“Real” life swamped our Recent Uploads posts … well, recently. But we’re back in gear, to let you know what’s new in the Commons. Starting with some of the earliest Commons member institutions …

The Library of Congress’s Bain Collection Fridays include more baseball and also archery and football; Brooklyn children, New York playgrounds and East Side babies; and quite possibly the sexiest diving photo I’ve ever seen (go find it!). There are 51 more additions to the newspaper supplement collection, and more of those popular (and beautiful) autochrome travel photographs, this time of Holland.

Capt. Storer, 1910-15

The Powerhouse Museum has a new set of beautiful sepia photographs of the Garden Palace from the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879 (with “personal” connections for the Powerhouse Museum). There are also stereographic photographs from the mid-19th century by William Hetzer don’t miss the detailed historical information that accompanies this set. And in case you thought that Australia was all buildings and scenery, a recent upload of photographs of large groups of people, of all sorts.

Macquarie Place, Sydney, 1858-1860

The Brooklyn Museum has been gradually uploading images from the collections of curator/historian William Henry Goodyear, focusing on the architecture and art of Italy. So far these are in two sets: Palazzi, Villas and other Dwellings and Cloisters and Convents

Villa de Papa Giulio, Rome, Italy

New from the Smithsonian Institution: 27 images related to the postal service, including mail-censorship and wrecks on the way; new color slides from the Archive of American Gardens; historical images from the Reverend James Osborne Arthur collection, of reservations in Nebraska and New Mexico in the 1910s; photographs from (and of) the Museum of the American Indian/Heye Foundation; and more gorgeous views of outer space.

Oswald Smith family, September 1, 1914

The Bibliothèque de Toulouse has added new images from Caylus, Tarn-et-Garoone, in its Trutat collection.

Porte ogivale, Caylus, 5 juin 1906

And the Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian had added over 200 new images, ranging from museum exhibitions of fashion and art objects to scenic landscapes to historic events. Of particular note are images of the collections of the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, the 1927 Semana dos Hospitais, and gatherings of artists.

Mocidade Portuguesa Feminina, Lisboa, Portugal

We’ve been remiss in pointing out all the delectable new offerings in The Commons as our focus has been on events the institutions have held or celebrated. So, this week’s look at recent uploads contains a wealth of material waiting to be crowdsourced!

Beautiful Lisbon, Portugal, from the Estúdio Horácio Novais in the Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian’ collection. Won’t you please help tag these phenomenal images in the language of your choice?

Lisboa: perspectivas gerais e parciais

They’ve also added some fun advertisements from yesteryear!

Publicidade

The Bibliothèque de Toulouse, also needs your help tagging photos. Try the new photos they’ve added to this dandy set of transportation – on the road in France!

Sur la route (automobiles, charrettes, bicyclettes…)

Visit some stunning gardens courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution! These historic glass lantern slides of gardens dated from the 1920s and 1930s, considered a “golden era” for gardens in America’s history.

Archives of American Gardens

View 3 African expeditions in this marvelous set from The Field Museum Library. This is a must-see collection which includes some real prizes by the renowned Louis Agassiz Fuertes.

Africa Expeditions

The National Library of Wales presents some period sepia portraits from John Dillwyn Llewellyn and his family. A real treasure.

Ffotograffiaeth Gynnar Abertawe / Early Swansea Photography

Babe Ruth, Casey Stengel and more are featured in the Library of Congress’s ode to America’s national pastime. Just in time for the pennant races. Those damn yankees, why can’t we beat ‘em? They also uploaded a slew of baseball photographs from the Bain News Service, too.

Baseball Americana

The Powerhouse Museum also adds to two of their sets, images from Tom Lennon and Tyrell Collections. The big band era is in full swing here.

Tom Lennon and Tyrell Photographic Collections

The State Library of New South Wales gets fancy with a pair of risque dancers!

[set name goes here]

The Oregon State University Archives gets credit for most utilitarian set name with these cool photos of people doin’ their thing. Photographs by Herman Theodore Bohlman.

People doing stuff in the Herman Bohlman Collection

Get your flight on with these historical images of Florida aviation from the State Library and Archives of Florida.

Florida Flights of Fancy

The State Library of Queensland, Australia, dishes up a feast of good harvests to celebrate their state’s 150th birthday. Dinner time!

At our Table

See more ruins and ancient monuments, from the Swedish National Heritage Board.

