Facial Hair Friday: The Death Mask of Walter Q. Gresham

Today's featured facial hair is especially appropriate for the approaching Halloween weekend. It's the plaster cast of a beard, taken of the deceased Walter Q. Gresham, who was Secretary of State at the time of his death in May of 1895. This  death mask—complete with a few beard hairs stuck in it—may seem like an oddity … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: The Death Mask of Walter Q. Gresham

Thursday Photo Caption Contest

We enjoyed the many old fashioned names that our captioners suggested: Ellie Mae, Mildred, Ethel, and Frances! I wonder what the subject of our photo would say in response to the captions that suggest she is in the clutches of an OCD attack or is cooking up something  explosive? This week's judge knows something about cooking up … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest

What’s Cooking Wednesday: Halloween BBQ

If you really want to be scared by food, don't miss "Food Frights" on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the National Archives Building! David Gregory of NPR will moderate this discussion about how America's government became involved in food safety and how food safety will look in the future. One of our panelists is Chef José Andrés … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesday: Halloween BBQ

Say cheese, Mr. President: White House photographers at the Truman Library

Only 43 men in the history of the United States have held the title of President. That's a fairly small group , smaller than your average NFL team. But smaller still is the group of professionals who have held the title as the President's chief photographer. To date, only nine men have served as the official White … Continue reading Say cheese, Mr. President: White House photographers at the Truman Library

Food Day Open House

In the "What's Cooking, Uncle Sam?" exhibit, curator Alice Kamps notes that American citizens have demanded that food be safe, cheap, and abundant. From the records in the exhibit, you can see how the Federal Government has responded to these needs over the past decades. But food isn't just a historic record. We continue to talk about food … Continue reading Food Day Open House

Thursday Photo Caption Contest

We were amused by all your suggestions of light-fingered artists and wild wedding cake toppers, but we were most impressed that several of our captioners knew who the artist was—and what that outrageous piece of silver was! In the end, we picked up our editorial trident and poked Darren Cole to make him pick a … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest

Need a Halloween costume? Four food frights from our holdings

This postcard (ARC 2657925) was enclosed with several others as part of a letter from Acting Secretary of State Robert Bacon to U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Whitelaw Reid regarding postcards that were circulating in South Africa regarding the meatpacking industry. Do you like to be scared? If you do, forget about watching Halloween … Continue reading Need a Halloween costume? Four food frights from our holdings

Finding the girl in the photograph

Today's guest post is from Edith Lee-Payne. The dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial will take place this Sunday, October 16. One of the women in attendence will be Edith Lee-Payne. You might recognize her. Photographer Rowland Scherman snapped a photo of Edith, then a 12-year-old girl with her mother, holding a banner at the March on … Continue reading Finding the girl in the photograph

Get your smartphone–we’re on SCVNGR!

We're excited to announce that you can now play with historic records outside the National Archives Building! The Foundation for the National Archives, the National Archives’ nonprofit partner, has partnered with mobile gaming company SCVNGR to build a game that lets you experience our historic records in the very places where their creators lived and worked. … Continue reading Get your smartphone–we’re on SCVNGR!

Thursday Photo Caption Contest

Choosing this week's winner was a difficult as balancing a hat on a burro, so we turned to Mary Ryan, who has seen many strange yet historic images from the holdings of the National Archives in her role the managing editor of Prologue magazine. Congratulations to Kim! Check your e-mail for a code for 15% off in the … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest