“‘Exhibit’ is a noun, but it is also a verb, meaning to show or display. Show or display what? Stuff. Not pictures of stuff or descriptions of stuff, but stuff. And the use of real, physical stuff…is what sets exhibits apart from books, TV, the Internet, etc.” – Eugene Dillenburg, “What, if Anything, is a Museum?” In Exhibitionist, spring, 2011. …
In 2019 we welcomed three new members to our board, including a new representative of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Board of Directors. Emily Cavanagh, Lisa Washington, and Gene LeFevre each bring their own expertise and passion for our mission. We hope you’ll join us in welcoming them to the board and The Rosenbach community. …
Could a poem inspired by an obscure folly, no matter how beautiful, hope to be anything but an obscure folly itself? Case in point: the masterful sonnet written by Robert Browning in honor of Helen’s Tower, a 19th century architectural folly built by an Anglo-Irish aristocrat in honor of his mum. The question springs to …
This post has been adapted from the Free Library of Philadelphia’s blog. See original post here. Two months ago, I spent an evening in a dimly lit room scrutinizing the handwriting of a long-dead person with a group of mostly strangers. Scraps of 150-year-old paper were passed around for us to hold in our own …
The Miriam-Webster dictionary defines Manumission as ‘formal emancipation from slavery’ (note that The Rosenbach has two first editions of Noah Webster’s landmark Webster’s Dictionary!). Manumission was one vehicle that enslaved Africans leveraged to gain their freedom. Slave laws made manumission difficult, however, requiring large sums to legally manumit slaves. Here at The Rosenbach we have …
When you walk into a museum’s gallery space, the site that meets your eye is usually quite serene: a calm, quiet space all set up for you, the visitor, to explore, enjoy, and learn from artworks and artifacts. But this final product comes only at the end of many months, if not years, of planning, …
Mexico: Race and Revolution in the Borderlands will be offered with live English-to-Spanish translation for Spanish-speaking visitors. The border between Mexico and the United States has been at the heart of trade, politics, art, and spirituality for centuries. A new Behind the Bookcase: Hands-on Tour at the Rosenbach titled Mexico: Race and Revolution in the …
We often think of the abolition movement beginning in the early 1820s with people like Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth and Charlotte Grimke. But since the beginning of slavery in the United States, there were people whose lives were devoted to ceasing and ending it. A few of these early anti-slavery advocates are here at The …
Famous and beloved Irish aria will be performed live on harp during The Rosenbach’s 2019 Bloomsday celebrations on Sunday, June 16. “Where have I been wandering in my sleep? And what curious noise awoke me from its pleasant dream? Ah, Thaddeus, would you not like to know my dream? Well, I will tell it …
January 25 is Burns Night, when we celebrate the works of Scottish poet Robert Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire. It’s also a tradition here on Delancey Place, where our celebration features a night of readings, music, and whisky. The Rosenbach is home to the largest extant collection of Burns’s letters, manuscripts, and early editions. Learn more …