Special Collections

A young child works in a glass factory in a 1909 black and white historical photo by lewis hine

Historical lens—3 stories that scratch the surface of a 5,400 image archive

/ 3 minutes of reading

One of the most influential sets of historical photos in UMBC’s Special Collections is an archive of more than 5,400 images documenting the harsh conditions of child laborers in early 20th-century America. Recently the team in Special Collections—which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year—undertook a massive project to digitize and rehouse the photos in more protective sheaths to help safeguard the images and the hand-written details on them. The preservation effort gave UMBC student workers hands-on practice with handling the delicate photographs and allowed staff to dive deep into these historical records in order to comment on timely issues around… Continue Reading Historical lens—3 stories that scratch the surface of a 5,400 image archive

Meredith Power, left, and Susan Graham, right, handle the century-old photographs.

Handle with care—students help digitize and rehouse thousands of historical photos

/ 5 minutes of reading

A nine-year-old stands at the mouth of a coal mine covered in coal dust, wearing a small headlamp. A woman holds her baby on her lap as she packs boxes in a warehouse along with her 5-, 8-, and 12-year-olds. These are just two of thousands of evocative black-and white historical photographs handled by Special Collections interns Meredith Power ’21, history, a public history graduate student, and Gabe Morrison ’23, anthropology. Along with library staff members, these two worked diligently to ensure that the images of the families and children who lived through these harrowing work conditions are accessible to… Continue Reading Handle with care—students help digitize and rehouse thousands of historical photos

Lewis Wickes Hine, ‘A little spinner in a Georgia Cotton Mill, 1909.’ Gelatin silver print, 5 x 7 in.

The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they’ve left behind

/ 6 minutes of reading

At the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Special Collections we’ve recently completed a major digitization and rehousing project of our collection of over 5,400 photographs made by Lewis Wickes Hine in the early 20th century. Continue Reading The US has a child labor problem – recalling an embarrassing past that Americans may think they’ve left behind

A hand holds an antique book.

UMBC Special Collections receives more than 12,000 volumes from Parapsychology Foundation

/ 6 minutes of reading

UMBC Special Collections has been given an extraordinary gift of one of the world’s largest collections devoted to parapsychology. It includes documents related to hauntings, poltergeists, out-of-body experiences, and séances, as well as spirit photographs and much more. Continue Reading UMBC Special Collections receives more than 12,000 volumes from Parapsychology Foundation

mediums hands lightly touch in a circle

As spiritualism’s popularity grows, photographer Shannon Taggart takes viewers inside the world of séances, mediums and orbs

/ 7 minutes of reading

Taggart’s images offer a lens through which to examine the role of spirituality in modern life. In an era defined by a global pandemic, heightened political division and the planetary threat of climate change is spiritualism due for a major resurgence? Continue Reading As spiritualism’s popularity grows, photographer Shannon Taggart takes viewers inside the world of séances, mediums and orbs

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