Introduction

The auctioneer’s gavel remained busy during Bloomsbury Auctions’ November 2008 New York City sale of the Jay T. Snider Collection. Over the years, Mr. Snider, a former Library Company trustee, had amassed a magnificent collection of rare graphics, manuscript, and printed materials chronicling the growth and development of Philadelphia from the 17th to late 19th century. In large part through the generosity of Mr. Snider and several other donors, the Library Company successfully bid on thirty-one lots, over half of which are on display. Mirror of a City showcases how the Snider watercolors, lithographs, engravings, albums, and other items complement and enhance materials already in the Library Company’s collections. Our strong Philadelphia iconographic holdings have been enriched by the acquisition of this important material.

Mirror of a City: Views of Philadelphia Recently Acquired from the Jay T. Snider Collection was on exhibition through May-September 4, 2009.