Teaching Notes

Run by George Harris and Martha Ewing, Harris & Ewing Inc. was a photography studio in Washington, DC. This studio photographed many important people, including President Theodore Roosevelt and President William Howard Taft (of which they are most popular for their The Anatomy of a Smile collection). While they photographed many prominent historical figures, Harris & Ewing also captured the lives of people, events, and architecture in Washington, DC. While I couldn’t find any specific information on the man in this photo, it was interesting to learn more about the studio that was responsible for this image.

Teaching Notes

This photo of Mike Sullinger is a part of the North Dakota Writers Projects files. The photos in this collection include “WPA buildings, road construction projects, images of drought, farming, irrigation projects, coal mining, 4-H activities, and agriculture students.” (https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/00075.html) 

“The purpose of the Historical Data Project was to gather biographical and historical information on early settlers in North Dakota. To limit the scope of the survey, a "pioneer" was "defined as a person who was born before 1870 and who lived in Dakota Territory prior to the division into North and South Dakota, or as the first settler in a township." In addition, Historical Data Project personnel prepared historical sketches of North Dakota counties, cities, townships, agriculture, fraternal organizations, political parties, population, railroads, climate, natural resources, prominent citizens, etc., and prepared transcripts of early North Dakota county and township records having genealogical and historical value. The survey work of the Historical Data Project ceased in 1940.” (https://www.history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/00075.html)

Teaching Notes

By 1945, women made up 37% of the workforce, which was an increase of 27% since 1940. During this time, many women were domestic workers, clerical workers, sales/factory workers, teachers, and nurses. The woman in the photo here remains a mystery, but I wonder what her story is. I assume she also works at the Library and is cataloging books or other items. Here is another photo I find interesting from 1942, where Jewal Mazique can be seen cataloging as well.

You can learn more about the card catalogs at the Library of Congress here.

Teaching Notes

I find this photograph to be fascinating. This is an image of 3 women (unnamed and unknown - although, if the TPS Network members can find their identities, I would love to know) auto repair workers in Los Angeles, California during World War I. After some research, I learned that many women worked for automotive companies. In fact, an article from Henry Ford states, “The factories, short on men during war, employed women to work on the engines. It was said manufacturers preferred women in some of the work as they were more detail oriented and better suited to delicate work requiring a fine touch.” Women were crucial to the war efforts and to the American economy during this time. I would love to do more research about the efforts of women at this time and how they paved the way for women in the future.

Teaching Notes

Ray Halstead’s life was very well documented by photographer, Lee Russell. You can find more photographs of him here. The Farm Security Administration (FSA) was created in order to fight poverty in rural areas during the Great Depression. The FSA is known for its photography program, which documented the challenges many people faced in rural and impoverished communities in America. You may know one of the most famous photos from this time period, Dorothea Lange’s, Migrant Mother.

Teaching Notes

"The George Grantham Bain Collection represents the photographic files of one of America's earliest news picture agencies. The collection richly documents sports events, theater, celebrities, crime, strikes, disasters, political activities including the woman suffrage campaign, conventions and public celebrations. The photographs Bain produced and gathered for distribution through his news service were worldwide in their coverage, but there was a special emphasis on life in New York City. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1900s to the mid-1920s, but scattered images can be found as early as the 1860s and as late as the 1930s."