We can only  imagine what the person on the left did to get scratched out of the portrait!

From the Photograph Albums Collection, ca. 1850 - ca. 1890.

Soon, Reverend Raphael Warnock will make history as Georgia’s first African American U.S. Senator and one of 10 African Americans who have served in the Senate. The first was Hiram Revels, a Mississippi Republican who took office in 1870 and is depicted in the far left of this lithograph with several other Black congressmen. 

In the years following the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, a number of African Americans were elected to legislative positions and governorships, particularly in the South. However, the progress of Reconstruction was quickly undone by white supremacist violence and the codification of Jim Crow laws. 

While the lithograph appears to be a group portrait, it’s likely that the artist created a composite image of the men based on photographs taken by Levin C. Handy and his uncle, the well-known Civil War photographer Matthew Brady. 

1st image: Currier & Ives, The first colored senator and representatives in the 41st and 42nd Congress of the United States, ca. 1872. Lithograph. 

2nd image: Hiram R. Revels of Miss., ca. 1860 - ca. 1875. Wet collodion negative. From the Brady-Handy photograph collection, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.   

This week’s almanac is actually the same edition as the one we shared last week, but the owner of this one (Naomi McClenachan) chose not to have it rebound, instead keeping the original decorated paper wrappers. A good choice, we think.

Bailey’s Pocket Almanac. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, [1786].

Whew, we’ve made it though the first week of January, so here’s another almanac for your enjoyment. You deserve it! 

 A wonderfully elegant cover, yes, but  the real #giltypleasure is those #endoftheweekendpapers! 

Bailey’s Pocket Almanac. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, [1786]

In case you need a reminder on  this cold January day, summer will be here in just 166 days.  

Goodrich, Samuel G. A winter wreath of summer flowers. New York: D. Appleton and Co, 1855.

“This piece of Cake forms and equilateral Triangle because  all the sides and angles are equal.”

Here’s hoping that, should you have to do any geometry today,  it will at least involve cake.

The Childs pictorial geometry. [Hartford]: E.B. & E.C. Kellogg, 1841.
#midweektreat #mathlessons #childrensbooks #19thcentury

This trade card depicts the strange-looking company mascot for Antikamnia Chemical Company, “Funny Bones.” Antikamnia was a toxic and addictive medicine often mixed with codeine and quinine.

Louis Crucius, ‘Tis the genuine: For samples send professional card to the Antikamnia Chemical Co., ca. 1900. Halftone photomechanical print. Part of William H. Helfand Graphic Popular Medicine Ephemera Collection. 

This allegorical engraving, which was printed in honor of the coming of the New Year in 1855, depicts the figures of Peace, Liberty, and three of her muse-like female followers. The print also contains eight lines of poetry referring to justice, peace, and human rights.

John Sartain, The Ledger Carrier’s Annual Greeting, ca. 1854. Engraving.

Happy New Year! A new year, a new calendar! 

We’re celebrating with this Poor Will’s Pocket Almanac for 1801.

This pocket almanac was owned by Hannah Rodman Fisher. She used it as a diary, filling it with notes about her travels, the people she saw, the weather, etc. With covers like these, we’d carry it with us everywhere, too!

Poor Will’s pocket almanack, for the year 1801. Philadelphia: Printed for, and sold by, Joseph & James Crukshank, [1800].

Friends, it’s finally here. 

This year has been a difficult one for us all, but we are so thankful to you for sticking with us as we adapted, for supporting us while our doors are closed, for following along here, and for helping us keep our vibrant programming going strong. 

Cheers to you, and cheers to a New Year ahead!

Detail from The New-Year’s Gift. Philadelphia: American Sunday-school Union, [c1850]