Office of Special Collections

Office of Special Collections Archival research & writing from Washington, D.C. — excavating forgotten voices from institutional records. Essays at oscarchive.com

Washington D.C.-based portrait photographer

On 20 May 1916, Royal Engineer photographers stitched thirteen glass plate exposures into a panorama nearly six feet wid...
06/04/2026

On 20 May 1916, Royal Engineer photographers stitched thirteen glass plate exposures into a panorama nearly six feet wide. This is what No Man’s Land at Gommecourt looked like from the trenches.

On 1 July, a divisional commander told his men: "Good luck. There is not a German left in their trenches, our guns have blown them all to Hell."

The British logged 57,470 casualties by end of day.

https://www.oscarchive.com/blog/pov-preserved-110-years-later

A family remembered everything about their grandmother's pineapple upside-down cake- except the recipe. We found it tuck...
05/28/2026

A family remembered everything about their grandmother's pineapple upside-down cake- except the recipe. We found it tucked inside a church cookbook at the local library. Read the full story: https://buff.ly/Rd7bs3U

The weather in DC hasn't cooperated with everyone's Memorial Day Weekend plans, but it's still nice to see Capitol Hill ...
05/25/2026

The weather in DC hasn't cooperated with everyone's Memorial Day Weekend plans, but it's still nice to see Capitol Hill dressed up for the holiday. A very happy Memorial Day from the Office of Special Collections.

(Taken with my Canon F-1 on Kodak Gold film 🎞️ )

05/14/2026

A recent find from the archives: "Artistic Stereo Gems of Gettysburg Scenery -- Implements of Modern Warfare." 1875 stereograph by William Howard Tipton (1850-1929).

05/12/2026

This is Henry Monk. In 1900, he went to live at Marlesford Lodge workhouse in Kensington for six months before returning to his family just before Christmas.

The Lodge ran on a strict daily routine — early rising, prayers, lessons, chores. Children knitted their own stockings and mended their own clothes. Henry was three.

I found his name in the discharge records and recreated this moment based off materials available from the archives.

Thank you so much to Capitol Hill Restoration Society for allowing me to take part in the 67th Annual Home and Garden To...
05/11/2026

Thank you so much to Capitol Hill Restoration Society for allowing me to take part in the 67th Annual Home and Garden Tour yesterday. I got to be Margaret and hang out in this incredible restored bathroom and I am NOT mad about it.

We'll be volunteering at the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's 67th Annual Home & Garden Show on Sunday! The perfect po...
05/07/2026

We'll be volunteering at the Capitol Hill Restoration Society's 67th Annual Home & Garden Show on Sunday! The perfect post-Mother's Day lunch activity. 🏡⛲️

Meet Salvo.Salvo thought nothing of a 500-foot leap in the cause of dispatch-carrying. He’d done it scores of times — al...
05/07/2026

Meet Salvo.
Salvo thought nothing of a 500-foot leap in the cause of dispatch-carrying. He’d done it scores of times — always eager, eyes fixed on his master, Cleveland-native Lieutenant Hugh Fletcher.
He always landed lightly. Never received a scratch.
This is the kind of story that used to live in a newspaper clipping in a scrapbook. We found the full photograph and additional details in the archive.

Again, thank you so much to all who have reached out recently. I love when people send me images and ask, "What can we d...
05/04/2026

Again, thank you so much to all who have reached out recently. I love when people send me images and ask, "What can we do with this?"

Every wall like this is an archive. The problem is it only exists for the people who can walk into that room. OSC digitizes, restores, and organizes family photo collections so the whole family has access — not just whoever inherited the frames.

Address

Washington D.C., DC

Telephone

(202) 904-0854

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Office of Special Collections posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Office of Special Collections:

Shortcuts

Share