>> From the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. >> Some of the most powerful primary sources in the collections of the Library of Congress are visual images. From photographs to prints, from political cartoons to advertisements, from posters to architectural drawings, these images seem to document every aspect of the human experience. Looking at primary source images can make students feel like they've come face to face with history with the places, the events, and the people of times long since gone. However, the power of images goes far beyond a picture's surface. By analyzing a visual image, students can discover more than just the image's content. They can also begin to explore its context. By looking closely at a picture's small details, they can find clues to what was happening when the picture was made. By reflecting on what they see in the picture and what they already know, they can speculate about the people who created the picture, and what their point of view might have been. By raising new questions about the picture, they can still find more areas of the picture to look at and wonder about. Analyzing images lets students discover new topics for exploration, and also build visual literacy skills that they can apply not only to primary sources, but to anything they see. The Library of Congress has more than 14 million images in its collections - one of the largest gatherings of photographs and prints in the world. Most of these are in the collections of the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. To see Prints and Photographs from the Library, visit www.loc.gov >> This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc.gov.