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.

August 1864. "Petersburg, North Carolina. Group at headquarters of the Provost Marshal Department." View full size. Wet collodion glass-plate negative, LOC.

"Fire Wreck." January 5, 1921, in Washington, D.C. Back in April we posted this view of the same crash, at Columbia Road and Sherman Avenue, of the fire chief's Chevrolet. View full size. National Photo Company Collection.

November 9, 1923. Firemen extinguishing a blaze at the Piggly Wiggly, location not specified. View full size. 4x5 glass negative, National Photo Co. Collection.

April 10, 1922. Wreck of truck and fire engine, location not specified. Are there any clues here? View full size. National Photo Company Collection.

Washington, D.C. Rescuing residents from the Portland Apartments fire of May 2, 1922. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size.

Grandma was Miss Toronto 1923. She later became a hand model. I'm told my dad, Jerry, was the Philip Morris call boy in Canada. I have three photos of him in his uniform and hat, but they look like proofs. He has performed his "call" a million times over the years. Has anyone ever seen Jerry as the Philip Morris call boy?

Wisconsin crew team in shell. June 29, 1909. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.