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Rediscover The Arlington Post Office

If you live in Arlington County, you have the Arlington Post Office in Clarendon to thank for the name of your street.

Arlington County Rural Delivery Routes, Library of Congress, 1920.

After the boom of World War I, Arlington’s previously bucolic countryside began to develop into small sleeper communities, off-shoots from Washington, D.C. The rural roadways of Arlington evolved organically, along with the neighborhoods. They took unexpected turns, dead-ended, and had different names from one end to the other, using local neighborhood names rather than official ones. Among the more than 200 duplicate roads in Arlington in 1930, there were eight Arlington Avenues and two Arlington Streets, five Cedar Streets, five Maple Streets, three Hamilton Avenues, and ironically, two First Streets.

Much of the County was served by rural mail delivery from the Georgetown post office in Washington, whose service was unreliable partly because of the disconnected, changing, and unpredictable Arlington street names. The U.S. Postal Service required clear enumeration systems for properties to provide dependable service, so Arlington established a committee of citizens to create a coherent street naming system. This also provided an opportunity for the County to create a unified sense of identity for all its residents.

In September 1934, Arlington changed its street names to embrace an alphanumeric system which had latitudinal streets taking numeric names, and longitudinal streets taking alphabetical and syllable-based names. Since the County had not developed strictly along a grid system, many streets did not fall within this pattern, so some allowances were made for major thoroughfares whose names did not follow this standard.

This standardization of Arlington’s street names paved the way for a county-wide postal system, and within two years the sum of $200,000 was allocated for a new postal building whose service would cover everywhere from Georgetown to Glencarlyn. The land was purchased for $24,850 in August 1936 (equivalent to roughly $3.7 million in 2020) and by the end of that year designs for the building were already underway. Louis A. Simon, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, was the highest authority on the project; however, there were so many individual designers on the plans that no one author could be identified.

From a guide on Arlington’s complicated street system, Arlington County Department of Public Works “Arlington County Street Naming System,” September 1984.

The construction of the Post Office - first federal building in Arlington County - attracted a lot of attention. Thousands of people attended the May 1937 ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone after watching a 40-float parade. The Postmaster General, James Farley, and Arlington’s Congressman, Howard Smith, watched as the cornerstone was laid with same trowel that was used to lay the founding stone of the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument.

The Sun noted on May 7, 1937, “The fact that Uncle Sam decided it was time to build us a ‘real’ post office means we are not the only ones who think we’re an important community.”

Construction moved quickly, and the office opened for business on December 13, 1937.

Laying the cornerstone for the Arlington Post Office, S.I. Markle, 1937. Courtesy of the Arlington Historical Society.

The architectural style of the Arlington Post Office (APO) is considered Georgian Revival, which is characterized by exaggerations and adaptations of the 18th-century Georgian style popular in New England. The Georgian style was denoted commonly by two-story rectangular buildings with five window/door openings on each floor and decorative embellishment around the central door.

The APO building is a common bond brick single-story with a full basement. The domed portico is a signature characteristic, flanked by stylized tri-partite (or Palladian) windows which are typical of Georgian design. The imposing throwback to classical architecture and the use of imposing fluted concrete columns at the entrance is typical of the 1930s style.

Arlington Post Office, 2018, Historic Preservation Program Archive

After the Great Depression, the Federal government began to invest in many infrastructure systems, both to provide jobs and to improve national morale. Although the Federal Art Project of the Works Projects Administration (WPA) is the best-known New Deal-era funding program, the murals in the Arlington Post Office were funded by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Art (The Section) which had been established by President Roosevelt in October 1934. Roosevelt had been inspired by a friend to develop The Section modeled after a Mexican project which paid artists to paint murals in government buildings.

Over nine years, The Section paid for 1,309 murals and 332 sculptures for courthouses and post offices nationwide. These were meant to depict America’s values - hard work and simple lifestyles - to encourage people during an era of economic hardship.

"I, too, have a dream - to show people in the out of the way places, some of whom are not only in small villages but in corners of New York City - something they cannot get from between the covers of books -some real paintings and prints and etchings and some real music." - Franklin Roosevelt to Hendrik Willem Van Loon, January 6, 1938

Auriel Bessemer won the national competition to paint the Arlington Post Office murals and based his images on local sites and occurrences. His painting style was characteristic of the Art Deco era. The scenes include picnicking at Great Falls, romanticized visualizations of the encounter of Native Americans and settlers, the lives of enslaved people in Virginia, and the apocryphal story of John Smith’s journey. Bessemer produced sanctioned work for the Federal Government, while also owning a progressive art gallery in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C. and writing anti-fascist poetry, including the stanza “Prepare mankind, yet blind, for mutual slaughter.”

Auriel Bessemer, Tobacco Picking in the Late Colonial Era, 1940. Arlington Post Office Mural. 

Auriel Bessemer, Early Indian Life on Analostan Island, 1940. Arlington Post Office Mural.

The Arlington Post Office, renamed for County Board chair and Congressman Joseph L. Fisher in the 2000s, became an Arlington County Local Historic District in October 1984, which provided it with protections from demolition and unregulated exterior alterations. It was added to the honorary National Register of Historic Places in February 1986 for its role in creating a single Arlington identity, and for its distinctive architecture. As Clarendon grew, the landscape changed around the APO, transforming a mid-century single-story commercial streetscape into a growing multi-use corridor. When a site plan project was proposed adjacent to the historic building and its 1946 commercial neighbor (originally the Scheff Store, then the Dan Kain trophy store, now Lyon Hall), the Local Historic District status of both historic buildings protected them during redevelopment.

