Flicking Through Flickr
Discovering The Commons…
I recently stumbled upon a treasure trove on Flickr. The site has started an initiative called The Commons, and their goal is to share photographs from the world’s archives. What is normally catalogued away in dingy basements has been digitized for the masses to enjoy from their homes. This started in 2008 as a pilot project in collaboration with the The Library of Congress. I’ve sorted through them and made a list of a few of my favourites. Here is the full list of participating institutions, and I hope that the collection will continue to grow. Be warned, this is a sinkhole of your time in unimaginable proportions…
The British Library
This particular institution is dear to my heart. I spent an entire summer in their over air conditioned, windowless reading rooms while researching my master’s thesis. Their Flickr feed features tidbits from tomes usually only available to those with reader cards. The images range from colourful plates (such as the one above) to hand written script. Each addition is carefully catalogued with all the bibliographic information you could care to need, as well as information on how to access high quality reproductions. As a bonus, some of the volumes are available to download in full as .pdfs.
The Field Museum
The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is a must visit when travelling to the windy city. It’s roots go back to the 1890s, so their archive is extensive and contains more than just fossils. It documents expeditions to add specimens to their collection, as well as a vast array of social history. As many details as possible are included for each image including their catalogue number. Check it out if you’re interested in seeing how one would catch an alligator at the turn of the century, or if you have an interest in one hundred year old accounting ledgers.
National Archives of Estonia
Random choice, I know – but bear with me on this one. The National Archives of Estonia have posted everything from social history such as rallies and parades to these hilarious calling cards of men dressed in drag. Don’t speak Estonian? Don’t worry, they’ve kindly translated everything in to English for us. Take this as an opportunity to learn more about the tiny European colony.
UBC Library
Here is a Canadian contribution: The University of British Columbia Library features the fodder you’d imagine such as preparing a cod for market (see above), maps of the new world, and a lot of archaic advertising which would certainly be deemed racist today. There are a lot of really interesting writing samples, and it is one of the more colourful collections featured in this project. A great deal of the maps and book plates are of Asian subject matter, which makes sense given the collection’s location.
Royal Australian Historical Society
I’ve had a weird fascination with Victorian Australia since seeing Saving Mr Banks last Christmas. This feed definitely is a feast for the eyes. It’s everything you’d expect from an archive of information documenting new settlers. There are drawings of snakes invading Christmas dinners, documentation of the construction of towns, and tons of photographs featuring beautiful landscapes to feast your eyes on. You know how you should learn something new everyday? Well, cows were a potential traffic hazard during the Blackouts in 1939 so they were painted to make them more visible to oncoming traffic (see above). Now you know.
*click the image to go to it’s original source, click the headings to go to the institution’s page.
