Book with ring-shaped stain.

75 Years at the Library Company!

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We are widely known for the long tenures of our personnel, but this month three members of the senior staff are celebrating particularly noteworthy anniversaries. Librarian James Green will celebrate 30 years at the Library Company on the 22nd…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

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…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

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…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

Commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation

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In addition to printed copies of the final Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, and a September 1862 “preliminary” Proclamation, giving the Confederacy 100 days’ notice of the President’s intention to end slavery, the Library…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

The Junto Celebrates Typee, Trenton, and Turtles

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Members of the Library Company Junto gathered on December 4 for a panel discussion on collecting featuring shareholders and notable collectors Bill Reese, Joe Felcone, and Clarence Wolf. Reese, who owns the William Reese Company in New Haven…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

PBS’s “Abolitionists” Draws on LCP Expertise and Collections

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To coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, on January 8 PBS aired the first segment of its three-part miniseries "The Abolitionists," which chronicles the development of the movement from the 1820s to 1865 and…
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LCP Contributes History of Oil to Global Commodity Database

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  Library Company collections related to the exploitation of oil will be included in an online database exploring global commodity trade that is being assembled by Adam Matthew Digital. The Global Commodities database brings together…
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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…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

Historic Share Available: #14 First Issued in 1731

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Learning the unique history associated with a particular share is one of the more exciting aspects of becoming a shareholder in the Library Company. Consider the biography of Share 14, first issued to Junto member Richard Standley, a successful…
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LCP IT Manager Nicole Scalessa at Knitting Symposium

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Nicole Scalessa, Library Company IT Manager, needlework historian, and author attended the Knitting and Crochet Heritage Museum: Work in Progress Symposium last week. Symposium Chair Karen Kendrick-Hands brought together experts in material…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

Cassatt House Furnished with Stiefel Family Heirlooms

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Thanks to the generosity of Jay Robert Stiefel, long-time Library Company shareholder, the Cassatt House residential research center is furnished with four exquisite pieces of furniture belonging to the Stiefel and Orleans families.  In…
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LCP Collections on Exhibit throughout Philadelphia and Beyond

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Materials in the collections of the Library Company are frequently in demand by exhibition curators at other institutions.  Currently, materials are out on loan to the National Constitution Center, the Architectural Archives at the University…
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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,…
Book with ring-shaped stain.

Philadelphia on Stone: Lithography Demonstration

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(October 23, 2012) Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmU6TDqYszw Lithography demonstration by Ron Wyffels, Master Printer at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
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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,…
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LCP at the Airport

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LCP at the Airport The Philadelphia International Airport unveiled Life in Philadelphia: 1840s - 1930s in an exhibition area between Terminals E and F in September.  Curator Leah Douglas was drawn to the Library Company’s treasure trove…
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Holstein Stereograph Collection Gets Press

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Curator of Prints and Photographs Sarah Weatherwax contributed an article to the July/August issue of Stereo World, which features a selection from the Library Company's Raymond Holstein Stereograph Collection, acquired in 2011. "A Pleasant…
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“Endless Amusement” in the Print Department

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After a summer as the VCP artist-in-residence intern, Jesse Lentz has completed ten sculptures inspired by the Print Collections.  Originally struck by an A. Schoenhut & Company trade catalog while on a visit with a University of the Arts…