It’s been a busy week here at the Rosenbach, prepping for the exhibitions that will make up “Down the Rabbit Hole: Celebrating 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland.” The exhibits won’t open until October 14, but here are a few behind-the-scenes shots of the installation process and your favorite Rosenbach staff, hard at work. Ever …
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Grant the Obscure(d)
This week’s item is one that has always puzzled me a bit. On one of our letters between Ulysses S. Grant and his father Jesse, a good chunk of the first page has been scribbled over with a series of ink loops, making it very difficult to read. It is the only example from our …
Royal Record
Earlier this week Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch, surpassing the 63 years and 216 day record of Queen Victoria. The Rosenbach brothers were alive during the reigns of both monarchs, although Dr. R died only five months after Elizabeth came to the throne and Philip died the following year. So as we …
Catholic Anagrams
As a nod to the Pope-adelphia trend now sweeping the city and to the wonderful Sacred Stories exhibit put up by our colleagues in the Free Library’s Rare Books Department, this week we opened our new exhibition Catholics in the New World. Among the dozen items in the show are some of the earliest books …
Marbled Papers
I’m Emily, a curatorial intern who has spent the spring and summer at the Rosenbach. As my internship comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the amazing array of books I’ve been able to see at the Rosenbach this year. I’ve had my eye out for interesting endpapers (the sometimes decorated papers found on …
Saint Christopher and The Golden Legend
More and more information is finally being released about Philadelphia’s plans for the upcoming papal visit in a month’s time, but given all the swirling logistical questions and potential transit snafus, it seemed like an appeal to St. Christopher might not be out of order. The traditional patron saint of travelers, St. Christopher was supposedly …
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Beach season is winding down as the end of the summer approaches and here at the Rosenbach we’re starting to gear up for Alice-in-Wonderland season as we make preparations for “Down the Rabbit Hole” a three gallery exhibit that will open October 14, along with a fabulous slate of programs ranging from a conversation with …
Mary Queen of Scots Letter, Take 2
Hi everyone! This is another blog post by this summer’s collection’s intern, Allison! This time, I’m focusing on a letter from 1571 written by Mary, Queen of Scots. The Rosenbach has the first two pages of the letter in their collection and we wrote a blog post about it back in 2013. That post, however, …
Tiny Treat
As Jobi’s post last week pointed out, one of the rewards of shelf reading is discovering items in the collection which one has never noticed before. As Patrick and I were working our way through British Literature we ran across a petite pleasure: two copies of The Comic Bijou. Comic Bijou. London: Rock Brothers & …
I Love Inventory
Since this is my first Rosen-blog post, I thought I would tell you a few things about myself: I love pencils, spreadsheets, organizing things, and my birthday. Starting collections inventory the week of my birthday is pretty much the best present (if present is defined as ‘work activity’) I could ask for! Conducting inventory is …