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.

This image, one of my favorites, was taken in Butler, DeKalb County, Indiana. The date is unknown but I would guess the 1880s. It is possible these men are members of the Bordner or Beerer families. The print was found in the Oberlin family archival collection. John Oberlin Sheridan. View full size.
The DeKalb County boys vs. the Cramer boys in six-on-six touch football. Outside in the backyard. I got $10 on the Cramers.
The man in the middle, seated. Nice ears. I think he learned how to fly before the Wright Brothers, but never got credit for it.
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