December 1864. "Hampton, Virginia. View of the town. From photographs of the Federal Navy and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy." Wet-plate glass negative, photographer unknown. View full size.

"1935 or 1936. Saint Charles Street. Liberty Theatre, New Orleans." Now playing: Wheeler and Woolsey in "The Rainmakers," with a product tie-in. Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans, Resettlement Administration. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. A Victrola talking machine on the delivery wagon at the Woodward & Lothrop department store. Harris & Ewing. View full size.

"Shoeshine stand, Southeastern U.S., 1936. (Title and date from Walker Evans, 1973. No caption for this image in FSA/OWI shelflist.)" Who will be the first Shorpyite to clear up a longstanding curatorial mystery and figure out where this is? Large-format safety negative by Walker Evans for the FSA. View full size.

I just started scanning my sister's photos of her kids from the 1960s. Here's why she was smart to have saved the negatives. Back in 1963, they lived in South Gate, California, in a neighborhood full of classic cars, it seems. My nephew Jimmy in a 2¼-inch square Kodacolor negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "Carberry [Carbery] Mansion." Built for Thomas Carbery in 1818 at 17th and C Streets N.W. National Photo Co. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1915. "Bond Building, Washington Herald." Watch out for the ectoplasmic pedestrians. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., 1925. "Mrs. Carl T. Thoner with 'Trailer.' " National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.