Join the Rosenbach Museum & Library for a consideration of the development of the office of the presidency over the last 250 years.

In this program we’ll explore a wide array of holdings, including Bram Stoker’s handwritten notes for his gothic classic Dracula, correspondence from the iconic and incomparable Oscar Wilde, and one of our most famous holdings, Joyce’s manuscript of his Modernist masterpiece Ulysses.

Join the Rosenbach Board and Delancey Society for our festive annual Spring Soirée.

As we mark the 250th anniversary of Stephen Girard’s arrival in Philadelphia in 1776, come to historic Founder’s Hall to learn about this notable Philadelphian’s remarkable life story, explore the collection of books, manuscripts, artworks, and artifacts he left behind, and consider his complex, contested legacy for his adopted city and nation.  

On the 250th anniversary of Girard’s arrival in Philadelphia, join the Rosenbach for an afternoon seminar focused on the Bass Otis portrait and the story of Girard’s decision to cast his lot with the young American republic.

Gayle Feldman will relate how, through hard work, inspired archival detective work, sheer luck, and knowing the proclivities of her subject, she was able to uncover new information on the role the go-betweens played in putting Joyce's Ulysses into the hands of the right publisher at the right time, who was then able to put it into the hands of waiting readers. 

Join us in the Rosenbach’s historic Library as we look at Joyce’s celebrated novel to uncover the impact of ancient epic poetry on the structure of Ulysses. We will then engage in a close examination of a brief section of the novel to learn how Joyce reconstructs ancient poetic wordplay in a tour-de-force of erudition, competition, and Modernist innovation.

Every June 16, we gather together to read from Joyce’s Ulysses. It’s a beloved and foundational event for this institution, the home of Joyce’s manuscript of a novel that continues to inspire, scandalize, and thrill.

We will explore the books of that period that reveal his experiences, as this descendant of Portuguese Jews forced to convert during the Inquisition collides with New England Puritanism. Our story brings together a compelling cast of characters, a public spectacle in Harvard Yard, and some of Dr. Rosenbach’s treasures of Early American Judaica.

In this hands-on printing workshop, you will use a 19th century iron handpress to create your own, personal copies of U.S. founding documents–such as Common Sense and the Federalist Papers. The workshop will be accompanied by a discussion of how print culture has served as a tool of change and given voice to the people, with examples from the Rosenbach collection.

For many centuries, Queer people have faced marginalization by mainstream society. Yet their obstacles have also given them unique perspectives on the human experience and inspired important contributions to art, literature, and politics. In this tour, we will meet Queer people from history and consider how their diverse identities shaped their lives and informed their work.

Join the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Lowlands for a transatlantic book club experience! As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence and we mark 210 years since the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Antiquary, the book club will consider how national identity has been formed and reforged via history, literature, and culture in both Scotland the U.S.

In this course, we'll explore the extraordinary deeds as well as the incomparable words of Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin. Each session will focus on an era and set of writings found in J.A. Leo Lemay's Library of America volumes of Franklin's writings. We'll explore Franklin's autobiography, a text of many parts and many secrets, and still one of the most read and widest studied works written in the 18^th century.

Experience the founding of America through original manuscripts and early printed editions that bring to life the work of John Adams, Founding Father and second U.S. President; Abigail Adams, humanitarian and activist; George Washington, Revolutionary commander and first U.S. President; Thomas Jefferson, Declaration author and third U.S. President; Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American poet; and their contemporaries.

Join the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Lowlands for a transatlantic book club experience! As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence and we mark 210 years since the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Antiquary, the book club will consider how national identity has been formed and reforged via history, literature, and culture in both Scotland the U.S.

From its study of a charismatic authoritarian to its minute account of a global oil economy to the obsessive attention that it pays to the bodies and lives of whales, squid, and other denizens of the sea, Moby-Dick continues to feel very present and very urgent. In the eight sessions of this course, we will take up a slow and close reading of Melville’s monumental novel, taking our time to consider the work in its grandest visions, its most minute observations, and the overall joy with which it attends to –-and attaches us to–-the stuff of life and the world.

In this class, participants will join that sustainable tradition, recycling vegetable cartons into one-of-a-kind blank books inspired by Anne Goy’s crisscross binding! Along the way, this workshop teaches broadly useful bookbinding skills, including how to prepare a text block and fundamental sewing techniques.

Join an odyssey through the Rosenbach’s mighty Melville collection in this Behind the Bookcase tour. We’ll chart our voyage through early editions of Melville’s novels and handwritten letters, seeking the source of his greatness and reflecting on his legacy in the modern day. All aboard as, in the words of Moby-Dick’s Ishmael, we “sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.”

The Rosenbach's verdant urban hideaway (our backyard garden) connects us to the grottoes of antiquity that influenced French and Italian gardens, fine art, and design after the discoveries of the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea in the 1480s and Pompeii in 1599. These artifact-filled European gardens provided refuge from summer heat and the possibility of transformative encounters, both human and divine. In this program, we will discover the ancient myths found in the Rosenbach's garden sculptures and connect them to the literature inside our building that present and reinterpret ancient themes, including works by Homer, Sappho, Catullus, Shakespeare, Wheatley, and Joyce. 

