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.

Western Union messengers in Hartford, Conn. March 1909. They are on duty, alternate nights, until 10 P.M. Messenger #32 is Thomas De Lucco, 9 years old, who works second job as newsboy. View full size. Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine.
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