• Promotes the use of historical images as primary source material in studying the past

• Disseminates information about the collection, interpretation, and care of historic visual material

 

Scholars and the public are increasingly aware of how important visual images can be for understanding the past. No longer considered secondary to written texts, visual images are taking their rightful place as primary evidence documenting how people lived. The Library Company has a rich collection of visual materials ranging from the most humble pieces of printed ephemera to large and stunning hand-colored plates in books and panoramic photographs. These pieces not only convey concrete historical information, they also spark questions such as:

 

• How were these images created? by whom? what was their intended audience and purpose?

• What is the impact of evolving visual cultures in American society through time?

 

Through an ongoing series of events intended for collectors, dealers, historians, curators, and the interested public, the Visual Culture Program offers a forum for exchanging information and reflecting on historical images. Our kick-off event, Talking Prints: A Conversation with Donald Cresswell and Christopher Lane, took place on Thursday, April 3. The co-owners of the Philadelphia Print Shop and veterans of the "Antiques Roadshow" television program reflected on their many years in the print business and discussed their
favorite historical prints and why they are important.

Another aspect of the Visual Culture Program is the annual awarding of the William H. Helfand Fellowship for American Visual Culture, a month-long appointment supporting scholarly research in the Library Company’s collection of historical imagery from the colonial era to the early 20th century. To learn more about the Library Company’s Fellowship program click here http://www.librarycompany.org/fellowships/american.htm. For more information about the Library Company’s diverse collection, click here http://www.librarycompany.org/collections/index.htm.