Thursday, February 22, 2007

Library of Congress- Prints and Photographs Division

Did you know that you could go to the Prints and Photographs Division of The Library of Congress' Web site and order prints of photographs done by amazing photographers? You can do this for a nominal fee. And for a little more you can get a really nice quality print! 
 
I ordered two Walker Evans photographs quite a few years ago by simply going through one of his books and sending a research request to the LOC to find out if they had the specific prints. Now, using their online catalog of over one million digital images, it is much easier to order reprints. 
 
The catalog contains photographs of historic events, people, the environment and architecture. Its vast collections range from the historic photographs of American Indian tribes by Edward Curtis to the well known Farm Security Administration collection, which includes distinguished photographers like Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. You can find an overview and out-takes of Dorothea Lange's famous "Migrant Mother" photographs in this collection as well.  And check out the most  frequently requested photos  in the FSA collectionFSA photographers also produced color images, about 1600, a fact that is not widely known. Some of these were recently published in a book, Bound for Glory.
 
Here are some of my favorite images from the FSA:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You can also view new collections that have been recently processed or made available online. Below you'll see some public domain images (which means you can order these) by the photographer Gertrude Käsebier, taken around 1900. She shot some breath-taking portraits of American Indians, women and children. Some of her photos are an interesting study in how the staging and depiction of subjects was influenced by classic paintings.
 
 
 
 
If you are interested in buying prints, here is some general information on photo duplication and ordering prints
 
- Jolie

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

These photographs are beautiful of VERY high quality. It WILL surprise you. Several years ago  a friend on staff(The Virginian Pilot) had some prints on the surface of the moon photos....They were GREAT....I was amazed.

Anonymous said...

If you enjoy the works of Edward S. Curtis as shown here, you will surely enjoy a new film on his works.

THE INDIAN PICTURE OPERA is a re-creation of and Edward S. Curtis magic lantern slide show and lecture of 1911. The dvd can be found in an Amazon.com search.

This film goes way beyond the images, and is a virtual vignette of Curtis's observations of nearly a century ago. He discusses rituals, origins of indian religion, and much more.

This is an "eye opener".... listen to the words behind the pictures.