David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

If the foot fits…

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One of the original feet to the secretary desk owned by William Penn has been found! This wonderful discovery is due to the help of a number of people. It all began when Laura Keim, curator of the Germantown Historical Society’s…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

The Mysterious and Humorous Signor Blitz

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Princeton University’s Curator of Graphic Arts, Julie Mellby, wrote a blog post on the 19th-century performer Signor Antonio Blitz (1810-1877), inspiring me to delve deeper into our collection to see what we might have related to this…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

PBS Documentary Host Visits the Library Company

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On December 10, 2012, the Library Company received a surprise visit from Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., Harvard University professor, author, and documentary host. Although he still has in his possession a much-used copy of our 1973 printed…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Textiles and silver and chairs! Oh, my!

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I recently returned from having spent two weeks participating in the Winterthur Institute, which is an intensive course on decorative arts. Winterthur, the former residence of Henry Francis du Pont, is a museum of 175 rooms which house a collection…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Factory Portrait Complete!

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I recently posted on artist Adrienne Langer’s visit to our collection to research a local factory in order to create a “factory portrait” of the exterior.  The Main Belting Factory, located on Carpenter Street in South Philadelphia,…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Revisiting the Past

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Over the summer the Print Department hosted a half-day orientation for teachers attending a Library of Congress “Teaching with Primary Sources” seminar about the history of photography in relation to identity. In preparing for the presentation,…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Portrait of Once-Thriving South Philadelphia Factory Building

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The Print and Photograph Department was recently visited by artist Adrienne Langer, who was looking for information about the Main Belting Company factory located at 1217-37 Carpenter Street in South Philadelphia.  Langer has studio…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Outtakes

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Inspired by my visit to the Library Company this spring, I have spent the summer as a Visual Culture Program Intern happily creating new works based on the Schoenhut circus toy catalog from 1917 and the other toy-related materials in…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

A Playful Record: Victorian Photo Collage

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Recently, I was given the opportunity to design an event invitation for the Philadelphia on Stone book launch party on October 23 at The Library Company. As the party is an ode to the great lithography of the Victorian era, I played with styles…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Lucy the Elephant Enjoys Seaside Views Year-Round

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If you’ve ever taken a trip to the New Jersey Shore, chances are you’ve encountered more than one peculiar roadside attraction.  If you happen to be heading north from Ocean City towards the Atlantic City Expressway, as I recently…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

Medallions on 19th-Century Bindings

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I have written previously about book bindings with papier-mâché elements.  (click here to read that post.) Now, I’d like to present a particularly interesting group of books that have papier-mâché medallions attached to the leather…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Rare Books CSI

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Dealing with rare books, our job can seem a little bit like that of a detective and a little bit like a scientist. We have to track down clues and then piece together what information we can, while maintaining objectivity and without embellishing…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Songs of the 19th Century

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As a Library Company intern, I am used to going into the stacks and seeing books such as copies of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and Dr. Benjamin Rush’s copy of the account of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. I am also used…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Reuse

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A big trend in the art world is found-object art, as is using trash to create new things. I find that because my upbringing involved shopping at thrift stores and reusing everything and anything, this is a natural way for me…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

21st Century Maps Inspired by Library Company Collections

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We were recently visited by Mark Adams and Jason Killinger of Eyes Habit, who were interested in viewing our map collections to gather inspirations for a map they were creating focusing on Philadelphia’s river wards.  In their words,…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

Tin Toys and Pulley Animals: My First Month as a VCP Intern

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Toys inspire me. They always have, even back when I thought all their creators were probably dead. I like things that move and things that you can interact with as a viewer, whether they are in the fine art world or in a toy store. When…
David Heston, Manufacturer of Advertising Cards, Frankford, Phil'a. (Philadelphia, ca. 1880). Color wood engraving.

“Old Ironsides” in 2012

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During my recent trip to Boston to attend the Digital Directions conference, I was fortunate to visit the USS Constitution docked at the nearby Charleston Navy Yard after the closing session.  Knowing that we had various USS Constitution…