A Gold Rush of Witnesses
Letters, diaries, and remembrances shared on JSTOR by University of the Pacific reveal the hardships of day-to-day life during the California Gold Rush.
The Trailblazing Merze Tate
A celebrated historian of race and imperialism, Tate was an intrepid traveler who avidly shared her passion and meticulously documented her journeys.
Graffiti Limbo
A University of Virginia professor enlisted students to document the messages—profane, hopeful, despairing—left on library carrels by previous generations.
Life Advice From the Armed Forces
These American Forces Information Service posters shared via JSTOR by The University of Alabama in Huntsville offer us the wisdom we didn’t know we needed.
Seeking Clues in Cabinet Cards
The poignant images, at once banal and intimate, in the Lynch Family Photographs Collection contain mysteries perhaps only the public can solve.
Blimps in the Heavens Over Akron
A Goodyear executive dreamt of populating the sky with dirigibles. He settled for securing his company—and his blimps—a place in the public imagination.
The “Vanishing Types” of Doris Ulmann
As her extensive body of work shows, Ulmann felt the loss of an imagined simpler time and tried to preserve it with her camera.
Can You Photograph a Ghost?
William Hope claimed to be able to document the visitations of ghosts. The controversial images he produced add to our understanding of the history of photography.
A Purrrrfect Political Storm
Crazy cat ladies have come to dominate this election season. It’s hardly the first time.