Library of Congress
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 Washington, DC
loc.gov
Joined June 2007
12,460 Photos and videos
The road to free and fair elections in the United States began with this document, the Declaration of Independence. This is Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of that document, which is on exhibition at the Library of Congress through July 3, 2027. Make your plan to come see it at loc.gov/visit.
Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, shown May 14, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT Thomas Jefferson's handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence, shown May 14, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

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MAGAZINE MONDAY | On this day in 1897, the Library of Congress' Jefferson Building had just opened, and already its dazzling decoration and soaring architecture were being discussed as sources of national pride! It's still just as impressive 129 years later. ⬇️ lcm.loc.gov/issue/july-augus…
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Something you may not know about Harry Houdini, who died 100 years ago today: He left his library — one of the world’s largest private collections of books on magic, witchcraft, demonology, spiritualism and psychic phenomena – to the Library of Congress. blogs.loc.gov/loc/2026/10/de…

Death of the Magician: 100th Anniversary of Houdini’s Tragic Death | Timeless

Harry Houdini died 100 years ago this Halloween, the master magician shuffling off this mortal coil on Oct. 31, 1926. But his real final act — the Prestige, in the parlance — was that he never really...

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It's almost Halloween! What better time to take a look at some of the Library’s most chilling rare books? Here, Rare Book and Special Collections Division Chief Stephanie Stillo discusses how Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” is represented in the collections.
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It's National Cat Day! We’re sharing everyone’s favorite feline from the Library's Prints and Photographs Division, Brünnhilde, and some of her friends from the collection. 😻
Photograph shows side view of a cat wearing a winged helmet and breastplate armor in the role of the valkyrie Brünnhilde from the opera Der Ring des Niebelungen. Weidhaas, Adolph Edward, photographer. 1936.

ALT Photograph shows side view of a cat wearing a winged helmet and breastplate armor in the role of the valkyrie Brünnhilde from the opera Der Ring des Niebelungen. Weidhaas, Adolph Edward, photographer. 1936.

Photograph shows Benjamin Fink, half-length portrait, standing, facing front, holding Tiger, referred to as "Tige", the White House cat with President Calvin Coolidge. 1924. National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

ALT Photograph shows Benjamin Fink, half-length portrait, standing, facing front, holding Tiger, referred to as "Tige", the White House cat with President Calvin Coolidge. 1924. National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Seated woman, side view, with a white cat on her shoulder. February 1894 and February 1901. C.M. Bell Studio Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

ALT Seated woman, side view, with a white cat on her shoulder. February 1894 and February 1901. C.M. Bell Studio Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

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Put this on your to-do list of FREE cultural experiences in Washington, D.C. ⬇️
Library of Congress
@librarycongress
Oct 28
The Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress—considered one of the world’s finest acoustic environments—turns 101 today! 🥳 🔗 loc.gov/concerts Benefactor Elizabeth Coolidge funded its construction AND provided a permanent fund for concerts, which are FREE to the public and still ongoing today.
The Dalí Quartet, accompanied by Ricardo Morales on clarinet, performs during the Library's annual Stradivari concert in the Coolidge Auditorium, December 18, 2023. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT The Dalí Quartet, accompanied by Ricardo Morales on clarinet, performs during the Library's annual Stradivari concert in the Coolidge Auditorium, December 18, 2023. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

The Daedalus Quartet and members of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company perform "Elusive Pierce/Disparate Stairway Radical Other" in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 3, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT The Daedalus Quartet and members of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company perform "Elusive Pierce/Disparate Stairway Radical Other" in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 3, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Cuban-Swiss musician Yilian Cañizares blends her native Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and classical music during a performance in the Coolidge Auditorium, April 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT Cuban-Swiss musician Yilian Cañizares blends her native Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and classical music during a performance in the Coolidge Auditorium, April 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Roberto Díaz performs on the Library's 1690 "Tuscan-Medici" viola by Antonio Stradivari, with accompaniment by mezzo-soprano Judy Zhuo and pianist Lynn Ye, during a concert celebrating the viola's acquisition by the Library, May 14, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT Roberto Díaz performs on the Library's 1690 "Tuscan-Medici" viola by Antonio Stradivari, with accompaniment by mezzo-soprano Judy Zhuo and pianist Lynn Ye, during a concert celebrating the viola's acquisition by the Library, May 14, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