The Arlington County Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) helped preserve the single-story streetscape while allowing new development behind the historic buildings to provide commercial and residential density in the popular downtown area. During the development, the Keating Partners funded the restoration of the murals which were on display in the Arlington Public Library before they were returned to the post office.

Visit the original Arlington Post Office (once it is safe to) to patronize a mail center with an 83-year history, as well as to see the restored Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Art murals in place.

"Preservation Today: Rediscovering Arlington" is a partnership between the Arlington Public Library and the Arlington County Historic Preservation Program.

Preservation Today: Rediscovering Arlington
Stories from Arlington’s Historic Preservation Program

Arlington’s heritage is a diverse fabric, where people, places, and moments are knitted together into the physical and social landscape of the County.

Arlington County’s Historic Preservation Program is dedicated to protecting this heritage and inspiring placemaking by uncovering and recognizing all these elements in Arlington’s history.

To learn more about historic sites in Arlington, visit the Arlington County Historic Preservation Program.

Quaranzine: Issue 7

May 26: Keep Hope Alive

Quaranzine is a weekly collection of creative works from the Arlington community that documents how we responded to this strange time we find ourselves in. Submit your own work.

A little humor and a reminder to look on the bright side.
Katrina Kubik, "Sunny Side Up" - A little humor and a reminder to look on the bright side.
I drew this piece during my time spent isolating due to our current situation. I've noticed a lot more families spending time together and I wanted to make that the main focus of this piece. I think it is a sweet thing that even during scary times of uncertainty, you can see new positives such as neighbors working together as a community, people trying new hobbies, or even the increased amount of time spent outdoors.
Sirena Pearl, "The Quarantine is Surreal" - I drew this piece during my time spent isolating due to our current situation. I've noticed a lot more families spending time together and I wanted to make that the main focus of this piece. I think it is a sweet thing that even during scary times of uncertainty, you can see new positives such as neighbors working together as a community, people trying new hobbies, or even the increased amount of time spent outdoors.
Here's #CatadayApril Day 25, modeled after the "cat tuba" meme.
Alexandra Bowman, "#CatADayApril, Day 25" - Here's #CatadayApril Day 25, modeled after the "cat tuba" meme.
This is a pencil portrait of my 2 year old son, Krish. All I need is a good photograph, my sketchbook, pencils, and a quarantine to speed things up and finish in record time!
Rohitha Bhushan, "Krish" - This is a pencil portrait of my 2 year old son, Krish. All I need is a good photograph, my sketchbook, pencils, and a quarantine to speed things up and finish in record time!
A poem about changes that need to be made.
Rashmi Dighe, "New Day" - A poem about changes that need to be made.
Early in the pandemic, I received a postcard from a friend that prompted a much needed laugh. So I decided to start making some DIY postcards to send to folks using stuff I had around--mostly The Post, scissors, glue, and some markers. It's become a bit of an obsession.
Pat Loverich, "Postcards from the Pandemic" - Early in the pandemic, I received a postcard from a friend that prompted a much needed laugh. So I decided to start making some DIY postcards to send to folks using stuff I had around--mostly The Post, scissors, glue, and some markers. It's become a bit of an obsession.
During my Social Isolation I continue to create montages of my various interests and businesses to put in my over 135 scrapbooks and share with my 2,600 plus friends on Facebook. I have also been going through my collection of over 20,000 photos and using Photoshop. I have created some works of personal art and again enjoy sharing. I encourage everyone who is bored and looking for something to do during this period of quarantine to get out all those old memories, diplomas, military experiences, sports & other heroics, articles, invitations, photos etc. to organize them and share with friends and family. This is a particularly fun project to share with children and grandchildren. All you need to do this type of project is a printer, a scanner, glue, construction paper, scissors, and a scrapbook or binder. This is a montage of all the cars I have owned over the years, beginning with my first peddle car, and the more recent additions to the collection including my 1957 Thunderbird. I might also mention that sharing the things in my scrapbooks on Facebook has brought interest from all kinds of media, including feature stories in Arlington Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine.
Michael O'Harro, "Photo Montage of my Cars Over the Years" - During my Social Isolation I continue to create montages of my various interests and businesses to put in my over 135 scrapbooks and share with my 2,600 plus friends on Facebook. I have also been going through my collection of over 20,000 photos and using Photoshop. I have created some works of personal art and again enjoy sharing. I encourage everyone who is bored and looking for something to do during this period of quarantine to get out all those old memories, diplomas, military experiences, sports & other heroics, articles, invitations, photos etc. to organize them and share with friends and family. This is a particularly fun project to share with children and grandchildren. All you need to do this type of project is a printer, a scanner, glue, construction paper, scissors, and a scrapbook or binder. This is a montage of all the cars I have owned over the years, beginning with my first peddle car, and the more recent additions to the collection including my 1957 Thunderbird. I might also mention that sharing the things in my scrapbooks on Facebook has brought interest from all kinds of media, including feature stories in Arlington Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine.
John Conroy, "COVID Postcards"
The state of the union in the age of the global COVID-19 pandemic is sorely lacking direction. Our union needed to be prepared to act swiftly, but aside from a few other countries, this was not so. It is said "we are all in this together," but alas, this is not how many in our union are acting. If we do not act together, we will have no union left when we reach the other side.
Jennifer Beinhacker, "The State of the Union" - The state of the union in the age of the global COVID-19 pandemic is sorely lacking direction. Our union needed to be prepared to act swiftly, but aside from a few other countries, this was not so. It is said "we are all in this together," but alas, this is not how many in our union are acting. If we do not act together, we will have no union left when we reach the other side.
Poster art: Acrylic painting on Poster. “Seeing colors of creativity in 2020” Seeing and giving feeling to emotions using art to express The inner thoughts on social and emotional response to the current epidemic happening the world today.
Jennie Lovelace, "2020 Spectrum" - Poster art: Acrylic painting on Poster. “Seeing colors of creativity in 2020” Seeing and giving feeling to emotions using art to express The inner thoughts on social and emotional response to the current epidemic happening the world today.
I never thought that RuPaul's Drag Race would be helping me keep track of the days of the week, but here we are. New episodes on Fridays have helped punctuate the end of each week. Here is fan art of my favorite queen this season, Jaida Essence Hall. The runway theme was "Stars & Stripes."
Janelle Ortiz, "Jaida Essence Hall" - I never thought that RuPaul's Drag Race would be helping me keep track of the days of the week, but here we are. New episodes on Fridays have helped punctuate the end of each week. Here is fan art of my favorite queen this season, Jaida Essence Hall. The runway theme was "Stars & Stripes."
Many Arlingtonians are lucky to be in a position to contribute by staying at home during this pandemic. This painting represents how quickly that routine can feel like “Groundhog Day.”
Jacqueline Acker, "Groundhog Day" - Many Arlingtonians are lucky to be in a position to contribute by staying at home during this pandemic. This painting represents how quickly that routine can feel like “Groundhog Day.”
An abstract piece done in pen and ink with watercolor markers on mixed media paper. This piece is an example of one of the ways I've been dealing with this quarantine: through highly detailed, Zentangle-inspired art.
Hannah Foster, "Coral Roses" - An abstract piece done in pen and ink with watercolor markers on mixed media paper. This piece is an example of one of the ways I've been dealing with this quarantine: through highly detailed, Zentangle-inspired art.
In this time of quarantine, nature, even in our urbanized county, is fully available at all times, providing both solace and a space for reflection. My experience of the dusk, with its mellow light and late-singing birds is uplifting, but tinged with melancholy now.
Gregory Luce, "May Dusk" - In this time of quarantine, nature, even in our urbanized county, is fully available at all times, providing both solace and a space for reflection. My experience of the dusk, with its mellow light and late-singing birds is uplifting, but tinged with melancholy now.
Diane Kresh, "Playing for Time #2"
This conceptual work in the style of Paul Cézanne attempts to portray a man that is getting tired of social distancing along the banks of the Ohio River.
David Stanley, "Tired of Social Distancing" - This conceptual work in the style of Paul Cézanne attempts to portray a man that is getting tired of social distancing along the banks of the Ohio River.
Submit to Quaranzine

