Picture This: Revisiting Rights-Free: Popular Graphic Art Prints

Revisiting Rights-Free: Popular Graphic Art Prints By Melissa Lindberg This is one in a series of blog posts devoted to highlighting digitized content that has long been available on the Library's web site and is worth revisiting. The Prints & Photographs Division holds tens of thousands of popular graphic art prints showing every subject imaginable, from military battles to sentimental vignettes, from expansive city views to biblical scenes to historic events. While these prints date from the 17th century through the mid-20th century, most were made during the 19th century and early 20th century, when newer production methods made it possible to produce large amounts of prints at low cost, enabling large numbers of people to purchase these popular commodities. The individual images from this large body of material offer a window into the tastes of their times. Because thousands of the Library's prints were digitized years ago, you can immerse yourself in the visual culture of previous centuries by browsing images in our online catalog. Those interested in American political history may be interested in this print by popular publisher Currier & Ives of George Washington, showing the first American president kneeling in prayer. Washington at prayer. Print by Currier & Ives, between 1840-1860. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.10102 Sara W. Duke, Curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Art, offered this observation about the effort to digitize thousands of the Library's popular graphic art prints: "The collection was a hit – people loved the historic scenes, images of famous men and women in history, and insight into how people in the past celebrated such historic events as the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment. As a result, we worked our way through the entire collection, down to the smallest prints. And it turns out the collection is a lot of fun – from religious iconography to farm animals, from the American Revolution to the Spanish American War, there's something for everyone in it." Sara recently published a new Research Guide (linked in the Learn More section of this post) providing an in-depth overview of the collections containing popular graphic art prints, which highlights collection strengths and offers guidance for searching and viewing images from the collection. This print celebrates the then newly enacted Fifteenth Amendment, with the center image showing a parade in Baltimore marking the legislation granting the vote to African American men. The Fifteenth Amendment. Celebrated May 19th, 1870. Published by Thomas Kelly, New York, 1870 or 1871. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pga.01767 Some prints were used as educational aids, like the one below, which introduced the topic "Drawing: Elementary, Geometrical and Perspective" to budding artists. School and family charts, accompanied by a manual of object lessons and elementary instruction, by Marcius Willson and N.A. Calkins. No. X. Drawing: Elementary, geometrical, and perspective. Wood engraving with letterpress, 1890. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.44359 This view of Hampton Roads, Virginia shows a confluence of ships from many countries, including France, Chile and Russia, all coming together in this one body of water in the southern United States. Close up views show submarines, a "Trades Parade" highlighting the commercial role of the area and a yacht race. International naval rendezvous, Hampton Roads Va. Published by Sam W. Bowman Lith., 1893. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.08897 The Prints & Photographs Division's popular graphic art prints include some produced outside the United States, such as this one of an altar to the Virgen de Guadalupe, designed by printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. The Prints & Photographs Division has over a hundred prints by Posada. Altar de la Virgen de Guadalupe. Designed by José Guadalupe Posada, 1910. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.04604 We hope the small selection of prints in this blog post inspire you to explore the collection and see what stands out to you. Learn More Explore this Research Guide for the Prints & Photographs Division's popular graphic art-related collections, providing information about the background and scope of the collection, as well as information about exploring the material. Search for digitized images from the Popular Graphic Arts collection. See other prints from the collection that relate to the Fifteenth Amendment. View additional prints by José Guadalupe Posada. Consult this resource list for more information about popular graphic art prints: Historical Prints: Evaluation, Authenticity, Copyright, Dealers, and Bibliography. For related Picture This blog posts, see the following: A Grand Entry: Entered According to Act of Congress, and One Hundred Fifty Years of Copyright at the Library of Congress. This post offers a behind the scenes look at the project to scan thousands of the Library's popular graphic art prints: Behind the Scenes: A Carefully Choreographed Scanning Project. Published October 23, 2020 at 03:48PM Read more on https://loc.gov Manage Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email service.