Ancient monuments

You know the Galt Museum & Archives in Canada recently joined The Commons, eh? Check our this set of one of their curator’s favorites. Fun stuff – especially as Halloween draws near.

Belinda’s Favourites

Flickr Commons uploads include many historical images–and historical images include many awesome hats–hats as costume, hats as uniform, hats as protective gear, and hats as fashion. Here are some of the finest examples.

This one at least looks lighweight–straw and flowers.

George Eastman House

The classic Australian hat–Aussie Olympic teams still wear this style in the opening ceremonies some years.

Australian War Memorial

A palmetto hat she made herself–probably a very practical solution to the need for cool headwear in Florida.

State Library and Archives of Florida

Evelyn Nesbit’s eyes, and the photo itself, all seem focused on that extravagant plume.

Library of Congress

The sideways cap–it isn’t just for 1980s rapper wannabes.

Library of Virginia

The pin on this 1930s headwrap commemorates the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

State Library of New South Wales

Mrs. Burleson’s huge hat marks her as a special leader of the suffrage parade. But the other women have some fine millinery too.

Library of Congress

The frayed edges of this hat match the frayed layers of Cody’s outfit.

George Eastman House

Feather plumes like these endangered several species of birds.

Library of Congress

Russell was an artist, but that’s no beret.

Smithsonian Institution

The exuberant hat matches Mrs. Stulle’s smile and attitude–she ran a matchmaking service for widows and widowers.

Library of Congress

Gardner’s hat marks him as a Nantucket eccentric, even while his suit and expression are quite sober.

Nantucket Historical Association

European immigrant women at Ellis Island sometimes brought with them the elaborate headwear of their home regions.

New York Public Library

Helene Dutrieu was the fourth woman in the world to earn a pilot’s license; she also raced cars and motorcycles. This makeshift helmet seems to have extra layers of felt for ear protection.

Library of Congress

A ballet dancer’s costume, heavily beaded and embroidered.

State Library of New South Wales

The clean lines of the sailor’s cap match the Portuguese actress’s trademark bangs and eyebrows.

Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

Today, we generally only see boater hats at political conventions–but they were once ordinary daywear for men, especially on hot summer days in Tennesee.

Smithsonian Institution

One of the most popular and commented photos in the Commons features a serious boy wearing a serious hat.

Library of Congress

Among the richest collections in the Commons is that of the Biblioteca de Arte of the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Portugal.  And it’s my particular pleasure to make that collection somewhat better on known on the first anniversary of the Gulbenkian’s joining the Commons. In the last year, the Library of Art has uploaded

• 4,345 photos (as of August 11), with new ones added almost daily,
• in 168 sets (almost as many as I have!),
• gathered into 7 themed collections that show the breadth and specialization of this collection.

At the core of the Gulbenkian on the Commons are two collections of photographs from two studios: Mário Novais and Horácio Novais. Both men photographed their times and their surroundings, and though individual photos are not always dated, their rich visual content suggests their times.

Horacio, the younger, focused – or so the Gulbenkian’s Commons collection of his work suggests – on the city of Lisbon and the times he lived in.

Mocidade Portuguesa

Among these images are some of great historical importance, capturing the 1931 revolts against the Salazar dictatorship.

Revolta de 26 de Agosto de 1931 em Lisboa

Mário, the elder, focused, in this selection of his work, on photographs of particular events and installations, but also on transportation, institutions, and (as we’ll see later) on the built world around him.

Exposição Henriquina, Lisboa, 1960

Much of the work of his studio over its 50 years was clearly done on commission, so that it shows a breadth of the national interest, not only his own.

Edifícios industriais

Equally important to the focus on these two remarkable – and related – 20th-century Lisbon studios are the architectural and design collections published in the Commons by the Art Library.

The first of these collections is a selection of an extensive 1960s survey of Portuguese, in black and white and in color, by João Miguel dos Santos Simões, for the Foundation’s own reference work Corpus da azulejaria portuguesa.

Azulejaria Portuguesa (Portuguese Tiles)

A second collection focuses on landscape architecture – the work of the first generation of Portuguese landscape architects, in the mid-20th century, including architect Francisco Caldeira Cabral.

Setúbal

And, most especially, the Gulbenkian continues to amass in the Commons an extraordinary collection of images of Portuguese Gothic architecture.

