July 12, 1950. "Hilda Kassell, East 53rd Street, New York City. Father reading newspaper, two children viewing television." The test-pattern tone is especially hypnotic this morning. Photo by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.

January 1943. "Freight operations on the Chicago & North Western R.R. between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. The journey ended, conductor John M. Wolfsmith walks to the little passenger station to wait for a suburban train to take him home to Chicago." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.

January 1937. "Unmarried man who works in the packinghouse at Deerfield, Fla." Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Resettlement Administration. View full size.

August 1939. "A corner of the T.P. Schrock kitchen in their new home. Yakima Valley, Wash." Putting the yeast in yesterday, which would be only "erdy" without it. Photo by Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration. View full size.

Feb. 1936. "Drought refugees in California." Dust Bowl migrants photographed by Dorothea Lange for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.

January 1943. "New York. Ice man on Mulberry Street." Photo by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size.

November 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. Giant diesel-electric locomotive at Illinois Central rail yard." The safety message comes to us courtesy of Engine 9205A. Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.

Circa 1910. "Rabbit-hunting party of six men, with bicycles, guns and dogs, including rabbits strung between two tents. Possibly Christchurch district." Now where'd we put that cookbook? Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Standard Engraving Co. big camera." Specifically, The Levy Process Camera. National Photo glass negative. View full size.

1936. "Col. Alfred Cooper homestead. Aventon vicinity, Nash County, North Carolina. Structure dates to 1760; reputed oldest house in county." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size.

May 1912. "Some of the boys working in the Saxon Mill. Spartanburg, South Carolina." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.

April 1953. "Comedians Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca posed in humorous situations with air conditioning units. Includes Caesar dressed in his 'professor' costume and Coca dressed as a mechanic, looking at a diagram of a cooling system." From photos by Arthur Rothstein and John Vachon for the Look magazine assignment "Air Conditioning -- How It Works." View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Graham Bros. truck at Treasury -- Gen. Serp Corn." Which is how some overworked archivist at the Library of Congress has transcribed the label on this glass plate. National Photo Co. View full size.

September 1941. "Millworkers' children. Holyoke, Massachusetts." Our fighter pilot again, and some more of his pals. Photo by John Collier. View full size.

1914. "Kittens in costume riding miniature locomotive." And it seems like just yesterday (or last week) that these guys were being pushed around in a stroller -- they grow up so fast. Photo by Harry W. Frees. View full size.