Picture This: Ready for Research: Balthazar Korab Collection

Ready for Research: Balthazar Korab Collection By Barbara Orbach Natanson Balthazar Korab with camera on tripod, China. Photo by Balthazar Korab Studios Ltd., ca. 1983. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppem.00614 The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Librarian, and Emma Esperon, Archivist, Prints & Photographs Division. The Prints & Photographs Division is very excited to introduce the Balthazar Korab Collection with its extraordinary array of architectural photography. The exceptional high quality images and the lack of copyright restrictions encouraged us to make this valuable collection ready for research in only two years by investing approximately 5,500 hours from 15 staff members. The full archive clocks in at over 540,000 items in a variety of photographic formats that were challenging to safely house and index. The breadth and depth of coverage spans across nearly 10,000 project folders, which primarily document the years 1950-2000 and include over 500 architects in over 700 cities, making the Korab Collection an exciting ground for research and exploration. Balthazar Korab (1926-2013) was one of the most important architectural photographers in the United States in the 20th century and arguably one of the best at employing color to portray the modern building aesthetic as it progressed from the mid-20th to the early 21st century. He was trained as an architect in Paris and spent time in the offices of both Le Corbusier and Eero Saarinen before transitioning to a career as a photographer and settling in the suburbs of Detroit. Korab's images appeared on the covers of hundreds of magazines. Many of the biggest names in modern architecture including Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Kessler, and Minoru Yamasaki, commissioned Korab to document their buildings. Outside of this work, Korab's personal interests led to spectacular photo documentation of Italy, vernacular architecture in Michigan and the Midwest, natural wonders, car culture, and other subjects. Kessler, Detroit receiving. Photo by Balthazar Korab, 1979. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.11550 Searching and Accessing Materials The Library will likely never be able to describe each of the 540,000 items, but we've summarized the contents of more than 9,000 folders in a detailed finding aid that runs to 1,400 pages. What does this mean for you? The online searchable finding aid provides building and architect names, locations, and more. Staff notes can also help you find the materials you want and to understand the scope of what's available. The collection is arranged by Project Title according to Korab's own filing system. Within each folder materials are organized sequentially by media type: photographs and prints, contact sheets, manuscript material, color transparencies, black & white negatives, color slides, and other visual materials. If you are ready to dig into architecture, a growing selection of more than 2,300 photographs is already online and ready to browse through. Researchers who need to look at original materials can search the finding aid from home or in the reading room to identify folders to request. To request folders, submit the list of folders through Ask a Librarian or an on-site call slip. Since materials are stored off site, please keep in mind that requests can take up to 14 days to fulfill. (Please note that service from off-site collections is less routine while reading rooms are closed to the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Getting the Collection Ready for Regular Use When the Korab Collection first arrived at the Library of Congress it was in 227 bankers boxes each weighing about 30 pounds. That's a lot of photographs and negatives arriving in one day, even for the Library! "Banker's box" from the Korab Collection. Photo by P&P staff, 2019. Contents of banker's box from Korab Collection. Photo by P&P staff, 2019. One of the first things we had to tackle was how to organize such a massive archive, rehouse materials so that they'd be safe to store and handle, and inventory everything so we could find it again. We took a triage approach to the collection. We retained the original order of the collection—the folder categories that Korab's office had established. The items at high risk because of the type of media or a small size that could be easily lost or more worn materials were placed in specialty "page protectors" (archival polyester or polypropylene sleeves). Some of the oldest photographs are on nitrate film for which the storage requirements are so stringent that all 650 images were digitized to simplify access. Korab color slides rehoused (KORAB F9044). Photo by P&P staff, 2020. Korab Collection boxes after processing. Photo by P&P staff, 2020. Once the items were safely housed and stored, we could describe the materials at a folder level, capturing original notes, project titles, shoot locations, and more.  All of this work culminated in a searchable finding aid to access over half a million collection items that are now happily preserved in archival boxes and folders in cold storage, keeping Balthazar Korab's work and the architectural marvels that he photographed available for lifetimes to come. To increase access options in the future, we're already experimenting with GIS software-based maps to help researchers visualize the scope of this collection and to aid location-based queries. Staff Highlights Staff members who have been working closely with the collection share some of their favorite images and features of the collection: From Emma Esperon (lead archivist) My favorite parts of working with this collection were the puzzles and mysteries involved in identifying buildings and learning more about architecture. One of Korab's practices was to photograph a building from the design phase of having just the model, to construction, and then the finished building.  