Tag: togetherness

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Togetherness at the End of the Year

As another year comes to a close and 2022 looms large on the horizon, the IDHH would like to devote a post to the ways in which we reconnect, recharge, and renew ourselves during these busy holiday weeks. As a nod to the ways in which we all might choose to close out this year, we have featured a few forms of togetherness and entertainment from years past.

black and white photo of a woman with two children on a sled in a snow-covered yard.
Entertainment, Fun in the snow. circa 1900. Arthur Public Library. Arthur, Once Upon a Time – Local History Images of Arthur. Courtesy of the Arthur Public Library.

Invented by American Thomas Edison in 1877, the phonograph was the first sound machine that could both record and reproduce sound. The earliest “record player”, these devices consisted of a stylus or needle which traced the grooves etched upon a rotating cylinder and then amplified the sound waves through a flared horn. By 1890, record manufacturers had begun to mass-produce their product, allowing consumers to assemble their own record collections and share their favorite music with friends and family.

black and white photo of a crowd of people on a porch listening to a phonograph placed on a table, with a man leaning back in a chair in the foreground.
Entertainment, Family listening to Victrola. circa 1900. Arthur Public Library. Arthur, Once Upon a Time – Local History Images of Arthur. Courtesy of the Arthur Public Library.

While previous generations may not have had the ability to binge-watch an entire season of TV together over the course of a weekend, they could enjoy dazzling depictions of scenes and far-off places from the comfort of their very own homes using a magic lantern. Widely accepted to have been invented by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens in the 17th century, the magic lantern created large-scale projections from images on transparent glass plates by manipulating one or more lenses and a light source. With these larger images, a magic lantern was preferable for large groups of viewers and was commonly used for entertainment purposes from the 18th century until the mid-20th century.

color photograph of a magic lantern posed in front of a black cloth.
Magic Lantern, circa 1890s. circa 1890s. Bensenville Community Public Library. Bensenville Historical Collection. Courtesy of the Bensenville Community Public Library.
color photograph of a magic lantern slide with four circular images on it churches and winter scenes.
Churches and winter scenes in the mountains. [n.d.] Bensenville Community Public Library. Bensenville Historical Collection. Courtesy of the Bensenville Community Public Library.

However we choose to spend these last moments of 2021 together – whether that’s listening to music, dancing with our favorite dance partner, or watching a feel-good movie – the IDHH wishes everyone a joyous holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

black and white photo of a Black man dancing in the foreground with two Black men playing guitars surrounded by onlookers in the background.
Music and dancing with Lil’ Pat. circa 1971. Photographed by James Newberry. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection. Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum.
black and white photo of a Black man and woman dancing together in the foreground with a crowd of people in the background.
Man and woman dancing on Peoria Street. 1970. Photographed by James Newberry. Chicago History Museum. Prints and Photographs Collection. Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum.

Want to see more? 

Visit the IDHH to explore other items related to togetherness and entertainment. 

Find even more examples of magic lanterns, phonographs, and dancing on the IDHH.

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Feel the Togetherness with World Kiss Day

After so long spent in uncertainty and, for many of us, isolation, what better way to celebrate the summer than with kisses? July 6th marked International Kissing Day, also known as World Kiss Day. This is an occasion that originated in the United Kingdom, and was adopted around the world in the early 2000s. Although in general kisses tend to be associated with romance, we hope to highlight these intimate moments between a variety of people (and creatures) to show how love and closeness is available to anyone. 

The people you see in these photos are not public figures. They are not famous. I was drawn to them for this reason – I liked that these images felt relatable, and that they all shared moments of genuine joy, love, and excitement captured in time. My hope is that when others see them, they too will feel those moments and remember that they’re not alone. 

Here are a few images of kisses to make you feel that sense of togetherness this summer: 

black and white image of young girl kissing a clown holding a balloon animal
Kissing a Clown – ca. 1980-1989. Circa 1980-1989. University of St. Francis. Sharing Our Past, A Visual History. Courtesy of the University of St. Francis. 
black and white image of a miner bending over to kiss his elementary-school-aged daughter.
Miner and daughter. Circa 1966-1976. Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Doc Horrell Photo Collection. Courtesy of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 
color image of female nursing student kissing a CPR mannequin laying in a hospital bed
School of Nursing Students. May 1, 2008. Illinois Wesleyan University. IWU Historical Collections. Courtesy of Illinois Wesleyan University. 

View the full Sharing Our Past, A Visual History Collection, C. William Horrell Photograph Collection, and the IWU Historical Collection on the IDHH.  

View more items related to kissing on the IDHH.