Fred Carisch, Cleveland, 1913, just posted to Flickr.com by Library of Congress

[Fred Carisch, Cleveland AL (baseball)] (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

This is a photo just added to www.Flickr.com by the Library of Congress. In addition to books, the Library has photos, maps, databases, movies, sound recordings, sheet music, manuscripts, and information in many other formats. Millions of items are online, and the full array of collections is available in DC, right across from the U.S. Capitol building

What are photographs doing in a library?

They've been acquiring photos since the mid-1800s when photography was the hot new technology. Because images represent life and the world so vividly, people have long enjoyed exploring visual collections. Looking at pictures opens new windows to understanding both the past and the present. Favorite photos are often incorporated in books, TV shows, homework assignments, scholarly articles, family histories, and much more.

The Prints & Photographs Division takes care of 14 million of the Library's pictures and features more than 1 million through online catalogs. Offering historical photo collections through Flickr is an opportunity to share some of its most popular images more widely.