Image description: An animated gif that creates a three dimensional illusion by alternating between two photographs of the White House from the late 19th century.
Did you know that many libraries have 3D images that are over 100 years old? These images are called stereographs. The Library of Congress explains that “stereographs consist of two nearly identical photographs or photomechanical prints, paired to produce the illusion of a single three-dimensional image, usually when viewed through a stereoscope.”
Browse over 8,000 stereographs from the Library of Congress.
Or use the New York Public Library’s Stereogranimator to make your own animated gifs from stereographs.
Image courtesy of the New York Public Library.
Donna Summer’s ground breaking all-electronic 1977 hit, the creative wordplay of the Sugarhill Gang, the sounds of Native American culture and the voices of former slaves are among the sound recordings selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The Registry annually adds recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and preserves them for future generations.
Here’s a preview of what was added, in reverse chronological order:
25. “Purple Rain,” Prince and the Revolution (1984)
24. “Rapper’s Delight,” Sugarhill Gang (1979)
23. “I Feel Love,” Donna Summer (1977)
22. Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)
21. “Mothership Connection,” Parliament (1975)
20. “Coat of Many Colors,” Dolly Parton (1971)
19. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970)
18. “The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings,” Gregg Smith Singers (1969)
17. “Forever Changes,” Love (1967)
16. “Green Onions,” Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962)
15. “Bo Diddley” and “I’m a Man,” Bo Diddley (1955)
14. “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)
13. “Let’s Go Out to the Programs,” The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)
12. “I Can Hear It Now,” Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948)
11. “Hula Medley,” Gabby Pahinui (1947)
10. “The Indians for Indians Hour” (March 25, 1947)
9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women’s Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)
8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (Nov. 14, 1943)
7. “Artistry in Rhythm,” Stan Kenton & and his Orchestra (1943)
6. “Fascinating Rhythm,” Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)
5. “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” Patsy Montana (1935)
4. “Voices from the Days of Slavery,” Various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation)
3. “Ten Cents a Dance,” Ruth Etting (1930)
2. “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star,” Lillian Russell (1912)
1. Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)
Read about all of the new entries and hear an audio montage.
From the Library of Congress:
The Alan Lomax Fellows Program, established for a period of five years, supports scholarly research that contributes significantly to a greater understanding of the work of Lomax and the cultural traditions he documented over the course of a vigorous and highly productive seventy-year career. It provides an opportunity, for a period of up to 8 months, for concentrated use of materials from the Lomax Collection and other collections of the Library of Congress, through full-time residency at the Library. The program supports research projects in the disciplines of anthropology, ethnomusicology, ethnography, ethno-history, dance, folklore and folklife, history, literature, linguistics, and movement analysis, with particular emphasis on the traditional music, dance, and narrative of the United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the Caribbean, as well as methodologies for their documentation and analysis. We encourage interdisciplinary projects that combine disciplines in novel and productive ways.
Applications are due on February 28. Learn more about the fellowship and how to apply.
Alan Lomax (1915-2002) was one of the greatest documenters of traditional culture during the twentieth century. The Lomax Collection is a major collection of ethnographic field audio recordings, motion pictures, photographs, manuscripts, correspondence and other materials that represent Alan Lomax’s lifetime of work to document and analyze traditional music, dance, storytelling and other expressive genres that arise from cultural groups in many parts of the world, particularly the United States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the Caribbean.
Learn more about the Lomax Collection.
Image description: This photo is of the Great Hall in the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building. It is recognized as a premier example of the Beaux Arts style, which is theatrical, heavily ornamented, and kinetic. It is a style perfectly suited to a young, wealthy, and imperialistic nation in its Gilded Age.
Photo by the Architect of the Capitol
