"Helen Marye." Circa 1915 in Washington. Future socialite Helen was daughter of George Marye, ambassador to Russia. Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size.

1864 or 1865. "Deep Bottom, Virginia. Federal gunboat Mendota on the James River. Put in service May 2, 1864." From photographs of the Federal Navy and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy. Wet plate glass negative, photographer unknown. View full size.

"Coney Island Mardi Gras 1908." Some interesting signs in this one. 8x10 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

"College of City of New York." Circa 1908 glass negative showing street repairs and trolley on a foggy day. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

"Post Office Department, Washington," circa 1908. The Old Post Office building seen from the corner of 11th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. on a rainy day. George Grantham Bain Collection glass negative. View full size.

"Union Square from a skyscraper." Winter in New York 100 years ago. A little moldy but full of interesting details like the "Automatic Vaudeville" penny arcade and Brill Bros. store. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain. View full size.

June 3, 1912. " Hampton Roads, Virginia. German squadron visit to U.S." Details of the port call here. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "P.K. Chaconas Co. Market." Pictured: Proprietor George Chaconas, whose grocery ("fancy fruits and vegetables") was at 924 Louisiana Avenue N.W. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.

June 1942. Fort Knox, Kentucky. "The crew of an M-3 tank learns all the ways of causing trouble for the Axis with a 75mm gun, a 37mm gun and four machine guns." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, OWI. View full size.

"Loading bus, leaving Manzanar for relocation. Manzanar Relocation Center, California." Large format nitrate negative by Ansel Adams. View full size.

"Boy Scout training demonstration, 1912." The third photo so far in our series on Scout first aid. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., in 1925. "Stoneleigh Court, L Street N.W." For some reason I feel like Jimmy Stewart here. National Photo glass negative. View full size.

1912. "German port call. U.S. battleship in Hampton Roads to greet German squadron." Harris & Ewing Co. glass negative. View full size | More here.

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Police Call Box." Finally we have a closeup of a mysterious item of street furniture on view in many of our urban scenes -- what looks like a streetlight with a dark globe. These were telephones with a direct line to the police station. When a call went out, the red illuminated globe showed arriving officers where help was needed. This one was downtown at 13½ and D streets N.W. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C. "Boy Scout training demonstration, 1912." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size.