Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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,…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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,…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

“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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

Pilot Program with Lokadot

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The Library Company has been chosen as one of five Philadelphia non-profits to join with newly-formed software development company Lokadot to launch a pilot program for its new application. Lokadot (a mash-up of “location” and “anecdote”)…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

LCP in the New Yorker—Burma Shave Style!

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The Library Company has launched an advertising campaign in The New Yorker magazine modeled on the old Burma Shave signs that dotted the edges of America’s highways from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning with the ad pictured here, which…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

“Foreign Confidence” Conference

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The 12th annual conference of the Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) will bring together scholars from Europe and North America on October 11 and 12 to talk about a timely subject: “Foreign Confidence: International Investment…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

Celebrating Frank Furness

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On September 17, the Library Company will open its newest exhibition Frank Furness: Working on the Railroads. The exhibition is funded by the William Penn Foundation as part of a citywide festival celebrating the legacy and innovation of Philadelphia’s…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…