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The Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress—considered one of the world’s finest acoustic environments—turns 101 today! 🥳 🔗 loc.gov/concerts Benefactor Elizabeth Coolidge funded its construction AND provided a permanent fund for concerts, which are FREE to the public and still ongoing today.
The Dalí Quartet, accompanied by Ricardo Morales on clarinet, performs during the Library's annual Stradivari concert in the Coolidge Auditorium, December 18, 2023. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT The Dalí Quartet, accompanied by Ricardo Morales on clarinet, performs during the Library's annual Stradivari concert in the Coolidge Auditorium, December 18, 2023. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

The Daedalus Quartet and members of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company perform "Elusive Pierce/Disparate Stairway Radical Other" in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 3, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT The Daedalus Quartet and members of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company perform "Elusive Pierce/Disparate Stairway Radical Other" in the Coolidge Auditorium, June 3, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Cuban-Swiss musician Yilian Cañizares blends her native Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and classical music during a performance in the Coolidge Auditorium, April 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT Cuban-Swiss musician Yilian Cañizares blends her native Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz and classical music during a performance in the Coolidge Auditorium, April 9, 2026. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

Roberto Díaz performs on the Library's 1690 "Tuscan-Medici" viola by Antonio Stradivari, with accompaniment by mezzo-soprano Judy Zhuo and pianist Lynn Ye, during a concert celebrating the viola's acquisition by the Library, May 14, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

ALT Roberto Díaz performs on the Library's 1690 "Tuscan-Medici" viola by Antonio Stradivari, with accompaniment by mezzo-soprano Judy Zhuo and pianist Lynn Ye, during a concert celebrating the viola's acquisition by the Library, May 14, 2025. Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress.

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Today, in honor of Theodore Roosevelt's birthday, we are sharing that the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress has acquired its first copy of Roosevelt's famous Milwaukee, Wisconsin speech of Oct. 14, 1912, delivered immediately after he was shot by attempted assassin John Schrank. 🧵
A photograph of the newly-acquired copy of the Theodore Roosevelt speech delivered immediately after he was shot by would-be assassin John Schrank. Centered in the photo is the line "I have just been shot".

ALT A photograph of the newly-acquired copy of the Theodore Roosevelt speech delivered immediately after he was shot by would-be assassin John Schrank. Centered in the photo is the line "I have just been shot".

A screenshot of an image on the front page of The Atlanta Georgian and News from Oct. 16, 1912. The headline reads, "How Colonel Roosevelt Was Shot." Below that is a "photo-diagram" with an image of Roosevelt waving to a crowd with the shooter drawn in to the image.

ALT A screenshot of an image on the front page of The Atlanta Georgian and News from Oct. 16, 1912. The headline reads, "How Colonel Roosevelt Was Shot." Below that is a "photo-diagram" with an image of Roosevelt waving to a crowd with the shooter drawn in to the image.

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This newly acquired copy of the speech is a version typed by Elbert Martin, Roosevelt's stenographer (pictured), who is also well known for tackling Schrank after he fired the shot. It contains numerous penciled emendations and alterations to the text made by Roosevelt himself. 🧵
Elbert Martin and bullet-pierced speech. Photo related to John F. Schrank's attempted assassination of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in Oct. 1912. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

ALT Elbert Martin and bullet-pierced speech. Photo related to John F. Schrank's attempted assassination of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in Oct. 1912. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

A photograph of the newly-acquired copy of the Theodore Roosevelt speech delivered immediately after he was shot by would-be assassin John Schrank. it shows some of Roosevelt's own penciled emendations.

ALT A photograph of the newly-acquired copy of the Theodore Roosevelt speech delivered immediately after he was shot by would-be assassin John Schrank. it shows some of Roosevelt's own penciled emendations.

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The speech that is now held by the Library is NOT the one from Roosevelt's pocket that famously slowed down the bullet, although there are images at the Library that represent that fortuitously-placed copy, including the picture of Martin holding it (above), a political cartoon, and an X-ray!
Editorial cartoon reads: "We are against his politics but we like his grit." Roosevelt holds paper marked "speech" with bullet hole at top. Cartoon by William Allen Rogers.

ALT Editorial cartoon reads: "We are against his politics but we like his grit." Roosevelt holds paper marked "speech" with bullet hole at top. Cartoon by William Allen Rogers.

