Pictorial Americana: A Select List of Photographic Negatives in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress (second edition)

This illustrated list of images from the Library of Congress collections revives selections made for a 1955 publication, Pictorial Americana: A Select List of Photographic Negatives in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress (second edition), compiled by Milton Kaplan; edited by Charles C. LaHood, Jr. (Washington: Library of Congress, 1955). The list continues to serve the same function that it did more than fifty years ago, offering pictorial material on various phases of American life and history.

The list includes only the images selected in 1955. Many additional images on the themes included in this list are available in the Prints and Photographs Division collections. Some can be viewed by searching by subject or name in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog and by viewing other image lists available from the Prints and Photographs Division's Lists of Images on Popular Topics web page and collection descriptions accessed through the Collection Guides & Finding Aids page.

Pictorial Americana not only represents a mid-1950's selection of significant historical themes and the images that should represent them, but in many ways, it offers a nineteenth century perspective on earlier eras in American history and topics of the day. Milton Kaplan selected many images from the Prints and Photographs Division's historical print collections (also known as the Popular Graphic Arts collection) to illustrate particular historical events, such as the American Revolution.

The prints, which include lithographs, engravings, and etchings made for popular consumption by publishers such as Currier & Ives and L. Prang & Co., often offer colorful and dramatic, if not strictly historically accurate, depictions.

Read Pictorial Americana (1955) Online

History (through 1899)

    * Christopher Columbus
    * Discovery and Exploration
    * Settlement and Colonial Life
    * French and Indian War
    * The Revolution
    * Tripolitan War
    * Military History, 1811-1815
    * Exploration of the West
    * War with Mexico
    * Gold Rush
    * Perry's Expedition to Japan
    * Slavery
    * John Brown and Harper's Ferry
    * Confederate States of America
    * Civil War
          o 1861
          o 1862
          o 1863
          o 1864
          o 1865
          o 1866 (Aftermath)
    * Western Life and Indian Fighting
    * Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection

 Montage: Discovery of North America, by John and Sebstian Cabot; The battle of New Orleans, fought Jan. 8th, 1814; A gold hunter on his way to California, via St. Louis; Emancipation of the slaves, proclaimed on the 22nd September 1862, by Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America
Key to montage
General Subjects

    * Advertisements
    * Authors and Their Works
    * The Bible
          o Old Testament
          o New Testament
    * Bridges
    * Cattle Trade
    * Children
    * Churches and Missions
    * Circus and Circus Posters
    * City Lighting see: Experiments and Inventions
    * Clothing and Dress
    * Colleges and Universities see: Education
    * Daily Life
    * Education
          o Colleges and Universities
    * Experiments and Inventions
          o City Lighting
    * Expositions
    * Fairs
    * Farmers and Farming
    * Finance
    * Firefighting and Fires
    * Forts
    * Freemasonry (see also: Masonic Temples)
    * Holidays
    * Hotels and Inns
    * Household Appliances
    * Immigration
    * Industry
          o Mills
    * Labor and Labor Organizations
    * Masonic Temples
    * Medicine
          o Patent Medicines
    * Military Organizations (including veterans' organizations)
    * Mills see: Industry
    * Miners and Mining
    * Minstrels
    * Motion Pictures
    * Music and Musicians
    * Political Activity
    * Presidential Campaigns
    * Presidents
    * Religious Activity and Moralistic Themes
    * Religious Groups
    * River Life
    * Sports
          o Baseball
          o Boxing
          o Horse Racing
          o Hunting and Fishing
          o Miscellaneous
    * Stores
    * Telegraph
    * Temperance
    * Theaters
    * Theatrical Posters and Performances
    * Trades and Occupations
    * Transportation
          o Automobiles
          o Aviation
          o Carriages, Stages and Wagons
          o City Transit
          o Clipper Ships
          o Railroads
          o Railroad Stations
          o Steamships
    * Uniforms New!
    * U.S. Congress New!
    * U.S. Navy New!
    * Waterworks New!
    * Whaling
    * Winter Scenes
    * Women's Rights

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