“Hidden from Sight” collection includes this image of Mount Rainier from the Puyallup River. (Image courtesy of Washington State Library)

One of the great things about the Washington State Library is that many of its historic photos, newspapers and maps are available digitally, for free.

One example is the State Library’s Flickr page, which on some days receives thousands of hits to individual photos. The State Library’s Flickr page now has a collection of images that show life in the early Northwest. This new collection is called “Hidden from Sight.”

As a society we are transitioning to be more visually focused.  This collection of images are not only beautiful and evocative of a time, but they provide a visual entry point into some of the historic documents that have been digitized by the State Library.  For younger students, this could be a particular boon.  All of the images link back to their original resource and many of these give further information about the image, placing it in its historic setting.  A student can read how people thought in territorial times right from the primary source.  Word of this collection is spreading as archives and historic societies around the Northwest are discovering and enthusiastically viewing the collection.

This short video shows how you can access and search this fascinating new collection.