The next deadline for submissions to Quaranzine is Thursday, May 28

This Week in 19th Amendment History: Nannie Helen Burroughs

May 20, 1961: Nannie Helen Burroughs Passes Away

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about the people and events that led to the passage of women’s suffrage in the United States.

Nannie Helen Burroughs, who was a leading educator, feminist and suffragist in the Washington, D.C., area throughout the early 20th century, founded a school for girls and women and was an active member in her community.

Portrait of Nannie Helen Burroughs (left) and unidentified companion, ca. 1900. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Early Life

Burroughs was born on May 2, 1879, in rural Orange, Virginia. Both of her parents were formerly enslaved, and her father passed away when Burroughs was a young girl. She and her mother subsequently moved to Washington, D.C., where Burroughs spent the majority of her childhood.

She was an exemplary student and graduated with honors from the M Street High School, now the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Though she excelled academically, she was denied a teaching job in the Washington, D.C., public school system – however, this setback would not hinder her goal to further the education of those in need.

Nannie Helen Burroughs (center) and others at the National Training School in Washington, D.C., taken around 1909. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Training School

Burroughs then decided to establish her own school to educate and train African American women who could not pursue a traditional educational path. Burroughs brought her proposal to the National Baptist Convention, and the organization decided to support her idea. The group bought six acres of land in the Lincoln Heights area of Northwest Washington, D.C., but this was only the beginning of her journey to open the school. Not wanting to rely on wealthy white donors, Burroughs gained the support of small donations from African American women and children to raise the funds to open the school. Once the fiscal matters were in order, Burroughs was able to open the National Training School for Women and Girls in 1909.

Originally operating out of a small farmhouse on the property, the school was popular and well-attended through the first half of the 20th century. The curriculum at the school was rigorous, including courses both vocational and academic, such as dressmaking, power machine operation, music, and physical education. Students could also participate in activities such as the school newspaper. Most of the students came from working-class backgrounds and hailed both from the Washington, D.C., area and other countries around the world.

Early supporters of the school included Black history scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson and president of the National Association of Colored Women, Mary McCleod Bethune, who also spoke at the dedication ceremony. Burroughs outlined her goals for the school as training women for jobs both in and outside of the traditional female job sphere, and aiming for each student to become “the fiber of a sturdy moral, industrious and intellectual woman.” In 1928, the school saw an expansion, and a larger building – called Trades Hall – was constructed, with 12 classrooms, three offices, an assembly hall, and a print shop.

Student basketball players at the National Training School for Women and Girls, between 1900 and 1920. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Woman’s Convention of the National Baptist Convention

At the same time as Burroughs lead her school and students, she was also an activist and advocate. Notably, she was involved in supporting greater civil rights and suffrage for African Americans and women. She wrote and spoke extensively on these topics, highlighting the need for African American and white women to work together to achieve the right to vote for all. She also emphasized that suffrage for African American women was key in protecting them in a persistently prejudiced and discriminatory society.

Starting early in her career, she was active in the Woman’s Convention of the National Baptist Convention, many of whose members were fellow suffragists and who discussed suffrage topics at their meetings. In 1900 she delivered a speech at the group’s annual meeting entitled “How Sisters Are Hindered from Helping,” and at the 1905 First Baptist World Alliance meeting in London, gave a speech called “Women’s Part in the World’s Work.” Burroughs also served as the corresponding secretary of the Woman’s Convention for 48 years and helped the organization grow its membership to 1.5 million by 1907.

