Searching & Viewing

Organizing Committee of the Games of the Xth Olympiad. *All nation's rowing teams.* 1932. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

When looking for Olympic-related materials, there are a few searching tips that can help you navigate the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Given rights considerations, a fair amount of material from more recent games may display only as thumbnail images to those searching from outside Library of Congress buildings. These types of images are available to download while visiting the Library of Congress.

Searching and Viewing Online

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
You can search for digitized images in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Below are some suggestions for searching the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog for Olympic-related visual materials. Keep in mind that we do have images that are not scanned, so if you can't find a picture you can submit an Ask-A-Librarian question.
- Search with other names associated with the Olympic Games. A variety of names are associated with the Olympics including: Olympic Games, Summer Games, Winter Games, etc. It's important to note that a search of "Olympic" will return a national park, forest, ship, and items from the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection. To filter these non-athletic focused images, be sure to use boolean searching (i.e. "Olympic NOT park").
- Use the many Olympic-focused subject headings in the Catalog. On the left-hand side of the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, you will find Subject Headings listed under "Browse By." This listing is alphabetical and there are many Olympic-related subject headings with subdivisions for years, locations, and winter or summer games.
- Search by a specific sport or athletic event. Searching by a type of sport or event may turn up materials of athletes preparing for the Olympic Games or life after the Olympic Games.
- Finding portraits of women. Based on historical language, some women athletes may be listed under other known names. Be sure to search with maiden and/or married surnames.
- Athletes are not always identified. Athletes are not always identified in team photos. It is sometimes more helpful to search with a sport type and adding "team" to the search string (i.e. "swimming team").
General searching tips for the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
Learn more general searching tips and techniques for the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

VIewing Non-Digitized Materials

You can view non-digitized materials described in the Selected Collections section of this Research Guide in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room. Some items may require advance notice to view (such as the New York World-Telegram and Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection and certain parts of the Look Magazine Photograph Collection). Be sure to follow any guidance listed in the "Access Advisory" field of the online record to submit a request.

The Prints & Photographs Reading Room has an unpublished list (#110), "Olympic Games, 1896-1984" last updated in 1996. This includes a list of visual materials organized by year, citing items from LOTs, Reading Room files, panoramic photographs, U.S. News and World Report Magazine, and illustrated newspapers (i.e.Frank Leslie's Weekly, Harper's Weekly). It also has suggestions for other institutional resources.

Further Information

Basic Camera Copying in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room
An explanation of the conditions under which camera copying can be done in the Prints & Photographs Reading Room.
Library of Congress Duplication Services
Includes products and pricing information, as well as an order form and customer service contact information.
Rights and Restrictions Information
Provides general information about rights and Library of Congress general policy on permissions, and list of rights statements for specific artists, organizations and collections.

Prints and Photographs Reading Room
Submit a question through our Ask a Librarian service, call the Research Center at (202) 707-6394, or visit us in person in Room LM 337 of the James Madison building in Washington, D.C. Learn more about conducting research in this reading room and remotely.

Olympic Games: Finding Pictures in the Prints & Photographs Division

Prints & Photographs: Ask a Librarian

Searching & Viewing

Searching and Viewing Online

VIewing Non-Digitized Materials

Further Information