The slave manifest of the brig Orleans, April 27, 1841 is on display from February 21 to March 30 in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Today’s post comes from curator Corinne Porter. From the birth of the American republic to the abolition of slavery, kidnapping for sale into … Continue reading On Display: Record of the Kidnapping of Solomon Northup
Today’s post comes from Alan Walker, archivist at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. A fellow named Ansel Adams visited the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, in 1941. Here's a record--in pictures, of course!--of his visit. Adams was at the National Archives to select and print images from the Mathew Brady collection (now … Continue reading Ansel Adams visits the National Archives
Today's post comes from the National Archives Office of Presidential Libraries. King David Kalakaua of Hawaii was the first head of state to be honored with a White House state dinner on December 12, 1874, by President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant. In the years that have followed, state dinners have come to signify the utmost respect … Continue reading State Dinners at the White House
Today’s post comes from Alan Walker, archivist at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Now, maybe it's happened to you: that "needle in a haystack," "home run," unbelievable find that blew you away, and brought joy to a researcher. We archival folks live for that moment. Let me share with you one such moment … Continue reading “I was a gunner and a gun captain on a 90MM-AAA gun during World War II…”
A new movie due for release next month tells the story of a special unit of Allied soldiers in Europe at the end of World War II. They were charged with finding and savings works of art and other cultural artifacts that the Nazis had seized. Officially, this unit was called the Monuments, Fine Art, … Continue reading Monuments Men Coming to the National Archives
A recently discovered album donated to the National Archives by Monuments Men Foundation President Robert M. Edsel is on display until February 20, 2014. The album is open to a photograph of an important painting by master French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Girl Holding a Dove was repatriated by the Monuments Men in 1946. It sold … Continue reading On display: Finding stolen art using this album
Today's post comes from Cody White, archivist at the National Archives at Denver. Today marks the 178th anniversary of Charles Ingalls's birth! A simple farmer born in Cuba, New York, Ingalls would have likely languished in obscurity had not his second-born daughter Laura taken her childhood recollections and parried them into a timeless and award-winning … Continue reading A receipt for that little house on the prairie
Wow--what a year! Our editorial panel tried to limit this list to ten, but eventually we gave up and picked 14 instead. (For more great National Archives moments, check on out the Top 10 Innovative Moments of 2013.) We also want to send a big thank you to the staff members of the National Archives across … Continue reading Top 14 Moments at the National Archives in 2013
Today's guest post comes from Susan K. Donius, Director of the Office of Presidential Libraries at the National Archives. Among the gifts from heads of state that are in the holdings of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is a menorah presented to President Truman by Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. The … Continue reading From the Presidential Libraries: Hanukkah at the White House
The National Archives presents a musical tribute on December 3 in honor of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy’s commitment to the arts, celebrating their legacy of musical performances in the White House. On November 13, 1961, Pablo Casals performed the Mendelssohn Trio in D minor at the White House. Kenneth Slowik (cello), James Stern … Continue reading A night of music in honor of President and Mrs. Kennedy