As we reflect on America’s 250^th anniversary, this course will look back to Vonnegut’s early 1970s attempts to restore “humane harmony” in his brain as he confronted foundational American myths, a damaged planet, and a culture that seemed like a “sidewalk strewn with junk.” Focusing on Breakfast of Champions (1973) and selected short works, this three-session course will explore the how Vonnegut used his newfound celebrity in the wake of Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) to respond to the Vietnam War, the space race and other Cold War technologies, and the broader social, political, environmental, and economic breakdowns he witnessed. 

In celebration of Mexican Independence Day, join us for a yoga experience inspired by the visionary work of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz—the 17th-century Mexican poet, philosopher, and nun who defied convention to pursue a life of intellectual and spiritual inquiry. 

Join the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Abbotsford: The Home of Sir Walter Scott, in the Scottish Lowlands for a transatlantic book club experience! As the United States commemorates 250 years of independence and we mark 210 years since the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s historical novel The Antiquary, the book club will consider how national identity has been formed and reforged via history, literature, and culture in both Scotland the U.S.

This hands-on class invites participants to explore how individuals folded letters to function as their own creative, and occasionally top-secret, enclosures before (and after) the invention of the envelope in 1830. Use paper, wax, scissors, and seals to reconstruct several historical letterlocking formats found in the Rosenbach’s collection while discussing the relative security, innovation, and elegance of each model. 

Celebrate the start of fall with a visit to the Rosenbach! Take a free, self-guided tour, visit our permanent exhibition, Treasures from the Rosenbach’s Collection, to view rare objects from our Dracula, vampire, and Gothic holdings, and enjoy a spooky, Halloween-inspired immersive audio-scape.

When the RMS Titanic sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, it took with it Dr. ASW Rosenbach’s friend and collecting protégé, Harry Elkins Widener. Harry’s mother, socialite Eleanor Elkins Widener, turned to Dr. Rosenbach for help creating the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at Harry’s alma mater, Harvard. Untangle the stories of the Wideners, the Rosenbachs, and the Titanic by viewing and handling rare documents relating to history’s most famous tragedy at sea.   

Join the Rosenbach, Chef Adam Diltz of Elwood Restaurant, and talented musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra for a “Philadelphia tea party” in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. 

Read Ulysses with one of the leading James Joyce scholars in an intimate in-person setting at the Rosenbach. One of the challenges of reading Ulysses on one’s own is that we tend to see (or object to not seeing!) what we expect to find. Slow reading in a communal setting allows readers to access the unexpected, the incomprehensible, the bizarre complexity of daily life.  

In this special excursion, join the Rosenbach and Nemours Estate for an in-depth look at books and other objects connected to the du Pont dynasty of Delaware. You will learn about the history of this fascinating estate, the legacy of book collecting among the du Ponts, and the importance of country house library collections to our understanding of the history of reading.

Celebrate National Coming Out Day 2026 at the Rosenbach, as we find inspiration for sensual Queer self-expression in the papers of lesbian playwright Mercedes de Acosta (1892-1968). Participants will leave the Rosenbach with a copy of an Acosta love poem, their own poetry, as well as a lavender pen to continue exploring and expressing Queer identity following the course.  

This tour will introduce you to the life, literary work, and romantic liaisons of Mercedes de Acosta before exploring the fascinating story of how Acosta’s papers came to the Rosenbach under the guidance of curator and director William H. McCarthy, Jr. The tour will conclude with a discussion of Acosta’s life lessons for LGBTQ+ Americans in the 21st century.  

Trek through the Joycean high country with Rosenbach Joyce Sherpa Mike Barsanti as he leads an intrepid group of readers through a truly unique work of literature. Designed for first-time readers, the course will help students find a method for reading (and re-reading!) the “Wake,” while benefiting from the shared experiences of the group. There are nine course sessions from October to June.

This season of the Republic of Letters Book Club explores the causes, consequences, and cultural legacy of the Whiskey Rebellion, one of the first major tests of federal authority in the early United States. Sessions meet variously at Carpenters’ Hall and the Rosenbach.

In honor of Oscar Wilde’s birthday, we gather to honor his dazzling legacy by uncovering how he navigated a complex world where his wit and genius were both celebrated and fiercely condemned.

This season of the Republic of Letters Book Club explores the causes, consequences, and cultural legacy of the Whiskey Rebellion, one of the first major tests of federal authority in the early United States. Sessions meet variously at Carpenters’ Hall and the Rosenbach.

This season of the Republic of Letters Book Club explores the causes, consequences, and cultural legacy of the Whiskey Rebellion, one of the first major tests of federal authority in the early United States. Sessions meet variously at Carpenters’ Hall and the Rosenbach.