Prologue: Pieces of History

                      Have you looked at your money lately? Among the nickels and quarters and dimes, only the copper penny has a bearded profile. But although Lincoln’s facial hair eventually became an iconic part of his image, he originally ran for President as a clean-shaven candidate. [...]

There are few artist in America who so greatly affected the popular landscape as Thomas Nast who was born 170 years ago today. Jolly old St Nick? Not so jolly before the Harper’s Weekly cartoonist plumped him up. The Grand Old Party elephant? Popularized in 1874 by the staunch Republican when talk of a third term [...]

Last week we asked our readers to share photos that match up with some old images we have in our library. We got two responses that really show just how much things have changed in Washington, DC. See our then and now photos, and share your own on our Facebook page! Ford’s Theatre in Lincoln’s [...]

With his goatee and mustache, photographer Mathew Brady himself is an excellent addition to Facial Hair Fridays. In fact, he is the reason we have so many follicle follies to celebrate. There are 6,066 photographs by Brady and his associates in the National Archives collections. Many of the images we’ve looked at and been inspired [...]

Attorney General, Secretary of War, Supreme Court Justice, inspiration for ZZ-Top? Whether the bearded rock band drew their inspiration from Stanton is unclear, but one thing is certain: Edwin Stanton would have made a fine rock star, playing by his own rules and shaking things up in Washington. In fact, perhaps the most fascinating thing [...]