us national archives stuff

One of the classics

catalog.archives.gov/id/7455613

Two men. The one on the floor with his eyes open is wearing a white toga and purple cloak. There are spots of blood on his toga. The other man kneels, holding the wrist of the dead man. He is wearing a leather breastplate, sandals with leather laces around his lower legs, and a blue cloak. He is staring directly at the camera.

"[U]nidentified actors . . . during the play "Julius Caesar" presented in the Rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, Missouri, November 15 and 16, 1958."

catalog.archives.gov/id/348293532

midcentury poster showing a man seated with his head in his hand, and "THAT TIRED FEELING" across the front. "Rx REGULAR REST and SLEEP / GOOD FOOD [dot] RECREATION"

mood

catalog.archives.gov/id/515538

Envelope with "Simeon / Dial, Cinnamon / Co K, 50 U.S. Col'd Inf / Private - Private / Card Numbers" and then a bunch of numbers taht show which cards are held inside the envelope.

Service record for Civil War soldier Simeon (Cinnamon) Dial.

catalog.archives.gov/id/55422327

Bumper-sticker-shaped poster that says PUT MORE PUNCH INTO PRODUCTION, with an illustration of a giant arm and fist punching a tiny Hitler. His cap is flying off. He is wearing a Nazi uniform with a swastika armband.

Put More Punch Into Production, WWII poster from England.

catalog.archives.gov/id/44266955

Drawing of cards in three columns. The first column has word prefixes; the middle column has word roots, and the last column has suffixes. Presumably during game play you put together words.

C.P. Goldey's Game Cards, patented 7/26/1881.

catalog.archives.gov/id/363430278

microscopic view of wood, in which you can see mostly little cells and some big cells. it looks like a lacy knit with holes torn in it.

Microscopic view of wood, from the Forest Service.

I just think it's pretty.

catalog.archives.gov/id/7059691

Two sailors bend to drink from funnel-shaped fountains that surround a large barrel.

Drinking from the scuttle butt on the USS Charleston, April 4, 1906.

catalog.archives.gov/id/6880361

a fish and wildlife person in an orange vest over a black coat stands in a lake about up to their knees. they are next to a tripod from which is suspended a sort of hammock or stretcher that holds a four-foot lake sturgeon up to be weighed. the fish is lying on its side in the fish hammock, one fin waving a little. it looks how I feel.

USFWS biologist Henry Quinlan weighing a lake sturgeon, 2007.

catalog.archives.gov/id/166712314

The Archivist's Code The archivist has a moral obligation to society to preserve evidence on how things actually happened and to take every measure for the physical preservation of valuable records. On the other hand, he has an obligation not to commit funds to the housing and care of records that have no significant or lasting value. The archivist must realize that in selecting records for retention or disposal he acts as the agent of the future in determining its heritage from the past. Therefore, insofar as his intellectual attainments, experience, and judgment permit, he must be ever conscious of the future's needs, making his decisions impartially without taint of ideological, political, or personal bias. The archivist must be watchful in protecting the integrity of records in his custody. He must guard them against defacement, alteration, or theft, he must protect them against physical damage by fire or excessive exposure to light, damp, and dryness; and he must take care to see that their evidentiary value is not impaired in the normal course of rehabilitation, arrangement, and use. [full text at link]

The Archivist's Code:

"The archivist has a moral obligation to society to preserve evidence on how things actually happened and to take every measure for the physical preservation of valuable records."

catalog.archives.gov/id/3493260

A person on a sled behind a team of dogs. I see nine black and white husky-type dogs pulling the sled, and one tan dog on the sled. The person has their hands in their pockets. Snow covers the ground, and in the background are snowy pine trees and maybe some birches.

Iditarod sled dog race, March 1974.

catalog.archives.gov/id/42207538

Sp5c. Johnson, President Johnson, and an unidentified man stand in front of the US Army flag. Johnson is putting the Medal of Honor around the neck of Sp5c. Johnson.

Specialist Fifth Class Dwight Johnson receives the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War, 11/19/1968

catalog.archives.gov/id/192526

One of the Pointer Sisters is wearing a red dress, grinning, and reaching out to hold the hand of a sailor. Another Sister is in the background, dancing with a sailor. There is a large group of sailors sitting and smiling as they watch the show.

