A long time ago (in 1868) in a galaxy close, close to our own (okay, it is our own) a young inventor created a marvelous mechanical man. Our teenage whiz is Johnny Brainerd and the story is The Steam Man of the Prairies by Edward Ellis. Edward Ellis, The Steam Man of the Prairies. New …
This silver Chanukah lamp is one of three menorahs in the Rosenbach’s metals collection . William Abdy I (d. 1790), Chanukah lamp. London, 1786. Rosenbach. 1954.1818. It is a bench form menorah with eight oil lamps; originally there would have also been a shammash lamp, which presumably would have hooked into the socket on the …
When I’m not at the Rosenbach, one of my hobbies is singing with a local chorus here in Philadelphia, so now that December has arrived I am immersed in a non-stop round of rehearsals, concerts, and gigs. Being in a musical frame of mind, this week’s post looks at a 300-year old music book: An …
If you have questions about how best to prepare your turkey, don’t call the Butterball hotline, consult the Modern Family Cook Book. No, not the TV show tie-in, but the 1829 Philadelphia cookbook. The Modern Family Cook Book. Philadelphia, 1829. A 892m. Collection of the Rosenbach. The Modern Family Cook Book work has very clear …
Today marks the 195th anniversary of the sinking of the whaleship Essex, which was famously “stove by a whale” on November 20, 1820. I’m a bit of a maritime history junkie, so I’ve made reference to the story before, but with a major movie about the wreck opening in December, it seemed that it could …
This week marked the second Veteran’s Day/ Remembrance Day within the observance of the First World War centennial. The Rosenbach doesn’t have an extensive collection of World War I materials, but one interesting cache of documents comes from Christine Biddle and arrived at the Rosenbach as part of the larger Rush-Williams-Biddle papers in 1976. Philadelphian …
If you’re still wondering what you’ll be for Halloween this year–and if our recent slate of Alice in Wonderland exhibitions hasn’t inspired you to go as the Queen of Hearts or the Cheshire Cat–here are some other random costume ideas drawn from creepy, silly, or just bizarre objects in our collections: Standard pirate costumes are …
This week the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) hosted its annual conference here in Philadelphia. The fine museum folks who attend the conference also have an opportunity to help out local institutions through the “White Gloves Gang,” organized by the Registrars Committee of MAAM. Five years ago we hosted a visit from the White Gloves …
Today marks the opening of our Down The Rabbit Hole exhibitions, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice in Wonderland. I think Lewis Carroll would be very pleased that his book has had such staying power. In our “Wonderland Rules” show, exhibit curator Leonard Marcus points out: Alice has had one of the …
Fall is upon us, when the students are back in school and alumni spirit runs high, so it seemed an apt time to highlight an early piece of Harvard/Yale humor: Father Abbey’s Will. John Seccombe (1708-1792), “Father Abbey’s will.” [Boston ?, ca. 1780] A 780f This broadside consists of two comic poems. The one on …