“Nine African-American women posed, standing, full length, with Nannie Burroughs holding banner reading, Banner State Woman's National Baptist Convention.” Published between 1905 and 1915. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Legacy

Throughout her life she also became part of the vibrant community of African American women suffragists, advocating for the cause alongside Coralie Franklin Cook, Anna Julia Cooper, Angelina Weld Grimké, Lucy Diggs Slowe, and Mary Church Terrell. African American women’s clubs were a strong network in Washington, D.C., and Burroughs was also active in these groups, including the National Association of Colored Women, the National Association of Wage Earners, and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

Burroughs served as president of her school until her death on May 20, 1961, and three years later, the school changed its name to the Nannie Helen Burroughs School in her honor. Trades Hall now houses the Progressive National Baptist Convention and is a National Historic Landmark.

Nannie Helen Burroughs photographed between 1900 and 1920. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

2020 marked the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment. 

This Week in 19th Amendment History: Shifts and Splits in the Suffrage Movement

May 10, 1866: 11th National Woman’s Right Convention

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about the people and events that led to the passage of women’s suffrage in the United States.

In 1866, the women’s suffrage movement experienced a significant change in its organization as the various groups leading the struggle toward women’s suffrage split over certain issues.

Key among them was support for the 15th Amendment, (passed in 1869), which states that "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."

American Equal Rights Association

One of the major groups leading the suffrage movement at this point was the American Equal Rights Association (AERA). The organization was founded on May 10, 1866, at the eleventh National Woman’s Right Convention by suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The group outlined its goal to “secure Equal Rights to all Americans citizens, especially the right of suffrage, irrespective of race, color, or sex.”

The AERA featured a diverse group of members, many prominent figures in the suffrage and abolition movements. Among those who played significant roles in the group were Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, Frederick Douglass, and Henry Blackwell. A number of African-American women also held leadership roles, including Harriet Purvis, Sarah Remond, and Sojourner Truth.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (left) and Susan B. Anthony (right). Stanton and Anthony broke off to form the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 after disagreement over the 15th Amendment, which they both opposed. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Advocacy for All

The American Equal Rights Association was initially focused on advocating and campaigning for the rights of both women and African Americans in the United States, and on gaining suffrage for both.

At the first anniversary meeting of the group, on May 9 and 10 in 1867, the group’s leadership wrote:

“Let the gathering, then, at this anniversary be, in numbers and character, worthy, in some degree, the demands of the hour. The black man, even the black soldier, is yet but half emancipated, nor will he be, until full suffrage and citizenship, are secured to him in the Federal Constitution. Still more deplorable is the condition of the black woman; and legally, that of the white woman is no better!

Shall the sun of the nineteenth century go down on wrongs like these, in this nation, consecrated in its infancy to justice and freedom? Rather let out meeting be pledge as well as prophecy to the world of mankind, that the redemption of at least one great nation is near at hand.”

Divisions in the AERA

This approach was short-lived, however, as prejudices were increasingly exposed in the group. This was particularly clear in New York and Kansas, two states with notable and controversial suffrage campaigns led by the AERA.

The New York campaign focused on entering women’s suffrage into the state’s constitutional revisions, as well as fighting discrimination against Black voters. Horace Greeley, a notable newspaper editor, and abolitionist, was chair of this campaign’s suffrage committee, and later came into disagreement with Stanton and Anthony. Greeley wanted to focus solely on Black male suffrage, while Stanton and Anthony wanted the focus on white women's suffrage.

The Kansas campaign was even more pivotal to the split, as the state was about to vote on both suffrage for white women and suffrage for African American men. Stanton and Anthony decided to back George Train, who used racist vitriol to further his campaign against granting African American men suffrage. Anthony’s writing also became more anti-Black during this time. Other members of the AERA stood up against this approach, notably Lucy Stone, but ultimately neither suffrage bill passed in Kansas.

In 1869, a final blow was dealt to the existing structure of the women’s movement. Two days prior at the AERA annual meeting, acrimonious debates had marked the group’s discussions. Frederick Douglass notably called out Stanton for denigrating Black male voters in her work in Kansas.

Two days later, on May 15, 1869, the AERA disbanded permanently. On that same day, Stanton and Anthony broke off to form the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).

The executive committee of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association. Image courtesy of Spartacus Educational.

National Woman Suffrage Association / American Woman Suffrage Association

Headquartered in New York City, the aim of National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was to promote suffrage for white women and to oppose the 15th Amendment.

Later that year, another group emerged: led by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Brown Blackwell, as well as Julia Ward Howe, the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) supported the 15th Amendment along with women’s suffrage.

The split between these two groups lasted nearly two decades. However, in 1890, Lucy Stone’s daughter, Alice Stone Blackwell, successfully led a merger, leading to the creation of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). (Among the founding members was Washington DC activist Mary Church Terrell.)

This was the first time in decades the suffrage movement had been united under one banner, but racism within the movement persisted. Though the group was not segregated nationally, local chapters could and did exclude African American women. The struggles and shifts in these groups demonstrate the deeply ingrained prejudices that have accompanied the American suffrage movement for decades.

“Suffragists Mrs. Stanley McCormick and Mrs. Charles Parker, April 22, 1913.” Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

“Horse drawn float declares National American Woman Suffrage Association’s support for Bristow-Mondell amendment.” Circa 1914. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

2020 marked the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment. 

