The Library Of Congress Is A National Treasure

[dr_phil_physics]

"Interesting" Pictures

The Library of Congress has a Flickr photo feed of recent and interesting photos. Thanks to Cindy in Little Rock for the link. I just spent half an hour paging through some 30 pages of pictures. What I saw was dozens of color pictures of women WWII aircraft factory workers, dramatic scenery in Ireland and Norway, railroad and shipyard workers, Abraham Lincoln, Grant's funeral, the RMS Olympic arriving in June 1911, Titanic survivors aboard the Carpathia, Chicago Union Station's main waiting room with glorious sunlight streaming in from the high windows...

I saved a bunch of pictures for making wallpaper.

This was the first picture I saw:

Click on photo to see original size.

The World In Color

There was an old joke that the world used to be in black & white, that color came later. I am always floored by quality color photographs of the WWII era, because so often what we see is in B&W. Sure these shots were staged -- they had to be. Early color film was slow. If these are Kodachrome, then we're talking about ISO 25. But the detail... Please don't take my Kodachrome away!

Wow. Just wow.

Dr. Phil

Comments

[charyvna.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing this link. I'm really enjoying the photos.
xxo

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

I had to stop somewhere before page 60 -- and I scarfed a whole buncha pics -- and even made a Tomb of the Unknown icon that I'll upload to LJ for Memorial Day. Along with the 1919 panoramic view of the No Man's Land at Flanders Fields... Also, as a train buff, seeing the old shots of the Illinois Central's South Water Street yards in Chicago, etc. Amazing.

Totally addictive. And so many interesting topics. Some of these are very famous pics, too, like the one of the Washington DC charwoman with mops and broom in front of a US flag. Makes me very proud for the Library of Congress.

Dr. Phil

[albogdan.livejournal.com]

Ooooo! Great stuff!

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Considering how many pictures they have of the women aircraft workers -- and that was when color film was rare and it took time to set up such shots. The Library of Congress will need a bigger server farm to absorb the Digital Age of Photographer. (grin)

Dr. Phil