“The Capture of Tenochtitlán” from Exploring the Early Americas
Visit the Library of Congress and experience the world’s largest collection of culture and creativity like never before. The Thomas Jefferson Building features exhibitions and installations that bring the Library’s unparalleled collections to life. Whether you are in Washington, D.C., or at home, let the Library of Congress take you on a unique and personal journey through history and culture. Millions of items are waiting for you—explore, discover, and be inspired.
Visit myLOC.gov to create a personal account and bookmark items of interest.
Books That Shaped America
June 25–September 29, 2012
Marks a starting point—a way to spark a national conversation on books and their importance in Americans' lives, and, indeed, in shaping our nation. This exhibition will preface the National Book Festival scheduled in September 2012.
To Know Wisdom and Instruction: The Armenian Literary Tradition at the Library of Congress
South Exhibition Gallery, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
April 19–September 26, 2012
Commemorates the 500th anniversary of the first Armenian printing press and book at Venice in 1512 and the designation of Yerevan, Armenia, as UNESCO's Book Capital of the World 2012.
Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
March 20–September 15, 2012
Offers an opportunity to deepen understanding of Japanese culture while celebrating the Washington cherry blossoms as symbols of the enduring friendship between the people of Japan and the United States. Coincides with the city-wide centennial celebration of the 1912 gift.
Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture
Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
June 11, 2010–Ongoing
Politicians and entertainers have dominated public life in America for much of the twentieth century. Members of both professions have found their worlds increasingly entangled. The exhibition explores some of these entanglements, focusing on the careers of Bob Hope and other entertainers who were involved in the political climate of their times. Explore artifacts that represent an array of viewpoints on the interplay of politics and entertainment in American public life.
Thomas Jefferson's Library
Southwest Pavilion, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
April 11, 2008–Ongoing
Take a trip through a re-created version of Jefferson’s library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s greatest thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
Exploring the Early Americas
Northwest Gallery, Second Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
December 12, 2007–Ongoing
Examine indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and the resulting changes caused by the meeting of the two worlds, which features selections from the Jay I. Kislak Collection. This exhibit also features Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map of the world—the first on which the word “America” appears.
Earth As Art 3: A Landsat Perspective
Geography and Map Corridor, Basement, James Madison Building
May 31, 2011–May 31, 2012
Showcases Landsat 7 images created by the United States Geological Survey. Since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected from space information about Earth’s continents and coastal areas. The images on display are actual digital photographs of the Earth, created by printing visible and infrared data in colors visible to the human eye.
Herblock Gallery
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
March 18, 2011–Ongoing
The Herblock Gallery celebrates the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert L. Block—better known as "Herblock"—with an ongoing display of ten original drawings, to change every six months, drawn from the Library's extensive Herbert L. Block Collection.
Swann Gallery
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
March 18, 2011–Ongoing
The Swann Gallery introduces visitors to the fascinating world of caricatures, political cartoons, comics, animation art, graphic novels and illustrations. A permanent memorial exhibition features fifteen facsimiles of treasured cartoons from the Swann and other cartoon collections, which represent the broad range of holdings in the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress Bibles Collection
Great Hall East, First Floor Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
April 11, 2008–Ongoing
Explore the significance of two monumental Bibles that face each other in the Library’s Great Hall—the Giant Bible of Mainz and the Gutenberg Bible. Through an interactive presentation, examine pages from these Bibles and learn about sixteen selected Bibles from the Library’s collections.
The Musical Worlds of Victor Herbert
August 16, 2012 – January 26, 2013
Explores the work of Victor Herbert (1859–1924), Irish-American composer, conductor, and activist, whose best-known work is Babes in Toyland (1903).
Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin
Gershwin Gallery, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
December 11, 2008–Ongoing
Experience the glamour and sophistication of the 1920s and 1930s in this permanent tribute to the brothers who helped provide a musical background to the period. The exhibition contains a wealth of materials that provide insight into their careers and personalities, including manuscript and printed music, lyric sheets and librettos, personal and business correspondence, photographs, paintings, and drawings, all from the Gershwin Collection in the Music Division of the Library of Congress, the world's preeminent resource for materials about the Gershwins.
