Four rare books in need of boxing.

The Ubiquitous Corrugated Clamshell Box – An Anniversary

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Not many people realize that the corrugated clamshell box (as shown above) was actually developed here at the Library Company. As many of you know, these boxes are very useful in rare book libraries because they are an efficient way to protect…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

James Rush and the Siamese Twins

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Recently, I was preparing a display of materials for a visitor who had a particular interest in Shakespeare.  Library Company benefactor James Rush (1786-1869), son of Declaration of Independence signer and famed doctor Benjamin Rush (1746-1813),…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Traipsing Through the Woods of Tacony

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Researcher Joseph Jones recently approached us looking for images of several estates once located in the present-day Tacony section of Northeast Philadelphia.  We were able to locate an image of the Lardner family farmhouse, shedding…
Sampler book laid out to show unique folding pattern.

Large Pages into Small Spaces

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The three conservators in the McLean Conservation Department (Jennifer Rosner, Andrea Krupp, and Alice Austin) are all active members of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers.  On November 5 and 6, 2011, they hosted a…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

A Bond by Any Other Name….

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“What a striking street scene!” was my first thought on seeing the Philadelphia Traction Company bond sent to me on approval from the New England ephemera dealer George LeBarre Galleries. Given my interests as a print curator, I hardly…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

“Ireland, America, and the Worlds of Mathew Carey”

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A conference sponsored by The McNeil Center for Early American Studies, The Library Company of Philadelphia, the Program in Early American Economy and Society, and the University of Pennsylvania Libraries The first half of the Mathew…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Auction Success

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I just returned from bidding on a few lots at a sale at Freeman’s Auction, and my heart is still pounding. The adrenaline really gets going when there is bidding happening on the floor, on the phones, and on the internet and you don’t…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

LCP Collections on Loan

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We recently had a few items that were on loan to other institutions returned to us and it got me thinking about where else people can see Library Company collections outside of our building. If anyone is going to be in New York City, be sure…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

“Technology Versus Art”

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Join us on Wednesday, March 23 at 6:00 p.m. for “Technology Versus Art: The Early Daguerreotype’s Confounding Status in Philadelphia, 1839-1845" Sarah Gillespie, current William H. Helfand American Visual Culture Fellow at the Library…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

“Revisiting Rural Cemeteries”

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Join us on Wednesday, March 16th, 1:00 - 5:45 p.m. for a Symposium Sponsored by Library Company of Philadelphia, the Laurel Hill Cemetery Company, and the Program in Historic Preservation, University of Pennsylvania In the three decades prior…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Stewardship Program

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Become a Steward of the collections of the Library Company and sponsor your own piece of history! Through our Stewardship Program, you can support the purchase of interesting and important rare books, pamphlets, prints, and photographs.…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

In-Service Day 2-4-11

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The Library Company has scheduled an in-service day for staff on Friday, February 4, 2011. Consequently, the Library Company reading rooms will be closed to all researchers except current fellows. The McNeil Center program in the Logan…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Friday, January 21, 2011

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This day in history: On January 21, 1738 Revolutionary War Hero, Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. In our collection: Allen, Ethan. A narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's captivity:from the time of his being taken by the…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

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This day in history: On December 14, 1799 General George Washington died in Mount Vernon at the age of 67 breathing his last words: "Tis' well". In our collection: Caldwell, Charles, An elegiac poem on the death of General Washington…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Laurel Hill Cemetery Exhibtion

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Laurel Hill Cemetery is celebrating their 175th year with an exhibition at the Library Company. "Building a City of the Dead: The Creation and Expansion of Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery" was highlighted in a piece by Jon Snyder of the…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

Early Book Structures and the Nag Hammadi Codices

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Friday, October 29 Program at 6:00 P.M. Julia Miller, former senior conservator on the staff of the University of Michigan conservation lab, will discuss the Nag Hammadi Codices. These are the manuscripts discovered in Egypt in 1945 that…
R. Newell & Son, “Herod’s Palace and Towers,” No. 6 in Cyclorama of Jerusalem and the Crucifixion. Broad and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia. Albumen print on stereograph mount. Recto.

October 18th in History

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William Henry Seward, secretary of state under President Andrew Johnson, championed the purchase of Alaska from Russia for two cents an acre resulting in the United States taking possession of the territory on this day in 1867. In our collection: Seward,…