Library Company of Philadelphia
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Welcome to the Library Company of Philadelphia's Tumblr page! Founded by Ben Franklin in 1731, we are an independent research library specializing in American history and culture from the 17th through the 19th centuries. This page highlights materials from LCP's extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, prints, photographs, and works of art.
Purple bookcloth is notorious for fading, as evidenced by our copy of John Smith Dye’s History of the Plots and Crimes of the Great Conspiracy to Overthrow Liberty in America, published in 1866. Exposure to light faded much of this bookcloth to its original ecru, but a shorter shelf-mate protected a portion of the front cover.
Browse the Library Company’s database of 19th-Century Cloth Bindings to see more!