Snapshots of the Past

Library of Congress--Book conveyors – Antique Print

Library of Congress--Book conveyors, [between 1886 and 1900] — historic photograph
Library of Congress--Book conveyors, [between 1886 and 1900]. Historic photograph from the Library of Congress collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Library of Congress--Book conveyors comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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Library of Congress--Book conveyors

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The conveyor belts in this 1880s to 1890s print are the detail that sets it apart from other views of the library's stacks. The image shows the mechanical system built to move books between the storage stacks and the reading rooms, a practical answer to the problem of fetching volumes from many floors by hand. The Library of Congress was still housed in the Capitol during much of this period, and its staff was planning the larger building that would open in 1897. Photographs like this one record the engineering ideas that were being tested as that new building took shape.

Created / published[between 1886 and 1900]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1880-1900.
SubjectsLibrary of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building (Washington, D.C.)--1880-1900. Bookstacks--Washington (D.C.)--1880-1900. Book conveyors--Washington (D.C.)--1880-1900.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,138 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-161609

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