Below you will find links to biographies, images, and more resources related to women photojournalists from the Library of Congress. Documenting World War I: Women Photographers on the Front Lines Teaching with the Library of Congress Late 1800s and early 1900s Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942) bio Ladies Behind the Lens Library of Congress Blog November 29, 2016 Birches at the Sprague Smith Studio (source record | curator note) More Jessie Tarbox Beals photographs … [Read more...]
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Does the Camera Ever Lie?
Zoom into a more detailed image of this newspaper page from 1901. Read only the headline and image captions. Then carefully review the images and make an educated guess about what the article will discuss. Now read the article. How does it answer the question posed in the title? What evidence is provided to support this view? Do you agree with this view? Why or why not? How do cameras "lie" today? Provide at least two examples and discuss what it means for consumers of visual … [Read more...]
Today in History: Billy Bitzer & the Biograph Company
Today in History–April 28–the Library of Congress features Billy Bitzer, who filmed the short comedy Stealing a Dinner for the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company on this date in 1899. Bitzer was a great pioneer of early film and shot thousands of movies, including the infamous The Birth of a Nation. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to view some of these early films and more related resources. "Billy" Bitzer films Stealing a Dinner from … [Read more...]
Today in History: Mathew Brady
Today in History–February 27–the Library of Congress features Mathew Brady who photographed presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln before a speech on this day in 1860. At successful studio photographer, Brady set out to document the people, places and events of the Civil War. The historical impact of the endeavor is priceless but at the time, left him penniless. Find out more about the father of photojournalism by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the links below. Mathew B. … [Read more...]
Today in History: Walker Evans
Today in History–July 16–the Library of Congress features photojournalist Walker Evans. On this date in 1936 Evans took a leave of absence from from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) to accept a summer assignment with Fortune magazine. Evans and writer James McGee worked together to document the lives of sharecropper families in Alabama, which would eventually be published in the book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links … [Read more...]
Learning from the Source: Capturing Character on Camera
The Today in History section for July 10 features Jelly Roll Morton, one of jazz music's primary influences. From 1938 to 1948, William P. Gottlieb took over 1600 photographs of celebrated jazz artists. Carl Van Vechten also took a similar number of photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. The Library has two great resources for learning about the art of photography and how photographers capture and present a music performer's character on camera, which we … [Read more...]
Today in History: Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre
Today in History–November 18–the Library of Congress features French photography pioneer Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, born on this day in 1789. The daguerreotype was a convenient and effective process which rapidly gained in the United States. Learn more about Daguerre and the daguerreotype by visiting the Today in History section and following the links below. America's First Look into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1862 This collection consists of more than 725 … [Read more...]