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

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

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

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

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

PEAES Conference on International Investment

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Join us for the twelfth annual PEAES conference conference, Foreign Confidence: International Investment in North America, 1700 to 1860.  During the colonial and early republic years in North America, various foreign networks of individuals…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

NEH Summer Seminar for School Teachers

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Thanks to generous funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) the Library Company is again the site of a Summer Seminar for School Teachers.  Sixteen teachers from around the country, chosen from a record number of applications,…
Back covers of Leavitt & Allen gift books with papier-mâché medallions.

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…