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.) Most 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.

My sister, little cousin and I play cowboys in the yard on Washington Street, Freeport, Illinois, circa 1951. The house and trees are gone now. View full image.
Today's Top 5