Quaranzine: Issue 5

May 11: Keep Your Chin Up

Quaranzine is a weekly collection of creative works from the Arlington community that documents how we responded to this strange time we find ourselves in. Submit your own work.

Sometimes home can be a refuge. In these times, home feels a bit confining. Tara Barr is a lifelong art lover and a working mom in the DC area. She recently decided to make painting a high priority in her life after setting it aside for over a decade to focus on her family and her career in technology. Tara is inspired by great design, interesting details, and nostalgic memories. You can show your support following @tarabarr.art on Instagram.
Tara Barr, "Woman House" - Sometimes home can be a refuge. In these times, home feels a bit confining. Tara Barr is a lifelong art lover and a working mom in the DC area. She recently decided to make painting a high priority in her life after setting it aside for over a decade to focus on her family and her career in technology. Tara is inspired by great design, interesting details, and nostalgic memories. You can show your support following @tarabarr.art on Instagram.
A comic about how our family is social distancing outside.
Meehea Davis, "Social Distancing" - A comic about how our family is social distancing outside.
Communication in the time of self-isolation - Long live the paper airplane (hands washed before folding, of course!)
Katrina Kubik, "Quarantine Conversations" - Communication in the time of self-isolation - Long live the paper airplane (hands washed before folding, of course!)
This year every polar bear gets his or her own ice floe, and a nice coronavirus mask to go with it.
Jacqueline Joyce, "Polar Bears Practice Social Distancing in the Age of Global Warming" - This year every polar bear gets his or her own ice floe, and a nice coronavirus mask to go with it.
A brief observation of two people in a situation that may illuminate new approaches to co-existing.
MaryAnn Cunningham, "Us, Quarantined and Disrupted" - A brief observation of two people in a situation that may illuminate new approaches to co-existing.
I captured this picture when I was exploring black & white in my photography work. Working on this made me understand even though there are no colors in the picture, it conveys many more ideas, philosophies, feelings and emotions that one might miss in a color photograph. Some, if not most of the time, different colors might distract from the actual content. I have used symmetry, weightage of elements in a frame as my compositional elements.
Naga Sathya Bharadwaja Dandibhotla, "Patience" - I captured this picture when I was exploring black & white in my photography work. Working on this made me understand even though there are no colors in the picture, it conveys many more ideas, philosophies, feelings and emotions that one might miss in a color photograph. Some, if not most of the time, different colors might distract from the actual content. I have used symmetry, weightage of elements in a frame as my compositional elements.
Watercolor Sketch
William Tinto, "Rosslyn from the Balcony" - Watercolor Sketch
Butterflies (angels) in the heavens protecting us and signalling us to stay calm and peaceful, that everything will be okay...while coronavirus is in mid-air, non-discriminating among human beings of all shapes & sizes, races, cultures, and ethnicities on earth.
Radhika Goel, "Be Zen" - Butterflies (angels) in the heavens protecting us and signalling us to stay calm and peaceful, that everything will be okay...while coronavirus is in mid-air, non-discriminating among human beings of all shapes & sizes, races, cultures, and ethnicities on earth.
While we are all in our little bubbles, it is important to maintain the connections between friends, family and other human beings in general. It may feel tenuous at times, but hold on and we will get through this together - at a distance.
Molly McCracken, "Hold On" - While we are all in our little bubbles, it is important to maintain the connections between friends, family and other human beings in general. It may feel tenuous at times, but hold on and we will get through this together - at a distance.
Six individually made masks using paper in various forms. Rolled newspaper, magazine paper, tissue paper, paper strips. Some pieces have additional materials such as beads and fabric. Cardboard for backing with hemp string for hanging.
Michelle Frazier, "My Paper Obsessions" - Six individually made masks using paper in various forms. Rolled newspaper, magazine paper, tissue paper, paper strips. Some pieces have additional materials such as beads and fabric. Cardboard for backing with hemp string for hanging.
My water color group is not meeting (physically) during the siege (that's what it feels like!), but I'm going through my photo albums for inspiration!
Winifred Scheffler, "Afternoon Street Scene" - My water color group is not meeting (physically) during the siege (that's what it feels like!), but I'm going through my photo albums for inspiration!
This papercut hangs on my door to thank all those working for USPS, parcel services, and delivery services. The figure is inspired by the eagle logo for USPS, in the style of the Egyptian god Horace (an eagle-headed human).
Melanie Kehoss, "Delivery Heroes" - This papercut hangs on my door to thank all those working for USPS, parcel services, and delivery services. The figure is inspired by the eagle logo for USPS, in the style of the Egyptian god Horace (an eagle-headed human).
It has become taboo for me to venture outside of my own yard in search of interesting subjects to photograph. The requirement to minimize exposure in public areas and maintain social distancing has forced me to look closer to home to find photogenic scenery. This has inspired me to venture into the world of macrophotography. Macrophotography is photographing very close objects and it calls for special lenses with very small minimal focusing distances. This particular shot was taken on the brick wall that comprises the barrier around my yard and garden. This small jumping spider was more than cooperative in staying very still during this shoot. I used a Sony A7rII and Sony's 90mm Macro lens with a tripod to steady the shot.
Joshua Keyfauver, "Social Distancing" - It has become taboo for me to venture outside of my own yard in search of interesting subjects to photograph. The requirement to minimize exposure in public areas and maintain social distancing has forced me to look closer to home to find photogenic scenery. This has inspired me to venture into the world of macrophotography. Macrophotography is photographing very close objects and it calls for special lenses with very small minimal focusing distances. This particular shot was taken on the brick wall that comprises the barrier around my yard and garden. This small jumping spider was more than cooperative in staying very still during this shoot. I used a Sony A7rII and Sony's 90mm Macro lens with a tripod to steady the shot.
I am grieving the loss of my one and only and I want to share, especially with Everly Jazi, because her poem is titled the same as mine.
