Florida Department of State

Florida Department of State
Kurt S. Browning
Secretary of State

Florida Memory Project Photos Now Available on Flickr Web Site

Historic photographs from the State Library and Archives of Florida's Florida Memory Project are now available for public viewing and comment through an online photo collection called The Commons on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/commons/). In 2008, Flickr partnered with the Library of Congress to launch the site as a pilot project. The program's main goals are to feature hidden treasures in the world’s public photography archives, and to demonstrate how user input and knowledge can help to enrich these collections. Viewers are invited to help describe the photographs, either by adding descriptive terms known as tags, or by leaving comments. Today, contributors to The Commons include the Smithsonian, the National Galleries of Scotland, the Bibliothèque de Toulouse, the George Eastman House, and other noteworthy repositories.

The first group of photographs added to The Commons will be samples from the following State Archives collections:

• Bedell Collection (1933-1961): Black-and-white images of Florida’s Seminole Indians and the missionary activities of Deaconess Harriet Bedell.
• Commerce Collection (1940-1996): Publicity photographs, including prints, negatives, slides, and transparencies, produced by the Division of Tourism and its preceding agencies.
• Harper Collection (1884-1911): Images taken by noted Tallahassee portrait photographer Alvan S. Harper. The collection includes views of Tallahassee buildings and street scenes, along with outlying areas, and portraits. Harper's portraits of middle class African-Americans are especially noteworthy.
• Brown Collection (1898-1912): Photographs of the Brown family taken in and around Eastpoint and St. George Island between 1898 and 1912.
• Department of Environmental Regulation Glass Lantern Slide Collection (1950s): Color images depicting a variety of Florida’s natural features, including scenes of rivers and river banks, forests, nature trails, fishing, sand dunes, and swimming.

The State Library and Archives encourages Floridians to enjoy the historic photographs on this site, and perhaps to contribute to it by adding tags and descriptions. For more information on The Florida Memory Project, visit http://www.floridamemory.com.