American Geographical Society Library

06/19/2026

Happy Juneteenth from the AGSL! ❤
Regarded as America’s Second Independence Day, Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when freedom for 250,000 enslaved people was announced by Union troops in Galveston Bay, Texas. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was decreed three years earlier, its implementation across the Confederate states was slow, leaving Juneteenth as the widely recognized as the day in which African Americans celebrate liberation from legal slavery.

Initially celebrated primarily in Black communities in Texas and spreading across the United States throughout the 20th century, Juneteenth became recognized as a national holiday in 2021. Today, the AGSL offers you a selection of materials from our collections which commemorate, celebrate, and educate on the Black-American experience. We encourage you to spend some time this Juneteenth reflecting, learning, and appreciating the rich history of hope, resilience, and joy that has flourished in the United States since the first Juneteenth 161 years ago.

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06/11/2026

Today is the first day of the FIFA World Cup! ⚽🏆
In celebration of this nearly 100 year-old, quadrennial, global celebration of soccer, the ASGL offers you scenes of the sport (and its spectators) from our photograph collections!

Photo 1: Playing soccer in Lagos, Nigeria, 1961, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photos 2 & 8: Boys playing soccer on beach of Mediterranean Sea in Tripoli, Libya,1959, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 3: Spectators at soccer match in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, 1959, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 4: Men playing football in field at La Paz Airport, Bolivia, 1954, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photos 5, 7, and 9: Soccer game in Johannesburg, South Africa, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 6: Men playing soccer at copper ore mining site in Chuquicamata, Chile, Between 1937 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.

06/03/2026

We had some troubles with photos uploading properly when we first posted this blog. If you'd like to read about the Alvin Clark telescope on display at the AGS Library, here is a blog about it!

by Angie Cope In the late 19th century, Judge Hiram Barber of Horicon, Wisconsin, made a gift that would inspire generations of students and stargazers in Milwaukee. In 1875, he presented Milwaukee…

06/03/2026

Today is World Bicycle Day! 🚲
Instituted by the UN in 2018, World Bicycle Day commemorates "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transport." In celebration of the humble bicycle, the AGSL offer you examples from our photograph collections that show off the ubiquity and community of cyclists around the world!

Photo 1: Woman riding bicycle in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1950, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 2: Man with bicycle overlooking Lima coast, Peru, not after 1960, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 3: Bicycle traffic on busy street in Guangzhou, China, 1973, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 4: Man riding bicycle through arched gate in Rabat, Morocco, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 5: Bicycle traffic on street in Amsterdam, Netherlands, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 6: Man holding bicycle with milk cans in field in Hyderabad, India, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 7: Various forms of transportation on Java Island, Indonesia, 1970s, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 8: Woman standing with bicycle in doorway to home in County Clare, Ireland, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 9: Woman standing with bicycle and two children in Amsterdam, Netherlands, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection
Photo 10: View of city street and bicycle traffic, Lagos, Nigeria, 1961, from the Harrison Forman Collection

05/22/2026

As we wrap up the spring semester here at
UWM we to let everyone know the upcoming changes
to our hours of operation. 🗺📍
During the Summer, the AGSL will be closed on
Mondays, and open by appointment only from 9am-12
pm and open to the public from 12pm-4:30pm
Tuesday-Friday.
We will be closed this Monday for Memorial Day.
Enjoy your summer break and stop in to see us
Tuesday-Friday 12pm-4:30pm

05/13/2026

Happy Last Day of Classes! 🎊
To commemorate the end of the spring semester here at UWM the AGSL is offering you some photos from our collections that show students enjoying life outside the classroom.
Have a great last day of class and best of luck on finals! 🤞

Photo 1: "School's out," Colombia ca. 1969, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 2: Students outside Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, 1960, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 3: Boys at Cape Town school, South Africa, 1961, from the Harrison Forman Collection
Photo 4: Group of high school students on balcony of school, Mozambique, from the Harrison
Photo 5: School girls, Pakistan, 1968, from the Harrison Forman collection
Photo 6: University students on campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, from the Harrison Forman collection

05/04/2026

Today is the first Monday in May, meaning tonight is the Met Gala!✨
Hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in support of the Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition, Costume Art, this annual fundraising event invites guests to dress in accordance with the theme “Fashion is Art."
In anticipation of one of fashion and pop culture's biggest nights, we offer you some of the most stylish fashions from our photo collections.
Happy Met Monday! 💋

Photo 1: Portrait of woman wearing formal gown, Philippines, between 1959 and 1961, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 2: People in native, formal attire in Dakar, Senegal, 1971, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 3: Man wearing traditional hat and clothing walking down the street, Korea, ca. 1938, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 4: Portrait of woman wearing traditional clothing in Ohrid, North Macedonia (Yugoslavia), from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 5: People at Harrison Forman World Travel office party in New York City, United States, ca. 1960s, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 6: Woman in Tehuana costume in Ciudad Ixtepec, Mexico, ca. 1964, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 7: Men in traditional clothing in Dagestan, 1933, from the William Osgood Field Collection.
Photo 8: Woman dressed in traditional clothing in Kérkyra, Greece, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 9: Girls standing along railing at church in Monrovia, Liberia, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 10: Women displaying embroidered lace-work, Hungary, from the Harrison Forman Collection.

05/01/2026

May 1st is International Workers Day🌟
Celebrated around the world, May Day is a day of reflection and action that commemorates the dedication and dignity of workers and the history of labor organizing. These photos from the Clarence W. Sorensen and Harrison Foreman collections capture the diversity and complexity of 20th-century international industry, and we hope they compel you to consider and reflect upon the historic and continued resilience, dignity, and collective power of workers around the world.

Photo 1: Woman testing lightbulb in factory, Istanbul, Turkey, between 1937 and 1959, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 2: Worker operating loom at textile factory in Kaduna, Nigeria, 1961, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 3: Worker making porcelain object at factory in Beijing, China, 1973, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 4: Worker harvesting grapes at vineyard in Kern county, California, United States, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 5: Workers making ponchos at Barranquilla factory, Colombia, 1969, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 6: Portrait of mine worker in Aberdare, Wales, between 1937 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 7: Workers operating machinery at textile mill in Bacau, Romania, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 8: Workers at factory yard in Nossa Senhora da Aparecida, Brazil, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.
Photo 9: Workers at jute factory in Haōra, India, from the Harrison Forman Collection.
Photo 10: Worker on assembly line in electronics factory in Osaka, Japan, between 1934 and 1969, from the Clarence W. Sorensen Collection.

04/26/2026

Join us this Thursday, April 30th, for our 2026 Maps & America: The Arthur Holzheimer Lecture Series on Mapping Brazil by Dr. Julio Pedrassoli. Reception begins at 5:30 pm and the lecture starts at 6 pm in the AGSL. Please register ahead of time: https://uwm.edu/libraries/agsl/agsl-news-events/maps-america/

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day!🌎💚
These photos from the AGSL's Harrison Foreman Collection show the first annual Earth Day celebration held in New York City on April 22, 1970. Throughout the day, an estimated 100,000 people flooded the shut-down streets of Manhattan to stop at booths hosted by local and national environmental and social justice groups and listen to speakers such as NYC mayor John Lindsay, actor Paul Newman, and writer Kurt Vonnegut.
Since its inception 56 years ago, Earth Day continues to serve as a day of action in the fight for environmental justice- go to earthday.org to learn more and see what events are taking place near you!

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