This creates a time lapse to help us understand how a design evolved and also a portfolio for the architect, documenting much of the hard work and planning that went into a building.  It is also particularly challenging to identify parts of buildings and models of buildings that were never constructed.  But one construction image can lead to a domino effect in identifying a building as shown in the progression of images below. Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple by HOK in Independence, Missouri (KORAB F5683). Photos by Balthazar Korab. Slides photographed by P&P Staff, 2019. Personally, I've also enjoyed seeing all of the images taken inside the car manufacturing plants.  Having grown up in the Midwest myself, the car industry has always been a vital part of my communities.  Seeing the molten metals being poured into molds and the behind the scenes images has been really rewarding. Rouge Steel Company Continuous Casting Plant by Walbridge Aldinger Co. in Livonia, MI (KORAB F6771). Original photo by Balthazar Korab. Photographed by P&P Staff, 2019. Ford Rouge Plant by Albert Kahn in Dearborn MI (KORAB F7537). Original photograph by Balthazar Korab. Photographed by P&P staff, 2019. Lastly, I've really loved this collection because it is like a time capsule from the 1950s-2000s.  Buildings change and are destroyed, but the record of them can still exist in our collections.  For example, this collection contains images of the World Trade Center and models of the design phase. Designs for the World Trade Center, New York by Minoru Yamasaki. Photo by Balthazar Korab, 1976. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ds.10004 World Trade Center, New York, New York. Exterior. View from plaza. Photo by Balthazar Korab, 1976. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.56813 It also contains images of buildings that were renovated like the Rainbow Elementary School in Clinton Township MI, which was originally quite colorful. And the collection offers an opportunity to see the Snowflake Motel, which was built by William Wesley Peters with input from Frank Lloyd Wright and was demolished in 2006. Rainbow Elementary School in Clinton Township, Michigan (KORAB F9044). Original photo by Balthazar Korab. Photographed by P&P staff, 2020. Snowflake Motel, Lincoln Township, Michigan. Interior. Pool. Photo by Balthazar Korab, 1960. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.56806 From Ryan Brubacher (reference librarian) My favorite images are the ones from Italy. Korab visited there initially as a sort of vacation, which might account for the different look. They ended up living there for a few years. The family shots of his children and wife are charming, and I like this series featuring crowns and a banana. Color transparencies showing the Korab family in Italy (KORAB F3341, no. 13). Original photos by Balthazar Korab, ca. 1968. Photographed by P&P staff, 2019. He also happened to be nearby when the flood hit Florence in 1966, and there are some heartbreaking shots of damage as well as the rescue efforts to save cultural artifacts afterwards. I love this shot from 1968 where the halo of the statue is shadowed across the wheel well of the automobile such that it looks as if the car is cracking. It shows you the eye he had for unique juxtapositions and delightful wonders. From a group marked "Alexa and Civita Caves," Italy (KORAB F3341, no. 18). Original photo by Balthazar Korab, 1968. Photographed by P&P staff, 2019. The incredible project that he embarked upon with architect and scholar Astra Zarina is also high on my list. They published a book translated as "The Roof-scapes of Rome" which is now out of print and was never published in English. They examine the idea of the roof-scape from different perspectives, literally and figuratively. I could look at his images from that project all day. Rooftops in Rome, Italy. Photograph by Balthazar Korab, from "60 Years in 60 Minutes" lecture given for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 2004, Image #193. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2020714991/ The staff members who worked a lot on this project would each have different highlights and that illustrates how vast and wonderful the collection is. It is not just about the iconic shots of buildings by Mies van der Rohe and Eero Saarinen. Though those are nice too! Trans World Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy (originally Idlewild) Airport, New York, New York, 1956-62. Construction. Photo by Balthazar Korab, between 1956 and 1962. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/krb.00597 Learn More: Delve into the Balthazar Korab finding aid to explore the range of coverage in the collection. Have a look at the Korab Collection guide, which gives more information about the collection and requesting access, as well as featuring more sample images to delight your eyes! View digitized images from the collection. Some digital images came with the collection, and as items are selected for reproduction, they are digitized. A large portion of the digitized material relate to a book project: In 2007 before the full archive arrived, Korab selected more than 800 photographs to document 19 projects designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), and generously gifted them to the Library. These were used in a book project, Eero Saarinen: Buildings from the Balthazar Korab Archive, edited by David G. De Long and C. Ford Peatross, and published by the Library of Congress in 2008 [view catalog record]. Looking for examples of modern architecture photographed by others? Some of the most famous masterpieces of modern architecture have been documented in the Historic American Building Survey. Carol M. Highsmith has also photographed many of the same architectural masterpieces Korab documented, allowing for comparison and study of how these iconic buildings have looked over time–search the Highsmith archive by building name or location. Published October 16, 2020 at 01:47PM Read more on https://loc.gov Manage Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email service.

