by Matt Richardson, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian
Recently, we wrote about efforts here at the MHC to get more historical photographs online. In February, we posted more than 100 images from the IC 104 Texas Medical Center (TMC) Photograph Collection. Since then, our digital collections have continued to grow.
The latest addition is a group of nearly 150 images from the IC 099 Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission Photograph Collection. Mostly taken between 1948 and 1960, these images range from shots of examination rooms and laboratories to pictures of ABCC staff and friends out foraging mushrooms for a picnic. The photographs offer a window into the lives of the doctors, nurses, scientists, and others who worked as part of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission. Many of them feature the families and friends of both American and Japanese ABCC personnel. And did we mention Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Japan is included?
![Visiting the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, Eleanor Roosevelt sits in the front row of an assembly. She and Grant Taylor, who is standing at the head of the room, lean in towards on another. [IC099-p5009-001, IC 099 Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission Photograph Collection, McGovern Historical Center, TMC Library]](https://archiveslibrarytmcedu-001a.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/IC099/IC099-p5009-001.jpg)
But wait, there’s more! What’s really blowing up the digital collection numbers (and the pageviews!) is our IC 091 Texas Healthcare Facilities Postcard Collection. We’re proud to report that more than 750 postcards (front and back) are newly shared on our archival collections site. Since these went up, postcards featuring places like The Beach at Mineral Wells, Texas, and the Temple Sanitarium in Temple, Texas, have been among the most popular pages on our collections site (Note: the author wholly approves of the idea of “the beach” as a place for improving one’s wellbeing). We have to admit we’re a little disappointed that San Antonio and Dallas postcards outnumber the Houston ones in this collection. But considering that a good portion of these images pre-date the Texas Medical Center, we can’t complain too much. Enjoy!
