Vicki Mahaffey has been teaching and writing about James Joyce for decades, at the Rosenbach but also at University of Pennsylvania and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. And yet she has more to say on the topic. Her new book, The Joyce of Everyday Life (Bucknell University Press), feels like a book Joyce himself might have …
On the stairwell of the Rosenbach Museum & Library’s historic house hangs a portrait of a woman and her child (1954.1882). The woman’s elbow rests on a plush sofa while the child combs her mother’s dark hair. The identity of the woman has long been a source of confusion, and our limited documentation on the …
The Rosenbach Museum & Library is pleased to announce two new appointments designed to support the organization’s mission of creating “a community that engages with and celebrates the art of the written word using our collection of rare books and manuscripts.” Bryn Michelson-Ziegler joins us as Assistant Curator of Outreach & Engagement. In this newly created …
For the past several weeks, we’ve enjoyed working with our Rosenbach summer interns Maria della Porta, Annette Seo, and Reily Brown. This terrific trio worked with our Collections Department on stewardship tasks including photo inventory, organizing 70 years of exhibition files, collections object photography, developing a directory of collections related to marine life and creating …
The Rosenbach Explores the Lasting Legacy of the Irish Diaspora, in Partnership with the Kelly House in Philadelphia and the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco The history of Ireland is closely associated with the history of diaspora—that is, the movement of Irish people all around the world, including to Philadelphia. Irish identity, history, music, …
Hello Friends, We hope you’re well and keeping warm this winter season. After two years of deep and energetic conversation within the Rosenbach community, I’m so pleased to unveil our new aspirational vision statement that puts what is already our practice into writing, strengthening our commitment toward a common goal: Through unprecedented physical, intellectual, and …
In this edition of From the Collection, we’re highlighting the recent inter-departmental work that went on behind-the-scenes to prepare and open our new exhibition Succession: Why Presidential History Matters Now. Additionally, along with ongoing object movement and inventory activities, the Rosenbach is welcoming visitors back to the dining room after completing conservation work. Guests can once again see …
This month’s collections stewardship activities saw a number of big impact changes: after over 20 years, the return of garden sculpture from off-site storage; coordinated movement of big and heavy objects; a peek at Rosenbach objects on loan to a nearby institution; and a new member of the Collections Staff. The Rosenbach’s garden statues are …
This month’s collections stewardship activities underscored the global reach and impact of the Rosenbach’s collections as staff welcomed back objects that were on international loan, made new acquisitions, and served researchers abroad. The Beast is back! The Number of the Beast is 666 by William Blake (1954.0011) is a watercolor, pen, and ink drawing based on the biblical …
This blog post was written by Michelle Park. The Rosenbach Museum & Library’s Reading Room is not only open for researchers; it’s open for everyone, and you don’t need to have experience in research to handle their historical artifacts. In January, instead of going to normal classes, juniors at my school (Germantown Friends School) create …