X-Ray of Roosevelt (shows bullet). Photo related to John F. Schrank's attempted assassination of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in Oct. 1912. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

ALT X-Ray of Roosevelt (shows bullet). Photo related to John F. Schrank's attempted assassination of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in Oct. 1912. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

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To celebrate National Roller Skating Month, here's a segment of an All-American News reel featuring the roller skating craze of the 1940s. 🛼 These newsreels were the first produced specifically for a Black audience. See more of them here. ⬇️ go.loc.gov/GCpV51018xV
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MAGAZINE MONDAY | Technology lets us hear Amelia Earhart’s voice on a tiny recording, played for the first time. Read about it in the current issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. ⬇️ lcm.loc.gov/issue/september-…

Voice From Aviation History

A (tiny) recording of Earhart’s 1932 London speech, played for the first time.

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It's World Series time! Before radio and TV broadcasts, if you wanted to watch the big game but couldn't attend, you might keep track via a "Playograph." This mechanical device was manually operated by people working behind the board, showing crowds where the ball and players were at any given time.
Photo shows crowd gathered outside the New York Herald newspaper building in New York City to watch a "playograph" during the World Series, 1911. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

ALT Photo shows crowd gathered outside the New York Herald newspaper building in New York City to watch a "playograph" during the World Series, 1911. Bain News Service photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Advertisement in The Washington Daily News, Monday, Oct. 4, 1926 advises baseball fans to "See the World's Series on The Washington Daily News Playograph," an "ingenious mechanical devise that reproduces the actual game play by play" via "a special wire from the ball park to the rear of the Playograph" that "insures speed and accuracy." "As fast as a play is made a crew of three operators will reproduce it for you on the Playograph."

ALT Advertisement in The Washington Daily News, Monday, Oct. 4, 1926 advises baseball fans to "See the World's Series on The Washington Daily News Playograph," an "ingenious mechanical devise that reproduces the actual game play by play" via "a special wire from the ball park to the rear of the Playograph" that "insures speed and accuracy." "As fast as a play is made a crew of three operators will reproduce it for you on the Playograph."

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Spooky season special: The Library is home to the sole surviving nitrate print of the first film adaptation of "Frankenstein," produced in 1910 by the Edison Manufacturing Company! Watch the full film and learn how it came to the Library. ⬇️ blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/11/th…
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The Library has recently acquired two letters written by former first ladies Martha Washington and Mary Todd Lincoln. They provide researchers and the public with a rare glimpse into the private lives of these remarkable women. newsroom.loc.gov/news/librar…
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The Library's Liljenquist collection of Civil War photographs contains several images, like these, of veterans who fought for the Union posing with family members (likely their grandsons) who served in World War I. More of the Liljenquist collection. ⬇️ loc.gov/pictures/collection/…
Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in G.A.R. uniform with medals and World War I sailor, probably grandfather and grandson.

ALT Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in G.A.R. uniform with medals and World War I sailor, probably grandfather and grandson.

Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran with World War I soldier in G.A.R. uniform with medals with World War I soldier, probably grandfather and grandson.

ALT Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran with World War I soldier in G.A.R. uniform with medals with World War I soldier, probably grandfather and grandson.

Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in uniform, wearing a medal, seated next a World War I soldier in uniform, probably grandfather and grandson.

ALT Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in uniform, wearing a medal, seated next a World War I soldier in uniform, probably grandfather and grandson.

Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in G.A.R. uniform with medals and World War I sailor, probably grandfather and grandson.

ALT Photograph shows portrait of Union veteran in G.A.R. uniform with medals and World War I sailor, probably grandfather and grandson.

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MAGAZINE MONDAY | Read all about how the Library is digitizing the classic Farm Security Administration photographs (all 175,000 of them) in a massive, multiyear project. ⬇️ lcm.loc.gov/issue/september-…

Preserving the 175,000 FSA Photographs, One at a Time

In a yearslong project, the Library is making high-resolution copies of images in this iconic collection.

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Did you know the Wright brothers had a sister? Katharine Wright was not only a caretaker to the Wright family after their mother died and to Orville after a test flight injury, but also a college graduate, a teacher, a suffragist and a member of the Wright Company alongside her brothers. 🧵
Katharine Wright, wearing a leather jacket, cap, and goggles, aboard the Wright Model HS airplane with Orville, 1915.

ALT Katharine Wright, wearing a leather jacket, cap, and goggles, aboard the Wright Model HS airplane with Orville, 1915.

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The Library of Congress is home to the Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers, which also contain some of Katharine's correspondence. Check it out. ⬇️ loc.gov/resource/mss46706.02…

Family Papers: Correspondence--Wright, Katharine, May-June 1908

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The conservators at the Library of Congress mend a lot of paper by hand, but sometimes the situation calls for a different method. That's where this process comes in.
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