"Over there" becomes "over here".

• Position: The World Yesterday - "World War I: American Artists View the Great War" and "Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I" exhibitions

THE Prints & Photograph Division of the Library of Congress has more than 76,000 pictures relating to World War I in a wide array of formats, including photographic prints and negatives, cartoons, ephemera, posters, and drawings. Most of the material was created during the Great War (1914-18), but a portion deals with postwar topics, such as injured veterans, pension distribution, and the aftermath in European cities.

American involvement in the war is well represented. In addition, the collection has many items, primarily of German origin, expressing the point of view of the Central Powers. A number of these items came to the Library with the Third Reich Collection. The German materials include photos of soldiers on the front lines and in noncombat roles, as well as examples of German ephemera such as stamps, postcards, and sheet music.

Many of the materials exist in groups based on subject, provenance, or format. The sample groups below give a flavor for the types of materials represented:

* News photographs cover home front activities, military training, prominent participants, scenes before and after battles, and ships. In many cases, caption and date information is limited.

* Panoramic photographs show groups of soldiers and sites of battle, as well as Army bases, some of which went out of existence after the war.

* Stereograph cards designed to be viewed in 3D show combat, POWs, training, damage, casualties, and medical staff. Some of the photographs, particularly battle scenes, appear to be staged.

* Visual materials from the papers of prominent U.S. military officials, including Gen. John J. Pershing, Pres. Woodrow Wilson, Secretary of Navy Josephus Daniels, and William "Billy" Mitchell, the "father" of the U.S. Air Force.

* World War I posters from the U.S., France, Great Britain, Germany, and other countries are well represented in the poster collections; more than 1,900 are available online.

* Cartoons are especially prevalent, both in the form of original drawings and newspaper clippings. Political cartoons were used by both sides to shore up support for their cause while mocking their enemies. Artists such as Clifford Berryman, Rollin Kirby, and Oscar Cesare are well represented. The newspaper clippings cover both Pro-Allies and Pro-Central Power positions and originate mainly from the U.S., United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

* Prints that depict the war and reactions to it are present in the Fine Print and Popular Graphic Arts collections, especially by artists such as Joseph Pennell and Lucien Jonas. In addition, the Willard Straight Collection consists of more than 5,000 prints and other graphic items relating to the war. Straight collected the materials while living in France and many reflect European points of view and art styles.

* Drawings in the Cabinet of American...