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Lately, I’ve been enjoying the photos from the archive of the National Library of Ireland. The archive is one of my Flickr contacts, and the daily parade of mostly black and white images is a constant source of delight.
When I go to art galleries full of old portraits, I try to look them in the eye. I try to see the person behind the paint. I’m too prone to the sweep of history in my thoughts, and I relish the opportunity to remind myself that this was a person. This human had thoughts, dreams, loves, jokes.
The photos from Ireland cover a wide swath of topics and times, but in every one there is a person to meet. A dress to admire. A mustache to goggle at.
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The National Archives of Norway are a more recent addition to my contacts, but the photos have the same ability to leap across time and space and technology to make a connection.
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October 21, 2011 at 6:54 am
http://hopewellmomschoolreborn.blogspot.com
You know a librarian is drawn to anything called an “archive!” Add to that a mostly Irish heritage……Great link to find! Thanks for pointing it out!
October 22, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Laura Weldon
Thank you for this. I had no idea such richness was available. Old photos really speak to me. I can’t help but examine the look in each person’s eyes, the way they hold themselves, what they’re wearing and doing, and more, imagining as you do the thoughts and dreams so real to them at the time.