Two of the Pointer Sisters perform in a USO show on the USS San Jose during Operation Desert Shield, on 12/1/1990.

catalog.archives.gov/id/6468525

A Black man uses a pickaxe to dig in a large hole. His clothes are torn and mended.

A man mines phosphate, somewhere in the Tennessee River Valley. 10/1/1934.

catalog.archives.gov/id/214436946

May 24, 1926 [ . . .] Dear Sir: I have a letter before me addressed to Pompey Facton, from the Bureau of Pensions of date April 22nd, last, advising that his claim for pension as survivor of the Indian Wars in rejected on the grounds that "No new elements has been brought into the case." Factor-Facton a he is known by in the Army came to me some time in March, last, and requested that I file his application for pension, stating to me that he had never filed before and therefore, I knew nothing of his claim having been previously rejected. This old gentleman is an illiterate and has no recollection of dates of any information that would assist in the prosecution of his claim, and has to depend on his friends who served in the Scouts with him to assist him with this information. Parties that know him state that he was in the service during the years 1874-75, and that he did fight Indians during that period. He has a medal of Honor that ws awarded him, he states, for saving the life of then Liet. Bullis his Commander from an attack of Indians at a place known as Painted Cave on Devils' River (Texas), and which he thinks happened in the year of 1875. He states that Lt. Bullis, John Ward, Isaac Payne and himself, while enroute to some village, the name of which I do not recall, were overtaken by a band of Indians at the place called Painted Cave, that the Indians were in great numbers, and I believe during the fight the horse of Lt. Bullis was killed. That the Indians were about to surround them and that John Ward taken Lt. Bullis off with him of his (sic)Ward's horse, while Payne and Factor fought off the Indians, and that in this way they escaped. This medal the old gentleman guarded all these years and would not part with it for anything, but he has consented that I send it to you in hope that it may be of help in the prosecution of his claim. The old man is now feeble, in need and deserving, and if his story as relate to me is

true, which I have reasons to believe is true, for the two witnesses to his application for pension, related to me that they had occasion to stop at the place where this fight with the Indians occured(sic) and looked over the grounds shortly after the fight, and that it was during the yer 1875, I cannot see why he is not entitled to a pension. I have prepared affidavits for him signed by the two witnesses to his petition for pension, which affidavits are now on file in the Bureau of Pensions, to the effect that Pompey Factor and Pompey Facton is one and the same person, and the same party who now holds this medal, and why and when the medal was awarded to him. Should you find that anything can be done in this case, and should need other affidavits I think that we can procure them for parties here that served with Facton at that time.. We are unable to furnish affidavits by any of the parties that were with Facton in this fight with Indians a he is the only survivor, the other three named having died. I am mailing you the medal under separate cover, and enclosing you herewith return postage, and will ask that after you have completed your investigation that you return same to me, as I have assumed the responsibility of returning the medal safely to this old gentleman. Thanking you for any information concerning this claim, I am, Yours very truly, (Signature) Carl Kartes (Handwritten note) [6/5/06] Returned bronze medal inscribed " The Congress to Priv. Pompey Facton Indian [Scout]" Carl Kartes (3 initials, cannot read)

Pompey Factor, one of the Black Seminole Scouts, had trouble verifying his service so he could receive his military pension. His lawyer resorted to sending in Factor's Medal of Honor as proof.

catalog.archives.gov/id/75298117

A man in a tuxedo stands near a window with the light on one side of his face. He is holding a silver tray with a silver coffeepot and creamer on it.

"Portrait of Ronald "Ron" Guy, White House Executive Butler," 11/14/2001

catalog.archives.gov/id/7431198

FIRST NAVAL DISTRICT OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT NAVY YARD, BOSTON, MASS. 12 August, 1919. CIRCULAR LETTER NO. 179-19 From: Commandant, First Naval District To: All Units, First Naval District 1. The following is quoted for the information and guidance of the First Naval District: "NAVY DEPARTMENT Bg-Ld. C.S. CIRCULAR LETTER. August 2, 1919. From: Acting Secretary of the Navy. To: Commandants, Naval Districts, Commandants and Industrial Managers, Navy Yards and Naval Stations, Inspectors of Ordnance in Charge, Inspectors of Machinery, U.S.N., etc. Subject: The Civil Service Act - Provisions prohibiting political coercion. 1. There are quoted below for your information and guidance two provisions contained in the Civil Service Act of January 16, 1883, prohibiting political coercion: "--- no person in the public service is for that reason under any obligations to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and --- he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so. (Sec. 2, clause 2, par. 5) "--- no person in said service has any right to use his official authority or influence to coerce the political action of any person or body. (Sec. 2, clause 2, par. 6)" 2. It is directed that the above-quoted provisions be strictly complied with. (Sgd.) FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT." H.O. DUNN.