Carol Regier, "Love in the Time of Coronavirus" - I am grieving the loss of my one and only and I want to share, especially with Everly Jazi, because her poem is titled the same as mine.
Quarantine spring: blooming redbuds, a lonesome Nats VW, showy tulips, and peaceful aubrieta. But even though it's spring, the outdoors are as empty and quiet as winter's first snow.
Krista O'Connell, "Quarantine Spring" - Blooming redbuds, a lonesome Nats VW, showy tulips, and peaceful aubrieta. But even though it's spring, the outdoors are as empty and quiet as winter's first snow.
This picture represents my feelings about making it through hard times. Persistence and self-expression were qualities Frida Kahlo demonstrated throughout her life. When I was looking through recent paintings I was thinking about Frida Kahlo and what art means to me during this difficult time for all of us.
Cynthia Killough, "Frida 1932" - This picture represents my feelings about making it through hard times. Persistence and self-expression were qualities Frida Kahlo demonstrated throughout her life. When I was looking through recent paintings I was thinking about Frida Kahlo and what art means to me during this difficult time for all of us.
"A poem about how quarantined monotony can make us miss even the most mundane occurrences of the outside world, and inspire us to contribute to its betterment so that we may return to it.
Jessie Garber, "Lemonade" - A poem about how quarantined monotony can make us miss even the most mundane occurrences of the outside world, and inspire us to contribute to its betterment so that we may return to it.
I came across this anatomy coloring book -- it's from the 70s, I think medical students use it -- while looking for something to prop up my laptop to record video lectures due to the quarantine. Now I'm using it to make one piece of analog/digital art per day. I color a page, then I look for interesting combinations of words from that same page, then I use my iPhone and its rudimentary photo editor to compose two images for an instagram post (@jackeddielove). Here are the images from a particular post, placed side by side as a diptych.
Jack Love, "Ability To Love" - I came across this anatomy coloring book -- it's from the 70s, I think medical students use it -- while looking for something to prop up my laptop to record video lectures due to the quarantine. Now I'm using it to make one piece of analog/digital art per day. I color a page, then I look for interesting combinations of words from that same page, then I use my iPhone and its rudimentary photo editor to compose two images for an instagram post (@jackeddielove). Here are the images from a particular post, placed side by side as a diptych.
A neighbor in Madison Manor placed this painted stone in a garden patch of phlox, cheering us as we pass on our walks. These small gestures take on so much meaning when our worlds have been reduced to home and surrounding area. Better days are coming.
Claire Reinburg, "In Phlox" - A neighbor in Madison Manor placed this painted stone in a garden patch of phlox, cheering us as we pass on our walks. These small gestures take on so much meaning when our worlds have been reduced to home and surrounding area. Better days are coming.
Alphabet poem on the things we miss about life in Arlington while quarantined
Marty and Ann Stevens, "Miss Arlington 2020" - Alphabet poem on the things we miss about life in Arlington while quarantined
My husband and I are tucked away at home without kids or pets, so I decided to spoil our family of air plants with handmade knit ""sweater"" planters. Our time at home may just take us to the next level of crazy plant parents. Materials: 100% cotton yarn
Chrissy Bloom, "Family of Air Plants in Knit Sweater Pots" - My husband and I are tucked away at home without kids or pets, so I decided to spoil our family of air plants with handmade knit ""sweater"" planters. Our time at home may just take us to the next level of crazy plant parents. Materials: 100% cotton yarn
I crocheted these doilies using crochet cotton thread. I used vintage (circa 1950s and 60s) or other crochet patterns freely available in the public domain.
Sucharitha Iyer, "Vintage Crotchet Doily " - I crocheted these doilies using crochet cotton thread. I used vintage (circa 1950s and 60s) or other crochet patterns freely available in the public domain.
My neighbors’ decorations are ever-changing, but always thoughtful and full of heart. On a recent day, this inflatable piñata was sporting a face mask and googly eyes to remind you that COVID-19 is no party.
Maria Lauron, "No Party" - My neighbors’ decorations are ever-changing, but always thoughtful and full of heart. On a recent day, this inflatable piñata was sporting a face mask and googly eyes to remind you that COVID-19 is no party.
Rawlins Park, Washington DC. Taken March 18, 2020.
Rawlins Park, Andrew Musko, "A Lone Park Bench" - Washington DC. Taken March 18, 2020.
I am a freelance illustrator from Washington D.C. and serve as a political cartoonist for environmental news platform Our Daily Planet, as well as an illustrator for Georgetown University Office of Communications. In order to help me keep artistic and mental discipline during quarantine, I started an online art challenge called #CatadayApril, in which participants were encouraged to draw one cat every day in April. I created a prompt list as well as official graphics for the challenge.
Alexandra Bowman, "Cat Video Lawyer" - I am a freelance illustrator from Washington D.C. and serve as a political cartoonist for environmental news platform Our Daily Planet, as well as an illustrator for Georgetown University Office of Communications. In order to help me keep artistic and mental discipline during quarantine, I started an online art challenge called #CatadayApril, in which participants were encouraged to draw one cat every day in April. I created a prompt list as well as official graphics for the challenge.
The image is a joke about a failed attempt at wearing a face mask.
David Moss, "Mask Fail" - The image is a joke about a failed attempt at wearing a face mask.
Susan Miller, "Two Worlds"
My toddler daughter wishing her neighborhood friend a happy 5th birthday during social distancing. Like other neighbors who wanted to help the birthday girl celebrate, we made a Happy Birthday sign and some drawings and taped them to our window for her to see.
Shabnam Bozzelli, "Wishing Neighbor Friend a Happy Birthday" - My toddler daughter wishing her neighborhood friend a happy 5th birthday during social distancing. Like other neighbors who wanted to help the birthday girl celebrate, we made a Happy Birthday sign and some drawings and taped them to our window for her to see.
Submit to Quaranzine

The next deadline for submissions to Quaranzine is Thursday, May 14

Video: Stepping Stones to Early Literacy

Did you know that young children begin developing early literacy skills when they are very small? These are pre-reading skills, which is the knowledge children have about reading and writing before they can actually read and write.

