The Prints and Photographs collection in the Library of Congress number more than 15 million images. Maintaining the archive is a big job and a retiring librarian has picked her favorite pictures after working there for 34 years.
In Jan Grenci’s final blog post for the Library of Congress Prints and Photos, she shares photos of a gorgeous 1960s Chevrolet Corvette, a hungry cat, and an inspirational message written in grapefruit.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with the collections of the Prints and Photographs Division and seeing a lot of rare, memorable images,” Grenci writes.
Exhibit of Grapefruit at the Imperial County Fair, California. Photo by Russell Lee, March, 1942.To comprehend the scale of the inspirational message. Exhibit of Grapefruit at the Imperial County Fair, California. Photo by Russell Lee, March 1942.Untitled.Tap dancing class in the gymnasium at Iowa State College. Ames, Iowa. Photo by Jack Delano. May 1942.Charles Ruggiero, a clerk in a grocery store in New York’s Italian section, wishes the handful of spaghetti he is breaking were Mussolini’s neck. Photo by Howard Liberman. July, 1942.A colorful motel in Wildwood, New Jersey. Photo by Carol M Highsmith, 2006.Even the cats know the refrigerators contain plenty of food at the Casa Grande Farms. Pinal County, Arizona. Photo by Russell Lee, 1940.Cat on a fireplace. Photo by Harris & Ewing, between 1923 and 1929A Chevrolet Corvette in Detroit, August 7, 1964. Photo by Thomas J. O’HalloranThe National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London, England. Circa 1901.Two pigeons on a ledge with a view of the Chrysler Building in the background. Photo by Angelo Rizzuto. June 1957.Freight train operations on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad between Chicago and Clinton, Iowa. At the end of the trip, the engine goes off to the roundhouse as conductor Wolfsmith waves goodbye to the engine crew. Photo by Jack Delano, January 1943.
Grenci says that she is not yet sure if she is retiring entirely but says that she has been working at the Prints and Photographs collection in the Library of Congress since 1990.
The blog post can be seen here and the Flickr album with Grenci’s picks can be seen here.
