Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

NDSA Philly Regional Meeting

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In January, the Library Company hosted the Philadelphia regional meeting of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) featuring a slate of speakers representing some of the most influential thinking in digital preservation today. Storage…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

The French High Commission’s Visit to Philadelphia

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On April 2, 1917, nearly three years after World War I had broken out in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson appealed to the United States Congress to declare war on Germany. President Wilson cited two reasons for seeking a congressional declaration…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Tamar Stone: Book Artist

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In honor of Women’s History Month, we have invited Tamar Stone to write a guest entry for us. I make artist books. These are one-of-a-kind pieces that use antique textiles to speak to various issues that women faced in the past. My…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

More Library Company Prints Added to World Digital Library

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  Almost 100 lithographs and chromolithographs from the Philadelphia on Stone  project are now included in the World Digital Library. The WDL, created by the Library of Congress in 2005 with support from the United Nations Education,…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Happy Washington’s Birthday on February 22nd

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  There have been prints depicting George Washington with his family since the 1790s, when self-taught artist Edward Savage produced one based on the painting he completed in 1796. Especially numerous in the years surrounding the Civil…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

“That’s So Gay” Opens with Fanfare

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Despite record-breaking snowfall, 150 people convened at the Library Company on Valentine’s Day to view the new exhibition that is getting noticed around the country. From traditional print and broadcast media to websites and blogs, the story…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Birthday Wishes for Ben

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It seems that more than 200 years after his death, Library Company Founder Benjamin Franklin still captures the imagination of the ladies—or the girls anyway. Shortly after his January 17 birthday this year, we received a heartfelt and hand-drawn…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Library Company Material on Display at Swann Galleries

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  Antebellum and Civil War-era highlights of the Library Company’s African Americana Collection will be on display at Swann Auction Galleries from March 22 to 26. In conjunction with its Printed & Manuscript African Americana…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

ALA Declaration of the Right to Libraries

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On January 27, students, parents, and advocates signed the ALA Declaration of the Right to Libraries in the Library Company’s Logan Room in conjunction with the American Library Association winter conference. The ceremonial signing showed…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, Part Fourteen: Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz’s The History of Louisiana, or of the Western Parts of Virginia and Carolina

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My favorite thing to show visitors is a copy of Antoine Simon Le Page du Pratz’s The History of Louisiana, or of the Western Parts of Virginia and Carolina (London, 1774). It is the one-volume English translation and abridgement of the three-volume…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

$500,000 NEH Challenge Grant Award

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The Library Company has been awarded a $500,000 Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to endow the Program in African American History. Announced last month, the award is one of three Challenge Grants awarded to institutions…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Gay History in Early America

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Late gay activist Harry Hay thought history knew more about gay people than it knew it knew. “That’s So Gay: Outing Early America” exhibition curator Cornelia King couldn’t agree more. As with so many areas of historical inquiry, the…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

More of Our Favorite Things

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Catch up with the blog series by Library Company staff about their favorite things in the collections. Since September, staff have contributed thirteen posts explaining their special attachments to little-known items and providing a wealth…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

Inaugural John C. Van Horne Lecture

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How does an institution honor a Director for almost 30 years of service?  It starts with an endowed lecture in his name.  Mark your calendars for May 28, 2014, when the Library Company will welcome acclaimed writer Nathaniel Philbrick as…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, Part Twelve: John Jay Smith’s Manuscript Memoir

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My favorite thing of the moment is a hefty, three-volume manuscript memoir and scrapbook made by our former Librarian John Jay Smith (1798-1881). Through it I discovered that the man in the portrait with the white beard and red fez had a wonderful…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, Part Eleven: “Teaching with Capital Success”

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Like many of my colleagues, I find it impossible to choose just one favorite thing from our collection. Nevertheless, I’d like to shine a spotlight on a humble but intriguing item, an annual report. Since I trained as an archivist, it’s…
Screenshot from ImPAC Portraits of American Women collection.

A Few of Our Favorite Things, Part Nine: Thanksgiving 1864 – A Spectacle of Giving

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Today, November 26, 2013, is the 150th anniversary of what many regard as the first official national celebration of Thanksgiving, as proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln. In fact, Lincoln proclaimed many days of national thanksgiving during his time…