Third supplement to the 1789 Library Company printed catalog., Pagination statement has been simplified by cataloger., The insertion was found in and remains in the front cover., These materials are part of the Library Company Papers Project: Archiving and Preserving Early American History. For additional information on this project, visit librarycompany.org/lcppapersproject.
Papers Project processing and digitization has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this resource do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information on NEH, visit www.neh.gov., All use must credit The Library Company of Philadelphia. For additional information on Rights & Reproductions, visit https://librarycompany.org/using-the-library/rightsrepro/#/.
Creator
Library Company of Philadelphia
Date
June 30, 1796
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia. | Books & Other Texts | Rare MSS00270v030
Part 2 of the Library Company printed catalog of 1775., Pagination statement has been simplified by cataloger., Text block only, no cover. Bookplate (in box) marks this as a gift of Robert R. Logan from the papers of John Dickinson. A slip of paper with a Library Company of Philadelphia border marks this as a gift of C. Newbold Tayor in 1955. John Dickinson's name is inscribed on the title page. The first two signatures have separated from the rest., These materials are part of the Library Company Papers Project: Archiving and Preserving Early American History. For additional information on this project, visit librarycompany.org/lcppapersproject.
Papers Project processing and digitization has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this resource do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information on NEH, visit www.neh.gov., All use must credit The Library Company of Philadelphia. For additional information on Rights & Reproductions, visit https://librarycompany.org/using-the-library/rightsrepro/#/.
Creator
Library Company of Philadelphia
Date
[MDCCLXXV [1775]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia. | Books & Other Texts | Rare MSS00270v023
Scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, photographs, ephemera and prints predominantly issued between the 1930s and 1970s documenting exhibitions, loans, collections, events and the history of the Library Company. Clippings include newspaper articles about a loan of American political cartoons to the Toledo Museum (1936); exhibitions commemorating the centenary of librettist W.S. Gilbert (1936); the tercentenary of Swedish Settlement (1938); and the library's African American history collection (1971). Columns also describe the presentation of the Christopher Sower library (1909); the return in 1876 of a book 99 years overdue since the American Revolution (1938); the demolition of the Library's Juniper and Locust streets building for a parking lot (1939); and the vandalism of the former Ridgway Building at 901-933 Broad Street (1969). Photographs predominantly depict the exteriors and reading rooms of the library buildings at Fifth and Library Streets, Juniper and Locust Streets, and Broad Street (Ridgway Building). Other photographs include a series of views from the 1939 unveiling ceremony of the James Logan memorial (to be erected in Fairmount Park) on the steps of the Ridgway Branch. Ephemera includes invitations (several from The Women's Committee), brochures, catalogs, announcements and placards related to library events; bulletins and pamphlets describing collections; dues notices and book plates; the variant 1884 and 1906 "Rules of the Library Company"; an off-print of the 1882 Louise Stockton entry in "A Sylvan City..." about "The Old Philadelphia Library"; and a 1961 citation from the city recognizing the library as a "Philadelphia first.", Title supplied by cataloger., Cut outs of the seal and motto of Library Company from bookplate pasted on title page., Some contents annotated with dates and typewritten descriptions., Several loose photographs removed and rehoused as "Library Company of Philadelphia Scrapbook Photographs Collection" [P.2010.17]. Contains a ca. 1865 portrait of library donor John A. McAllister misidentified as librarian Lloyd P. Smith, a ca. 1935 portrait of librarian George Abbot, and interior and exterior views of the library buildings, including artifacts, at Fifth and Library Streets, Juniper and Locust Streets, and Broad Street (Ridgway Building)., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitization made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom (PW-285234-22), 2023-2025., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Typewritten index inserted in volume., The Library Company of Philadelphia, America’s first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution, was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a subscription library supported by its shareholders. Until the 1850s it was the largest public library in America. It was transformed into a research library in the 1950s.
