Washington, D.C., 1925. "Texas Company, James Burke Station." View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress.

First Holy Communion in 1971 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rochester, Indiana, from a 35mm slide. View full size.

February 1942. Akron, Ohio. Another esoteric industrial process involving scary-looking thingamabobs essential to the war effort. Executive summary: Performing a painstakingly choreographed ballet of complicated tasks at precisely timed intervals, Joe Warworker here is doing his part to Speed Victory! View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information.

Christmas 1963 in Rochester, Indiana. From a slide. View full size.

Denishawn dance company founder Ruth St. Denis and husband Ted Shawn with a smattering of vestal virgins circa 1920. View full size. G.G. Bain Collection.

1955. My brother had just gotten his 35mm Lordox and was experimenting. Always ready to be the center of attention, I was glad to supply the subject matter. Another cool shirt. The TV is showing what most people would think is a Cadillac emblem, but I think it's Nash. View full size.

September 1940. St. Mary's County, Maryland. "John and Louise Dyson, aged Farm Security Administration borrowers. Mr. Dyson was born into slavery over eighty years ago. Mrs. Dyson is the mother of fifteen children." Medium format negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

1955. A rainbow over the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, seems to end on a row of classic 50s cars. The two-tone '53 Olds is nice, but I wish it wasn't obscuring the red-roofed Merc behind it. Shot by my brother, then a freshman there, on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size.