Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="392" caption="Miss Gloria Smith (Wedding) Deluxe Wedding Album, June 24,1956, by Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.), Cellulose acetate photonegative, Scurlock Studio Records, ca. 1905-1994, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Call No. 0618.278269."][/caption] If events are heavily promoted as being once-in-a-lifetime
Description: Bloggers on The Bigger Picture often describe how, in the course of their work, they come across intriguing archival objects and artifacts that trigger new insights into history. “Hands on” encounters with compelling evidence from the past are thrilling and can be provocative. But so can different sorts of encounters, including those that are driven by data, rather than
Description: At SPI, we were sad to learn that Jessie Cohen died earlier this week. Jessie was one of the photographic mainstays at the Smithsonian; she started working at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 1979, photographing animals, their living quarters, and behind-the-scenes events for exhibition, education, and marketing purposes. In addition, Jessie also managed the Zoo’s exhibition
Description: We’ve all got storage issues to confront. And when we do, some people take great pleasure in getting things organized and others get headaches. A small percentage descend into madness, while an equally small group see and then seize the business opportunities that are generated by the need to keep life, things, and information under control. Over the past few weeks, the
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Wallet, by Amanda Govaert, Creative Commons: Attribution 2.0."][/caption] A recent article by Caitlin McDevitt in the Washington Post, describing Facebook’s expanding role as a hub for digital photography, while providing some surprising facts, raises one particularly interesting issue. As more people post and share
Description: Recently, I read some interesting news about the National Public Radio blog, “The Picture Show,” that explores photographic images and issues.
Description: [caption id="attachment_7871" align="alignleft" width="187" caption="A rendering of the AT&T Building, now the SONY Building, in New York, recently purchased by the Victoria & Albert Museum from a newly discovered cache of material from the Philip Johnson’s architectural practice. Photo courtesy Capelin Communications.
Description: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption=""Backscatter" x-ray scan, courtesy of Flickr user publik16, Creative Commons: Attribution 2.0."][/caption] Following the Christmas Day capture of a passenger, dubbed “The Underwear Bomber,” who attempted to blow up an American airliner, controversy swirls around the use and efficacy of full body scanners and the fate of
Description: A few days ago, I went to an IMAX 3D showing of Avatar to see for myself if the movie is a “game-changer,” as many have suggested. And, it is, but in a way no one seems to be focusing on—the way it acknowledges and exploits photography’s power to shape both everyday and alternate realities. What struck me, as soon as the movie started, was how sophisticated the film’s
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