Creator
Library Company of Philadelphia
Date
[ca. 1865-ca. 1971, bulk ca. 1936-ca. 1945]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *albums (flat) [P.2010.17], Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Library Company of Philadelphia Scrapbook Photographs Collection [P.2010.17]
Scrapbook predominantly containing photographs of the interiors and exteriors of the buildings of the Library Company of Philadelphia at Fifth and Library streets (1792-1878) (p. 8, 10, 21a) and Juniper and Locust streets (1880-1940). Interior views show the main reading rooms (p. 27, 29, 30, 33-35), the women's reading room (p.31-32), and the Henry C. Lea Annex (member's reading room)(p.37) at the Juniper Street building. The images include shelves of books; reading tables and chairs; magazine racks; card catalogs; and paintings, photographs, manuscripts and busts and object d'arts on display. Also contains photographs and photomechanical reproductions of portraiture of early noted figures and donors to the Library Company and art and artifacts held by or associated with the repository. Additional content includes reference correspondence (1920 and 1924) between librarian George Abbot and overseas researchers studying Peter Collinson and an April 8, 1834 newspaper clipping reporting the Library Company's receipt of the book collection of the late James Cox "Artist and Bibliomaniac" accompanied by his autograph (John McAllister label pasted on verso)., Portraits depict Rev. Samuel Preston (1756-1834)(p. 12); optician Joseph Fisher (d. 1864) (p. 13); library director Dr. Thomas Parke (1749-1835) (p. 14); "library director 1825-1840" Benjamin R. Morgan (1765-1840) (p. 16); and Library Company purchasing agent Peter Collinson (1694-1768) (p. 17). Artifacts include the "Lion's Mouth" tin suggestion box (ca. 1850) (p. 21); the candle lantern from the entrance of the original library building (pre-1791) (p. 20); "old playing cards used as washers for Franklin's electrical machine" (1740s) (p. 22); William Penn's secretary desk (ca. 1680) (p. 23); John Penn's air pump case for electrical instruments (1738-1739) (p. 24); and the anti-slavery painting "Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences" given to the library by its artist Samuel Jennings in 1792 (p. 18-19). Photographic reproductions also depict prints from Birch's "Views of Philadelphia" (p. 25-26)., Title supplied by cataloger., Bookplate of the Library Company dated October 9, 1934 pasted on inside front cover., Some contents identified from manuscript notes on rectos and versos of scrapbook pages., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitization made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom (PW-285234-22), 2023-2025., Housed in phase box., Select link below to access the website "Art & Artifacts. Discover the Library Company’s Art and Artifact Collection.", The Library Company of Philadelphia, America’s first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution, was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a subscription library supported by its shareholders. Until the 1850s it was the largest public library in America. It was transformed into a research library in the 1950s.
Creator
Library Company of Philadelphia
Date
1818-ca. 1934, bulk 1920-1930
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department albums - Library [Uy8 7065.Q], http://www.librarycompany.org/artifacts/
In both the United States and England, the market for comic valentines rivaled that for sentimental valentines, with their sales numbers about equal in the 1840s and 1850s. Sentimental valentines were more expensive, ranging in price from twenty-five cents to thirty dollars. A single comic valentine cost about a penny, hence their other nickname "penny dreadfuls." "Dreadful" is an appropriate term, but "crude," both in content and printing, is perhaps more accurate. Many were printed from wood blocks, with the color added by hand (often with stencils). The later examples were reproduced lithographically, but imitated the look of woodcuts. Sometimes the same image was used more than once with different doggerel verse. The recipients typically threw them away, so few survive. Bibliographically, they are challenging because they rarely list the artists' or publishers' names or the date of publication. The illustration technique is not always obvious, even with magnification. Working under the NEH-funded McAllister Project, Linda Wisniewski scanned the valentines. During a 2006 internship funded by the Fels Foundation, Elizabeth Donaldson created the records for the collection. Thanks to Linda and Betsy, digital versions of these remarkable pieces of ephemera are available here for further study.
Comic valentines, very popular in the United States beginning in the early 1840s, are quite different from the lacy, heart-shaped cards that one associates with the holiday today. The cartoons and verses poke fun at various occupations (lawyers, doctors, preachers, butchers, etc.), ethnicities (Black, Irish, German, etc.), human frailties (fat, thin, ugly, nosy, two-faced, etc.), romantic aspirations, habits and pastimes, political activities, and participation in the American Civil War. The Philadelphia collector John A. McAllister assembled the collection and donated it to the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1884., In both the United States and England, the market for comic valentines rivaled that for sentimental valentines, with their sales numbers about equal in the 1840s and 1850s. Sentimental valentines were more expensive, ranging in price from twenty-five cents to thirty dollars. A single comic valentine cost about a penny, hence their other nickname "penny dreadfuls." "Dreadful" is an appropriate term, but "crude," both in content and printing, is perhaps more accurate. Many were printed from wood blocks, with the color added by hand (often with stencils). The later examples were reproduced lithographically, but imitated the look of woodcuts. Sometimes the same image was used more than once with different doggerel verse. The recipients typically threw them away, so few survive. Bibliographically, they are challenging because they rarely list the artists' or publishers' names or the date of publication. The illustration technique is not always obvious, even with magnification. Working under the NEH-funded McAllister Project, Linda Wisniewski scanned the valentines. During a 2006 internship funded by the Fels Foundation, Elizabeth Donaldson created the records for the collection. Thanks to Linda and Betsy, digital versions of these remarkable pieces of ephemera are available here for further study., Provenance: The Comic Valentine collection was donated to The Library Company of Philadelphia in 1884 by John Allister McAllister.
Creator
McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, creator