The videos and information on these pages will give you simple tips and suggestions about how you, as parents and caregivers, can support your children in developing these building blocks to reading—just by engaging with your children in five basic practices:  Singing, Playing,  Talking, Reading,and Writing.

These are the basic practices that are part of Every Child Ready to Read, which is a joint initiative of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children.

This Week in 19th Amendment History: Suffragist Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

May 4, 1912

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with stories about the people and events that led to the passage of women’s suffrage in the United States.

Over 100 years ago this week a 16-year-old suffragist named Mabel Ping-Hua Lee made history when she lead one of the major women’s suffrage marches in New York City.

Dr. Mabel Lee, date unknown. Photo from the George Grantham Bain Collection, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Lee was born near Hong Kong in 1896 and moved to the United States in 1905 to join her father, who was serving as a missionary. Lee was granted a visa as part of an academic scholarship and attended the Erasmus Hall Academy in New York City, one of the oldest schools in the nation.

Throughout her teens, Lee grew increasingly involved in New York’s suffrage movement. On May 4, 1912, Lee rode on horseback at the head of a parade to advocate for women’s voting rights, along with suffragists Annie Rensselaer Tinker, Anna Howard Shaw (carrying a banner from the National American Woman Suffrage Association), and members of the Women’s Political Union. Ten thousand people attended this gathering, which started in Greenwich Village.

She later spearheaded another major march in 1917, leading Chinese-American women in a pro-suffrage parade down Fifth Avenue along with the Women’s Political Equality League.

“Youngest parader in New York City suffragist parade.” Participants in the May 4, 1912, women’s march in New York City that Mabel Lee helped to lead. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Lee later attended Barnard College, an all women’s school founded because the nearby Columbia University refused to admit women at the time. There, Lee was part of the Chinese Students’ Association and wrote feminist essays – among them “The Meaning of Women’s Suffrage,” written in 1914. In this piece, Lee argued that suffrage for women was essential to a successful democracy.

She also continued her advocacy work as a speaker, and in 1915 delivered a speech on behalf of the Women’s Political Union, which was covered by the New York Times. Entitled “The Submerged Half,” it urged members of the Chinese-American community to promote girls’ education and women’s participation in civic life.

Mabel Lee in her Barnard College yearbook. Image courtesy of Barnard College.

Though women were granted the right to vote in New York in 1917, and nationally in 1920, Lee’s fight for universal suffrage would continue onward. The reality was that not all women benefitted from these laws: under the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese women were not allowed to vote. Under the law, which also limited Chinese immigration, Chinese immigrants were not allowed to become citizens, and Chinese women like Lee would not be able to vote until the law was removed in 1943 and they could become citizens. Despite these barriers, Lee and fellow suffragists continued to advocate for women’s rights.

She also went on to receive a Ph.D. in economics at the previously all-male Columbia University, the first Chinese woman to do so. Later in life, Dr. Lee also served as director of the First Chinese Baptist Church in New York City.

Dr. Mabel Lee died in 1966. In 2018, U.S. Congress approved legislation to rename the United States Post Office at 6 Doyers Street in China Town, New York City, in her honor.

Lee was featured in an April 13, 1912, New York Tribune article prior to her participation in the women’s march in New York City on May 4. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Read More:

NY Times Article from May 5, 1912, about the suffrage parade.

2020 marked the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States. 

Preservation Week: Preserving Your Family’s Documents

To celebrate Preservation Week this year, the Center for Local History is offering some tips and resources that will help ensure that your family documents and photographs will be available to future generations!

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In 2010 the American Library Association organized the first Preservation Week to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage materials, to raise awareness about collecting and preservation, and to provide information and guidance to the general public about preserving family collections.

Here is a guide to preserving your documents and photographs:

Part 1: Physical Documents and Photographs

When you start working on your documents/photos keep in mind the four enemies of paper and photographs:

  • Heat
  • Humidity
  • Light
  • Careless handling by people

Make sure to have a clean, clear space prepared to place the originals before you get them out and do not eat, drink, or smoke around originals.

Papers and Documents

  • Wash hands before handling paper and don’t apply lotion as it can stain paper. Paper can be handled without gloves because clean, lotion-free hands will not stain the paper, and gloves can make it hard to handle delicate paper.
  • It is best to handle important, fragile paper items by their edges
  • Remove paper clips and rubber bands which can cause permanent damage to paper
  • Turn pages carefully, don’t force.
  • Store papers opened and flat rather than folded
  • Separate highly acidic pieces of paper, e.g. newsprint, from other items by sandwiching blank sheets of archival quality paper between them, or if possible, make copies on acid-free paper and throw the clippings away.
  • Store items in protective enclosures such as archival folders or polypropylene film sleeves in acid-free boxes
  • Always store paper records in a cool, dry place, generally not in attics or basements. A temperature of 68 degrees or less and 35%-40% humidity is best. Wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity are the most harmful and to be avoided.
  • Display framed items on interior walls away from sunlight and keep indoor lighting exposure to a minimum. Use UV filtered glazing for frames. Alternately, make copies for display and keep the originals stored away from all exposure to light.
  • Always store paper away from bright light. Damage from light is cumulative and irreversible and can cause fading of inks, yellowing as well as darkening of paper.

