Snapshots of the Past Wall Art L sku-13288608261 Print

Snapshots of the Past Wall Art in Black, size L, sku-13288608261; UPC 463484577305. This 16" x 20" print shows Wilhelmina's Pass, with a distant view of serrated rocks or Devil's Slide in Weber Cañon, Utah. The company reproduces historical maps, photographs and prints restored from Library of Congress archives.

Founded in 2001, Snapshots of the Past says it was the first company to offer Library of Congress images as museum-quality fine-art reproduction prints. Its buyers include over 200 bookstores and other retailers, along with tens of thousands of internet customers. It was selected as a vendor for the 2008 White House redecoration project.

Lithography, invented in 1796, helped make inexpensive mass-produced prints possible. The Library of Congress began its American Memory pilot in 1989; that work laid the foundation for the National Digital Library Program, begun in 1995 to digitize selected collections emphasizing the complexity of American cultural heritage.

These reproductions use fine-art archival paper and pigmented inks intended to last for generations. The range includes old Halloween, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day posters and early aerial views of Manhattan, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The prints can be displayed at home or work or given as gifts.