My apologies if it seems that lately I have been constantly jumping from one topic to another, but the fact is I just got my hands on a fantastic vintage photo album that I’m quite excited about. And, given the fact that today in the US we’re observing Independence Day, I thought it was quite appropriate to share a few of these images this week. While I have pages and pages of similar vintage photos (some measuring a mere 2.5 x 1.5 inches/6.3 x 3.8 cm) to share at some point in the future, I promise that next week I will be returning to the tour of South America.

One reason I’m so pleased with these photos is that on my one and only trip to Washington, D.C. (back in January 1986) I kept very busy running around seeing as many things as possible — but I completely failed to shoot any pictures of my own. I have only postcards to remember that trip by, along with a few notes in a travel journal. I don’t know a whole lot about this particular photo album except that the images date from the mid 1940s and include some professionally shot and labeled photos as well as shots by an amateur photographer documenting a class trip to the nation’s capital. I really appreciate seeing these black-and-white images of the famous landmarks in DC, and it’s intriguing to see how much some of the sites have changed over the years — and how many details have remained the same.

Lincoln Memorial from the Potomac side

Mount Vernon