We’re kicking off this month’s #TypographyTogether challenge with this lovely type ornaments from Binny & Ronaldson.

Binny & Rolandson, a printer and a baker, went into business together in 1796 to form the highly successful Philadelphia Type Foundry.

A Specimen of metal ornaments cast at the letter foundry of Binny & Ronaldson. Philadelphia: Fry and Kammerer, 1809

It’s National Library Workers Day and we’re honoring the important role that library staff plays in running our beloved institution!

Photograph taken at the Ridgway branch of the Library Company, from LCP’s archives.

With the arrival of spring weather, we’re looking forward to spending more time outside (but only after we’ve taken our allergy medication!)

Robert S. Redfield, [Woman with bonnet in a garden], 1888. Platinum print mounted on cardboard.

We’re putting on our party hats for another #ArchivesHashtagParty! An #archivestipofthehat to you! Which one is your favorite?

Charles Oakford’s 1848 & 49 fashions for hats, caps & furs, wholesale & retail establishment. Philadelphia: P.S. Duval Lith., [1848]

Happy April 1, hope no one makes a turnip out of you!

To close out Women’s History Month we’re sharing this engraving which was published in Harper’s Weekly in 1864. The piece highlights the invaluable contributions of women in the Sanitary Commission “on the battlefield, in the hospital, in the parlor, at the fair” during the Civil War.

And on a related note, don’t forget to check out our exhibition Women Get Things Done, viewableat librarycompany.org/wgtd

United States Sanitary Commission: Our Heroines. Published in Harper’s Weekly, April 9, 1864

In addition to documenting daily life during the early 20th century, the Photo-Illustrators Firm appeared to provide photo restoration services. This sample depicts a damaged portrait of a young African American woman and the firm’s recreation of the image.

Photo-Illustrators Firm, [Young African American woman], ca. 1930. 2 gelatin silver prints on mount.

Anyone else hoping that automats become a thing in a post-pandemic world?

Horn & Hardart’s Automat postcards, 1900-1950. Photolithograph.

A delightful and seasonally-appropriate tailpiece for your #finisfriday enjoyment!

From: Histoire des revolutions de Suede où l’on voit les changemens qui sont arrivez. Paris, 1695.

Have you started spring cleaning yet? We hope you don’t find any microscopic fungi in the process, but just in case…

M.C. Cooke. Rust, smut, mildew, & mould: an introduction to the study of microscopic fungi. London: Robert Hardwicke, 1870.