An amusement for all
Stereographs, a pair of nearly identical images positioned side by side on a card, were popular from the 1850’s well into the 20th century. When looking at a...
Dallas highways
This photograph of the Central Expressway and other highways in downtown Dallas, Texas, was taken in May 1972 for the Documerica photography project. The...
Decorating the Elephant House
The National Zoological Park was founded in 1889 and became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1890. As its collections expanded in the 1930s, it began a new...
Devastation in San Francisco
This photograph of California Street looking north from Battery Street and the wholesale fruit and produce district shows the damage wrought by the 1906 San Francisco...
Faneuil Hall
This print of Faneuil Hall in Boston was done by an artist working for the Works Projects Administration’s Federal Art Project. The Project provided jobs for...
Fire ladder
James Johnson’s invention for a fire ladder was patented on April 18, 1831. He states in his application that the ladder on wheels allows for easy access to a...
Iron railings and burglar proof vaults
This undated drawing of the first floor of the Sub-Treasury Building at 26 Wall Street in New York City shows a building criss-crossed by iron railings, burglar proof...