Photographs

  • As with paper always wash your hands and don’t use lotion before handling photographs. However, unlike paper, photographs should be handled WITH  Fingerprints can cause permanent stains that may not show up immediately.  If gloves are not available, handle photos by the edge.
  • Store photographs and important documents in a cool, dry place where there is minimal fluctuation in temperature and humidity. Avoid attics and basements. Damp conditions encourage mold and cause photographs to stick together. Hot storage can speed deterioration
  • Temperatures of about 68 degrees and 30% to 40% humidity is fine. Below 15% humidity and photos can become brittle.
  • Store individual photographs and slides in polyester or polypropylene pages or sleeves.
  • When purchasing albums or storage boxes, look for those that are acid-free.
  • Never use an adhesive on your photographs. Use photo corners, polyester mounting strips, or sleeves to mount photographs in albums.
  • Store negatives in a separate location from albums and prints. That way you will ensure that one copy will survive in case of a disaster.
  • Use a soft #2 pencil to label photographs if you must label on the back. For photos with a slick back you can use light blue art pencil such as a “Prismacolor non-photo blue.” DO NOT label with a regular pen.
  • If the photos are encapsulated in a sleeve you can write the information on a piece of acid-free paper and place with the photo. It is very important to label photos so your descendants will know who is who! If you can’t identify someone, try to find a relative who can help.

Part 2: Scanning and Organizing Your Digital Photographs

Planning it Out

Take some time to figure out what you have and what you want to do with your digital images. Everyone’s home collections are different; you know best what you have and what your end goals are. Planning out your home digitization project can help you make decisions about storage and organization of digital images farther down the road.

  • What do you have?
    • What physical materials do you have that you want to scan? How many digital images do you have? And what formats are they all in?
  • What’s your goal?
    • Sharing and displaying – how do you imagine using these images?
    • Storage – you will need enough room to hold all your current digital images with space for future ones. You’ll also want to organize them in a way that you can find them later when you (or someone else) need them.
    • Information – where and when were the photos taken? Who is in them? Images have more value if you know that information.

Doing the Work

For your photos at home, you’ll want to use a flatbed scanner. Do NOT throw those photos away after you scan them! Those originals are the link to your history. Scans are just copies.

Scanning of Physical Media

  • Scan to a format that is well established (nowadays, that is TIFF and JPEG).
  • You will need two copies of every scan – a master and an access copy.
    • The master is your original scan, at a high resolution with great detail. It’s the parent of any access copy you make.
    • Access copy is the smaller copy you can play with. Its easier to send and save. You can play around with this copy: make it black and white, crop it, do effects, etc. If you mess up or need a clean copy for a new project, you can go back to your master and start again.
  • Scan your master and create your access copy with editing software according to the following specs:
    • Prints – 400-600 dpi TIFF files, 16-bit depth, always in color (master); 300-600 dpi JPEG (access copy)
    • Slides (aka Transparencies) – 3000-4000 PPI TIFF files, 16-bit depth (master); 2800 PPI JPEG (access copy)
    • Negatives – 3000-4000 PPI TIFF files, 16-bit depth (master); 2800 PPI JPEG (access copy)

Naming Files

  • Before you start scanning, plan ahead on how you would like to name your scans and how you would like to organize them. How do you look for your photos? How do you organize them in your brain? Your folder organization can reflect that.
  • File names are important. Each image should have its own unique name. However, make sure that the file name for your master and your access copy is the same, maybe with a suffix added, like “access.”
  • When using dates for file or folder names, use the YYYYMMDD format so items will show up in real chronological order.
  • You will want to rename your born-digital files too since the camera or phone does not do a good job initially.
  • You can create a separate list with file names and image descriptions.

Digital Images

  • Photos from your phone are 1-2 MB. A RAW file from your SLR (like a digital negative) can be up to 40 MB (more commonly 20-30), and JPEGS made from that are around 7MB. RAW files can be turned into TIFFs as your master using photo editing software.
  • Access copies should be around 600 PPI JPEGs, which is good for printing but can be a lower resolution for images that will only be shown online.

Storing Your Images

The 3/2/1 Rule

  • You should have three copies of everything (primary copy and two backups), on two different types of media (hard drive and separate storage) and have one backup in a separate location.

Where To Store It All?

  • The Cloud: Cloud storage acts like your hard drive, where you primarily store your images instead of on your computer or laptop. Cloud backup replicates your hard drive, so you are saving everything on your hard drive, but there is a backup copy in the Cloud.
  • Pros: makes your images accessible anywhere, from any device, and makes it easy to share images with other people. Puts the onus of maintenance on the provider – save it and forget it!
  • Cons: some providers take copyright of your images when you upload them into the cloud, can cost money for subscriptions for better service. You have little control – your images are subject to hackers or the whims of the company and the free market.

External Hard Drives

  • External hard drives are under your control and the preferred location for your masters. Make sure you open the drive on a regular basis to make sure everything is working correctly.
  • How much space do I need?
    • 1 TB = 1000 GB
    • 1 GB = 1000 MB
    • If you have scanned physical photos and/or images from a digital SLR camera, a 1 TB drive may be a good option, giving you some room to grow.
    • At the very least, put your masters on an external hard drive!!

WHERE TO BUY PRESERVATION SUPPLIES:

Hollinger Metal Edge
9401 Northeast Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
www.hollingermetaledge.com
800-634-0491

Gaylord Bros
P.O. Box 4901
Syracuse, NY 13221-4901
www.gaylord.com
800-962-9580

University Products Inc.
517 Main Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
www.universityproducts.com
800-628-1912



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