Concelho de Elvas

This photographic survey of 410 black and white prints from the 1950s, from the studio of Mário Novais, depicts exterior and interior views and decorative details of the heights of medieval building in Portugal.

Concelho de Beja

If you have not found these photos in your searches of the Commons, perhaps it is because few have received the attention in tagging that most accounts based in English-speaking countries have. If you have an interest in European history, in museum collections, in architecture, or in Portugal itself, please consider taking a few minutes of your time to make these photographs more easily accessed by others, or to tell a friend or colleague who speaks Portuguese about them.

And to the Foundation itself … Happy Commonsversary!

Here’s your weekly round-up of recent uploads in the Flickr Commons

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Ooh… night photography from the Estúdio Horácio Novais collection of the Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.

Lisboa: vistas nocturnas

See the elegant theaters and cinemas of Portugal in their collection, too.

Teatros e Cinemas

Take a trip to Mt. Hood up the Columbia River Highway. A great road trip from the Oregon State University Archives.

Trip to Mount Hood

Start your week with a little laughter. The State Library and Archives of Florida brings you memorial images of the state’s brief hubs for filmmaking on the east coast.

Vim Comedy Company: Jacksonville, Florida

Timber! A classic from the State Library of Queensland, Australia.

Picture of the Week

The Library of Congress continues uploading their fascinating newspaper supplements. These illustrations are really priceless.

Illustrated Newspaper Supplements

Your weekly update of newly uploaded images to the Flickr Commons is here, inviting you to take a trip on some legendary trains and ships of yore… but beware of hazards!

Oregon State University Archives reveals a magnificent set of Western U.S. travel lantern slides, depicting missions, universities, and scenic views found along two well-known rail routes in Arizona, California, and Oregon. Be sure to read all the links they provide as this is a really informative set.

Shasta and Sunset Routes

Delightful ships abound in the National Maritime Museum’s photostream! See London, destroyers, barques, and great figureheads.

Port Cities London

Perhaps you fancy a flight on a hot air balloon? Enjoy stereoscopic travel images, from the National Library of New Zealand.

Stereographs

Nature is a formidable opponent, though, so beware of flooding. Images from the State Library of Queensland, Australia.

Floods

Keep your hands and arms inside the boat, kids! The State Archives and Library of Florida show off their photos of when disaster struck.

Hurricanes in Florida

Escape back to civilization with the State Library of New South Wales to enjoy new uploads from Sam Hood.

Discover Collections – Theatre in Sydney

Then it’s on to Lisbon, Portugal with the Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian to see photographs from the Estúdio Horácio Novais.

Lisboa: perspectivas gerais e parciais

Don’t miss their exquisite images of Portuguese tiles found in Luanda, Angola.

Angola

We’ll wrap up this week with 50 more Bain News Service images from the Library of Congress. You know there are plenty of mustaches there waiting to be tagged.

News in the 1910s

Welcome back to the Craft Cabin, where we play with art supplies and Flickr Commons images to make cool stuff. Today’s project: the stenciled t-shirt.  We don’t have detailed instructions here, because there’s a whole Flickr group, Freezer Paper Stencils, with a tutorials thread – pick the one that works for you.  What you’ll soon realize is that they vary in specifics, but the basic idea is this:  make a stencil on freezer paper, iron the stencil to a t-shirt, and apply paint (fabric paint or spray paint). It’s easier and quicker than it looks, and fun to do with kids — adults should obviously wield the Xacto knife, hot iron, and spray paint, but that still leaves a lot of participation opportunities for young artists.

For best results, choose an image that’s already pretty simple and high-contrast — as I did below with the portrait of Portuguese actress Beatriz Costa (from the Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian). Or just make an outline stencil of something more elaborate — this  baseball action shot would be well suited to that approach. Architectural features are also interesting to stencil. Think about the image a bit before diving in — which parts will you cut out?  Which parts will remain the color of the t-shirt?

Working with images like this — really sitting down and studying their composition, cutting and painting with them — is a great way to engage with the riches of the Flickr Commons. And when you wear a piece of the Commons, you’re inviting conversations about the photo, how you found it and why you chose it. So choose wisely, and enjoy the opportunity to share what the Commons project is all about.

Printing out the stencil onto freezer paper.

The stencil after cutting.

Ironing the stencil onto a t-shirt.

After first of several rounds of spray paint.

The big reveal peel!

Cooler than a Hannah Montana shirt, right?