A spiral taking flight, as part of an artistic creation. Smoke—and smoking—is integral to the aesthetics of photography. Throughout the 20th century, smoking was used as a creative and narrative element to create more compelling, transgressive, and modern images. Smoke and the smoker serve to reveal more complex or ambiguous individuals. Smoke expresses the fleeting nature of the moment. Through smoke, photography becomes a snapshot, rising like an invisible thread in popular culture. Despite its known dangers, the ritual endures, laden with symbolism. We journey through images, exploring the history that links smoke to photography, connecting this habit with black and white images that evoke another era and a bygone aesthetic.

Periphery_ From Latin peripherīa, and this, from Greek peripheria. Extremities or margins of any entity. Anthropology F. A discipline that studies human beings from a social and cultural perspective, the essence of humanity and their place in the world. Border FThe boundary between two closely related things. The blurred line between belief and superstition. Bordering_ adjAdjacent, territory that is touching the limits or borders of another territory. Satellite_ mThat depends on an external influence. Satellite city. Threshold_ m. Extreme value of a magnitude that, when exceeded, changes the characteristics of the established system. Outskirts_ m. Periphery of a city. Metropolis_ Main city of a region, of a state. Anarchism_ mA social theory that, based on the principle of individual freedom, advocates the abolition of all forms of political power. Libertarian_ Supporter of the ideology and attitudes proposed by anarchism. Emma Goldman_ F. A key anarchist in the development of anarchist philosophy in the first half of the 20th century. Return_ m. The act of returning to the place from which one had departed.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress houses more than 178 million documents, including photographs. These unique collections depict the country's living conditions and traditions.