Library Company of Philadelphia
It’s Friday and we wanted to do something fun so here are some funghi.
This hand colored plate is from Rambles in Search of Flowerless Plants, by British botanist Margaret Plues. Margaret wrote an entire series of “Rambles,” which were marketed towards the general public, in addition to other scientific works on British grasses and ferns.
Margaret Plues. Rambles in Search of Flowerless Plants. (London, 1865)
#FunghiFriday #Botany #WomeninScience #WomeninSTEM #WomensHistory #RareBooks #SpecialCollections #NewAcquisition
Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was first published in 1855. A small book of twelve poems, it was Whitman’s first. He spent the next 37 years revising and rewriting it, and when he died in 1892 the book had grown to almost 300 poems.
The 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass was banned in 1882 by Boston D.A. Oliver Stevens as “obscene literature.” The first printing, 1000 copies, sold out in a single day.
This week is #BannedBooksWeek, which celebrates the freedom to read. Head over to our Instagram stories for more!
Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass. (Brooklyn, 1855).
This summer, Franklin & Marshall intern Lydia Shaw worked on a range of women’s history projects at the Library Company, including the social media posts for the exhibition Women Get Things Done: Women’s Activism, 1860-1880, which opened last week. In this election season, it’s worth reading what Lydia wrote about Victoria Woodhull … the remarkable woman who ran for president in 1872 … only one of many chapters in her remarkable life.
To read about the 1872 election, and the Beecher-Tilton scandal, and Victoria Woodhull - the woman who dared to be outspoken - check out the blog post here.
The Camden & Atlantic Railroad was chartered in 1852 and began regular service in 1855. Philadelphia’s rapid population growth and humid summer weather presented an opportunity for a group of New Jersey financiers to capitalize on residents’ desire to escape to the beach. The main line that was built for the railroad is still used today by PATCO and NJ Transit’s Atlantic City line.
#OnThisDay in 1918, a Liberty Loan parade took place in Philadelphia during the flu pandemic. The event attracted 200,000 attendees and sparked a massive outbreak that claimed 12,000 lives.
Lillie Showell, the younger sister of WWI veteran Arthur Showell, was one of the many Americans who died during the pandemic. African Americans experienced large disparities in care that were exacerbated by subpar living conditions in segregated neighborhoods.
[Lillie Showell], ca. 1917. Gelatin silver mounted on cardboard.
Happy World Cyanotype Day! In 1842, Sir John Herschel invented this early photographic process. One year later, Anne Atkins used the process to document various kinds of plants, making her one of the earliest documented women photographers.
After its invention, the accessible medium became popular among amateur photographers, including Philadelphia photographer Marriott Canby Morris. Morris made many cyanotype portraits of his family and friends.
Marriott Canby Morris, Theodora [Feltwell] Wistar and Dr. Thomas Wistar, ca. 1900. Cyanotype.
Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? We’re going to try training an owl to jump through a hoop, want to join?
The Book of nouns, or, Things which may be seen. (Philadelphia: J. Johnson, 1802.)
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Hey! It’s National Punctuation Day? Yes! To observe: mind [your] crotchets, double-check your divisions, and watch your points of suspension…
C.S. Van Winkle. The printers’ guide. (New York: C.S. Van Winkle, 1818.)
A specimen of printing types cast at D. & G. Bruce’s Foundry (New York, 1818)
Yesterday was the autumnal equinox, which marks the official beginning of fall! Happy #DecorativeGourdSeason everyone!
This illustration from a scrapbook compiled by Philadelphia socialite Minnie Campbell Wilson (neé Harris) circa 1877-1890 seems a fitting way to start celebrating the season. Check out the whole scrapbook here.
Anyone else in desperate need of a haircut?