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Vintage photos of:
Our holdings include hundreds of glass and film negatives/transparencies that we've scanned ourselves; in addition, many other photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs) in the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) They are adjusted, restored and reworked by your webmaster in accordance with his aesthetic sensibilities before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here. All of these images (including "derivative works") are protected by copyright laws of the United States and other jurisdictions and may not be sold, reproduced or otherwise used for commercial purposes without permission.
[REV 25-NOV-2014]
Washington, 1916. "Telephone girls ride during car strike. Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Los Angeles, 1960. "Case Study House No. 22. Stahl Residence, 1635 Woods Drive. Architect: Pierre Koenig." Color transparency by Julius Shulman. More to come on this house, which has achieved a measure of fame in the annals of modern architecture due a certain black-and-white photograph. View full size.
February 1917. "Count J.H. von Bernstorff, ambassador from Germany, leaving German Embassy." The scene at the embassy in Washington after Woodrow Wilson ended diplomatic relations with Germany, two months before the United States made its declaration of war. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
March 1915. "White House, scaffolding on North Portico and east side." As part of a "Clean-Up, Paint-Up" campaign sponsored by the Master House Painters and Decorators Association, the White House and Mount Vernon each got a fresh coat of paint. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Circa 1861-1865. "Unknown location. Embalming surgeon at work on soldier's body. From photographs of artillery, place and date unknown." Wet plate glass negative, photographer unknown. Library of Congress. View full size.
August 1911. New Bedford, Mass. "Lewis Grace, 68 Acushnet Avenue. Probably 14. Works in drawing-in room." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Hollywood, February 1947. "Movie starlet Marilyn Monroe." And the world's luckiest phone book. Photograph by J.R. Eyerman. View full size.
Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Woman scientist." National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size.
December 1941. "Pearl Harbor burns at Mare Island Navy Yard, California." Color transparency by J.R. Eyerman, Life photo archive. View full size.
Christmas 1960. "Mrs. McKone, RB-47 wife." John McKone, an Air Force lieutenant whose plane was shot down over the Arctic Ocean by the Russians, came home in January 1961 after six months in Lyubyanka Prison. Blurry but atmospheric Kodachrome by Grey Villet, Life photo archive. View full size.
"Texaco Co., Sullivan & Helan station." This Amoco station at 14th and Belmont streets N.W. in Washington's Mount Pleasant neighborhood opened in July 1925. After the discovery of King Tut's tomb, the vogue for all things Egyptian extended even to gas stations. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Moore's Auto Supply Shop, 20th & K streets N.W." Next door at Bowie's Tonsorial Parlor: "Hair-Cutting by Electricity." In addition to the usual services of facial massage and umbrella repair. View full size.
New York. October 5, 1918. "Army students' quarters, Columbia University." 5x7 glass negatives, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
"9038 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 1958. Case Study House No. 21." Architect: Pierre Koenig. Color transparency by Julius Shulman. View full size. These two look pretty sophisticated and worldly. Wonder what they're saying?
The Hotel Pontchartrain in Detroit, seen earlier today around 1907 in this post. Now it's circa 1910-1915 and it has a few extra floors trimmed Second Empire style to look like a giant mansard roof. Not too many years later it was torn down to make way for a bank. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size.