Anniston AL Photos

Anniston, AL Photo Gallery

ghb624 on Flickr: Posted a Photo

If you're not familiar with the treasure trove of images available from the Library of Congress, it's a safe bet you don't know what you're missing. Not convinced? Consider an example or two. Above, for instance is a photo by Lewis Hine from one of the library's collections -- accessible through its Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.
www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html

Around the beginning of the 20th century, Hine was preparing to be a sociologist but then discovered photography and realized what a powerful tool for change it could be. He's now mainly remembered for using his camera to push for social reform. Most notably, photographs he took starting in 1904 were instrumental in bringing about reform of child labor laws in the United States.
But he was concerned about working and living conditions more generally, too, as this photo illustrates. It's title in the Library of Congress archives is: "Location: Anniston, Alabama. Housing conditions, Adelaide Mill. The village is run down and greatly in need of sanitary improvements."
Most of the library's photographs can be downloaded at different resolution levels, from small JPEG's to large, uncompressed TIFF's.
Sometimes when I'm browsing through the collections I feel like a kid in a huge candy store where everything is free. (Although, there is this caveat on the front page of the catalog: "Not all images displayed in this catalog are in the public domain.")
As you might guess, the bottom line is a suggestion that if you haven't already done so, you really ought to check it out ...
(And BTW, the library is probably the best thing that's ever come out of our venerable Congress.)

Emily Elstner on Flickr: Posted a Photo