"--- no person in the public service is for that reason under any obligations to contribute to any political fund, or to render any political service, and --- he will not be removed or otherwise prejudiced for refusing to do so."

catalog.archives.gov/id/6267052

A group of kids (middle-school age?) play baseball in a large paved lot surrounded by a short brick wall. Other kids stand/sit and watch. Apartment buildings are in the background.

Children play in North Philadelphia, September 1973.

catalog.archives.gov/id/552755

Panoramic photo of maybe 50 people standing outdoors. They are wearing red, white, blue, or yellow shirts, and arranged in a vague American flag with a yellow border sort of way. They're mostly all smiling, it's nice.

Employee Appreciation photo, 6/6/2014, at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (Civilian) at Valmeyer, Illinois.

catalog.archives.gov/id/301693359

The online portal to the records held at the National Archives, and information about those records.

You can find the 363 million pages, plus photos, maps, films, and more in the online catalog:

catalog.archives.gov

blue dot with "3.05%" in it, next to a long bar that is 3.05% dark blue. As of February 2025, there are 363,800,919 scans online representing 3.05% of the estimated total number of textual pages in NARA's holdings. 11,922,307,387 estimated total textual pages (link to Learn more about these numbers)

About 3 percent of the National Archives' textual holdings are online.

www.archives.gov/findingaid/r...

A woman stands behind a log fence, holding a toddler standing on one rail. Behind them is a log cabin. The woman is wearing a cloth over her hair and a puff-sleeved dress. She is holding a white cloth under her arm. The child is wearing a white dress, side-button shoes, and a sort of bowler-style hat.

Creek Freedmen* outside their home in 1900.

*People of African descent who were formerly enslaved by citizens of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Also their descendents, obvs this baby was not enslaved <1866 but it is very hard to explain all the history in one tweet

catalog.archives.gov/id/516396

A man guides a plow behind a gray horse (tbh it might be a mule, I'm bad at identifying mules). The sky and field look endless, and there's a big tree at one side.

A tenant farmer in Putnam County, Georgia, plows a cornfield in 1941.

catalog.archives.gov/id/521339

Three Black men use shovels to fight a smoldering fire in a forest.

Men of the Triple Nickles (555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, the first Black parachute infantry battalion) fight a fire caused by a Japanese incendiary bomb in Umatilla National Forest in 1945.

catalog.archives.gov/id/148728140

We are at the 4 o'clock of the military chaplain, who is holding a small booklet. A man and woman facing him hold hands. In the background are another man and woman. Everyone is wearing military uniforms. The men have flowers in their lapel buttonholes. There are some flowers and potted plants around the small altar between the chaplain and the happy couple. Everyone in the photo is Black.

A wartime wedding in the European Theater. Pfc. Florence Collins and Cpl. William Johnson were married on 8/19/1945.

catalog.archives.gov/id/531314

Three Black women in uniforms (light blouses, dark high-waisted trousers, and garrison caps. They are each standing next to a bicycle. Two of them are smiling and waving.

"While awaiting assignment after arriving in Australia, first [Black] nurses to reach these shores try bicycle riding near their quarters in Camp Columbia, Wacol, Brisbane." 11/29/1943.

catalog.archives.gov/id/178140880

A smiling Archives employee standing in a cubicle. She is using a handheld barcode scanner to scan the page on top of a giant pile of paperwork that is on the desk.

The National Archives' National Personnel Records Center at St. Louis receives and processes over 4,000 requests for veterans' records per day.

catalog.archives.gov/id/184341469

President Obama bends over so a five-year-old boy can reach out and touch Obama's head. They are in the Oval Office, and the boy's family stand at the side of the photo.

Five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia touches President Obama's hair to see if it feels like his own, 5/8/2009.

catalog.archives.gov/id/157649650

A woman holds a vial and a Sharpie. She is wearing a white baseball cap, aviator sunglases, a dark blue lab coat, coral top and earrings, and nitrile gloves. She looks chic.

"Microbiologist examining core sample from bioremediation demonstration," at the EPA in 1996.

catalog.archives.gov/id/7868756