herblock!

Oct. 13, 2009 - May 1, 2010
Jefferson Building, 2nd floor, South Gallery

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Herbert Block, artist."Strange - they all seem to have some connection with this place." 1972 June 23. Herbert L. Block Collection.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.13650

Timothy O'Sullivan, photographer. Cañon de Chelle. Walls of the Grand Cañon about 1200 Feet in Height, 1873. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Exhibition:  Framing the West: The Survey Photographs of Timothy H. O'Sullivan

Feb. 12 - May 9, 2010
Smithsonian American Art Museum

A collaboration between the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Library of Congress, this exhibition offers a critical reevaluation of Timothy O'Sullivan's geographical survey photographs and the conditions under which they were made, as well as an examination of their continued importance in the photographic canon.

More information (via Smithsonian site)

Silent Cities Project by Camilo J. Vergara

Master photographer Camilo José Vergara created his “Silent Cities Photograph Collection” in the mid 1970s-1980s. A sampler of 30 images is online, selected from the 800 slides encompassing 300 cemeteries throughout 21 states in North America and several European countries. The related book by Kenneth Jackson and Vergara is Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, c1989.

David Levine, artist. Senator Norris. Published 1979 Mar. 8.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.07234

Remembering David Levine (1926-2009)

We remember with gratitude David Levine - renowned caricaturist and generous donor.

View Webcast of David Levine's talk at the Library of Congress (2004)

View more information about David Levine (from The Mark)