Picture This: Pointing North in the Historic American Buildings Survey Collection

Pointing North in the Historic American Buildings Survey Collection By Kristi Finefield What do a carousel horse, Theodore Roosevelt, and a lighthouse have in common? Look closely at the drawing below from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial – can you spot two Roosevelts? Title Sheet – Theodore Roosevelt Island HABS survey, Potomac River, Washington, District of Columbia, DC. Drawing by Anne E. Kidd, 2007. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.dc1044/sheet.00001a There is, of course, the large drawing of the Roosevelt statue featured at the memorial on Theodore Roosevelt Island, but to the right, just below a map of the city of Washington, D.C., there is another tiny Roosevelt, as seen in this detail: Detail of Title Sheet – Theodore Roosevelt Island HABS survey, Potomac River, Washington, District of Columbia, DC. Drawing by Anne E. Kidd, 2007. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.dc1044/sheet.00001a The former President's upraised right arm indicates which direction north is on the map featured just above it! (The background of the arrow is also the plan of the plaza where the statue stands.) This is just one of the many decorative north arrow designs I came across by accident while browsing drawings in the HABS collection. Once I spotted one, it became a bit of a treasure hunt to see what others I could find, and see what different inspirations the architects, students and others used to jazz up the required symbol. HABS, along with its sister projects, the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) document America's built environment as well as its historic landscapes, often in a combination of measured drawings, photos and historical reports. This important task certainly doesn't stop those creating the drawings from adding beauty and whimsy into their documentation. And yes, a carousel horse and a lighthouse are used in the same way in the two drawings below. The first is for the Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park in Maryland and the pole of the carousel horse points directly north while adding a bit of flair to a reflected ceiling plan: HABS MD,16-GLENEC,3A- (sheet 2 of 6) – Glen Echo Park, Dentzel Carousel & Building HABS survey, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Montgomery County, MD. Drawing by Elizabeth Fleck and Jacob John Wurtzen, 1994. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1366/sheet.00002a Detail of HABS MD,16-GLENEC,3A- (sheet 2 of 6) – Glen Echo Park, Dentzel Carousel & Building HABS survey, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Montgomery County, MD. Drawing by Elizabeth Fleck and Jacob John Wurtzen, 1994. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1366/sheet.00002a And here we have a drawing of the Au Sable Light Station in Grand Marais, Michigan where the lighthouse is used to indicate north on the site plan. The lighthouse is used as part of what is more often seen on maps and referred to as a compass rose. The north arrow you sometimes see on architectural drawings and the compass rose on maps are very close cousins, both providing a clear indicator of north. Sometimes the other three cardinal directions are labeled too, rather than just implied, as in the example below. HABS MICH,2-GRAMA.V,1- (sheet 1 of 7) – Au Sable Light Station HABS survey, Southern Shore of Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Alger County, MI. Drawing by Hugh Hughes, 1988. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.mi0225/sheet.00001a Detail of HABS MICH,2-GRAMA.V,1- (sheet 1 of 7) – Au Sable Light Station HABS survey, Southern Shore of Lake Superior, Grand Marais, Alger County, MI. Drawing by Hugh Hughes, 1988. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.mi0225/sheet.00001a While browsing through the collection to look for more unique north arrows or compass roses, I came upon examples that incorporated decorative features from the building, such as stone carvings or mosaic tiles. Others used symbols such as the eagle on the Presidential seal for drawings of the White House or a specific grave marker from Mount Calvary Cemetery in Pennsylvania. I'll include these examples and more below, and instructions at the end of the post to go on your seek and find mission! Site plan –White House HABS survey, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC. Drawing by Douglas S. Anderson, Patrick B. Guthrie, Isabel Yang, Sam R. Coker, Ranne Rhee, between 1988 and 1992. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.dc0402/sheet.00002a Title Sheet and Plan – Mount Calvary Cemetery HABS survey, 500 S 13th Street, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, PA. Drawing by Sally Holbert, 2014, http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.pa4110/sheet.00001a In the following three examples, the decorative element used with the north arrow is featured elsewhere in the set of drawings for the structure documented. Select the link in the caption for the name of the building to go to the full survey record and look through all of the drawings to try and spot the inspiration! HABS OHIO,77-AKRO,9- (sheet 1 of 11) – Loew's Akron HABS survey, 182 South Main Street, Akron, Summit County, OH. Drawing by Denise A. Hopkins, 1993. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.oh1909/sheet.00001a HABS KANS,89-TOPKA,1- (sheet 1 of 14) – Monroe Elementary School HABS survey, 1515 Monroe Street, Topeka, Shawnee County, KS. Drawing by Denise A. Hopkins, 1993. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ks0160/sheet.00001a First Floor Plan Main Block – Evergreen HABS survey, 4545 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Baltimore (Independent City), MD. Drawing by Daniel De Sousa, 2010. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.md1633/sheet.00008a If you are so inspired, go on a treasure hunt of your own to see if you can spot more unique designs in the north arrow, and share in the comments what you find! Learn More: Hunt through the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. Search tips: Try browsing by subjects or geographic locations. Add the word 'drawing' to any search to return surveys that include measured drawings, as many only include photos. Filter your search results by selecting the Surveys Only box just below the search blank to allow browsing full surveys before looking at individual drawings. The north arrow usually appears on the first or second drawing of a set, and the inspiration might be anywhere! Read more about HABS/HAER/HALS in previous Picture This blog entries: Documenting our American Places Exploring Place in African American History Celebrating the National Park Service's Centennial with a New Display First Holland Prizes Awarded for Architectural Drawing The compass rose has a centuries long history in maps, and the north arrow on architectural drawings serves a similar purpose. Explore just a few examples of compass roses on maps from the Geography & Map Division of the Library of Congress. There are thousands more that you will find just by browsing maps! Published October 09, 2020 at 06:56PM Read more on https://loc.gov Manage Unsubscribe from these notifications or sign in to manage your Email service.