Library Company of Philadelphia
Sometimes we pull the wrong book, but when we do we often discover something some of us did not know we had. Our copy of Details and Ornaments from the Alhambra by Owen Jones (1845) holds 41 beautiful chromolithographic plates. This video is just a sample.
Owen Jones. Details and Ornaments from the Alhambra. London : Jones, 1845.
#TFW the headache wafers haven’t kicked in yet… #FelineFriday
Gessler’s Magic Headache Wafers. Circa 1880. P9828.1581.
Negative/Positive
Many of the photographs in the Marriott C. Morris Collection come in the form of glass negatives. The negatives of people are especially arresting, their faces emerging like ghosts from the lightbox. While haunting, these negatives hide details about the sitter that only emerge when the positive image is created. Marriott C. Morris’ father Elliston P. Morris’ kind eyes are obscured in the negative version of his portrait but gaze out warmly from the positive image.
Negatives hide things but also reveal them. For example, in the negative view of Morris’ portrait the emulsion has been burnished around the face and small scratches made to emphasize areas of light and create shadow. This shows Marriott C. Morris’ hand not only in taking the photograph, but also the refinement of the negative, the physical act of dragging metal across glass.
Read more from Alison Van Denend, our former Assistant Project Manager for the Marriott C. Morris Photograph Collection.
Have you the Headache? We suggest you gaze upon this circa 1880 trade card that features a rascally kitty in its rather incongruous advertisement for Old Dr. Goodhue’s Bitters #FelineFriday
Goodhue’s Bitters.Circa 1880. P9828.1642.
This month we are joining the #IGlibraries challenge #buildingblocks first by highlighting the old Ridgway Building located on Broad and Christian Streets. The building housed our collections and reading room from 1878 to the 1960s when we moved to our current building. Though it no longer houses Library Company collections, the Ridgway Building still serves those who wish to learn as the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.
Library Company of Philadelphia. Ridgway Building. ca. 1940.
This comic valentine takes issue with cabinet makers, but we feel differently. Our current exhibition, Stylish Books : Designing Philadelphia Furniture, highlights the craftsmanship and style of Philadelphia furniture making in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Visit https://librarycompany.org/stylish/ to see the online exhibit!
To a Cabinet Maker.
[between 1840 and 1880?]
Comic Valentines, 11.8
#FBF of a Manayunk man on his noble motor steed, “The Flying Merkel,” fully equipped with a passenger seat for that special person in your life. Also, take a gander at those spats.
“Sweepe withe ye olde yeere all that’s bad awaie, / And a newe lyfe begynne on Newe Yeere’s Day.”
We’re back from our holiday break and feeling inspired by the quote on this circa 1875 trade card. Here’s to 2019 and all it may bring!
Wm. H. Hoskins. Philadelphia, [ca. 1875]. 1 chromolithograph.
James Peale painted Still Life with Peaches around 1824 to 1831. A note on the stretcher indicates that the painting was a New Year’s present to Phoebe Rush, the wife of Dr. James Rush. Dr. Rush was the Peale family physician, as well as a friend, and the painting might have been payment for medical services in addition to being a gift. This painting was added to our collection in 1869.
We can understand how such a lush depiction of peaches, grapes, and other fruit would be a welcome sight on a cold January day in Philadelphia, so in the spirit of Peale’s gift to Phoebe, we would like to wish you all a Happy New Year from the Library Company!
Peale, James, 1749-1831. Still Life with Peaches. Ca. 1824-1831. Oil on canvas
This kitty knows how to winter, and the fireplace is where it’s at.