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.

Washington, D.C., 1920. "Tech basket-ball. Burger and Gude." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
It's so strange to see athletes - who, in the 21st century, we picture under bright lights and on shiny courts - posing for photos in dark, dirty-looking rooms.