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Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.
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Front Porch Self Portrait
Submitted by ltitus on Thu, 04/26/2007 - 4:51pm.
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My great-grandfather Arthur Zickgraf on a porch swing while courting his future wife, Mary Margurite Myers, in Mason, Michigan, circa 1914. It is hard to tell, but Arthur is holding a primitive remote control in his hand that snapped the couple's self-portrait.
The look of love
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 5:36pm.
What a sweet smile on her face, and her hand so delicately placed on his shoulder. She radiates happiness and love. He, on the other hand, is totally concerned with making his gadget perform!
Porch swing
Submitted by Amateur photographer on Tue, 09/11/2007 - 9:36pm.
The "primitive remote" you refer to is probably a camera cable release, which, when attached to the camera's shutter, was used to snap a self-portrait. There were some which operated using a rubber bladder which was squeezed between the fingers and some with a metal plunger apparatus which was pushed down with the thumb. It looks as though your great-grandfather had the metal plunger type.
I had a couple myself and used them not only to take self-portraits, but also to capture time-exposures of the night sky.
Porch Swing
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Wed, 05/30/2007 - 10:37am.
Great pic! My grandparents had a porch swing just like that on the front porch of their home in Dowagiac, MI...many fond memories of sitting there with them & shooting the breeze. It's now hanging at my parents' house, but we're not allowed to sit in it anymore. :(
~Marnie
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Today's Top 5