“The Capture of Tenochtitlán” from Exploring the Early Americas
Visit the Library of Congress and experience the world’s largest collection of culture and creativity like never before. The Thomas Jefferson Building features exhibitions and installations that bring the Library’s unparalleled collections to life. Whether you are in Washington, D.C., or at home, let the Library of Congress take you on a unique and personal journey through history and culture. Millions of items are waiting for you—explore, discover, and be inspired.
Mapping a Growing Nation: From Independence to Statehood
North Gallery, First Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
September 1, 2016–Ongoing
Abel Buell’s New and Correct Map of the United States of North America is the first map of the newly independent United States compiled, printed, and published in America by an American. This important early American map is known to exist in only seven copies. Philanthropist David M. Rubenstein has generously placed his copy of the map at the Library.
#Opera Before Instagram: Portraits, 1890-1955
Performing Arts Reading Room, First Floor, James Madison Building
August 11, 2016–January 21, 2017
Explores what opera critic Charles Jahant’s Instagram account might have looked like had he lived in the internet age, with photographs of his favorite opera singers, along with captions giving his assessment of each singer’s talent and history.
World War I: American Artists View the Great War
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
May 7, 2016–August 19, 2017
Presents the work of American Artists who galvanized public interest in World War I from its onset through its aftermath (1914–1918).
Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture
Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
June 11, 2010–Ongoing
Politicians and entertainers have dominated public life in America for much of the twentieth century. Members of both professions have found their worlds increasingly entangled. The exhibition explores some of these entanglements, focusing on the careers of Bob Hope and other entertainers who were involved in the political climate of their times. Explore artifacts that represent an array of viewpoints on the interplay of politics and entertainment in American public life.
Thomas Jefferson's Library
Southwest Pavilion, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
April 11, 2008–Ongoing
Take a trip through a re-created version of Jefferson’s library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s greatest thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
Exploring the Early Americas
Northwest Gallery, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
December 12, 2007–Ongoing
Examine indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and the resulting changes caused by the meeting of the two worlds, which features selections from the Jay I. Kislak Collection. This exhibit also features Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map of the world—the first on which the word “America” appears.
Herblock Gallery
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
March 18, 2011–Ongoing
The Herblock Gallery celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block—better known as "Herblock"—with an ongoing display of ten original drawings, to change every six months, drawn from the Library's extensive Herbert L. Block Collection.
Swann Gallery
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
March 18, 2011–Ongoing
The Swann Gallery introduces visitors to the fascinating world of caricatures, political cartoons, comics, animation art, graphic novels and illustrations. A permanent memorial exhibition features fifteen facsimiles of treasured cartoons from the Swann and other cartoon collections, which represent the broad range of holdings in the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress Bibles Collection
Great Hall East, First Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
April 11, 2008–Ongoing
Explore the significance of two monumental Bibles that face each other in the Library’s Great Hall—the Giant Bible of Mainz and the Gutenberg Bible. Through an interactive presentation, examine pages from these Bibles and learn about sixteen selected Bibles from the Library’s collections.
Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin
Gershwin Gallery, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
December 11, 2008–Ongoing
Experience the glamour and sophistication of the 1920s and 1930s in this permanent tribute to the brothers who helped provide a musical background to the period. The exhibition contains a wealth of materials that provide insight into their careers and personalities, including manuscript and printed music, lyric sheets and librettos, personal and business correspondence, photographs, paintings, and drawings, all from the Gershwin Collection in the Music Division of the Library of Congress, the world's preeminent resource for materials about the Gershwins.
