Hidden GEMS A PERIODICAL HIGHLIGHTING THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA S RARE AND UNIQUE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

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1 Hidden GEMS A PERIODICAL HIGHLIGHTING THE FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA S RARE AND UNIQUE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS SPRING 2012

2 A Letter FROM THE PRESIDENT One of the things I love most about the Free Library of Philadelphia s special collections is just how accessible they are. While scholars both local and global regularly visit our rare collections, the collections are also available to anyone who would just like to enjoy the treasures of their hometown library. In this issue of Hidden Gems you ll read about our Theatre, Print and Picture, and Children s Literature Research collections. Whether you re a parent looking for a favorite out-of-print storybook to share with your children or a film buff just wanting to find out more about your favorite star, our collections are sure to inspire curiosity in whoever takes the time to enjoy them. As always, you can view all of our digital special collections at freelibrary.org, but I highly encourage you to stop by in person to see the collections up close and to meet our wonderful librarians who know them inside and out. They are eager to share their knowledge, and the Free Library s gems, with all of you. Warmly, Siobhan A. Reardon, President and Director

3 HIDDEN GEM # 87 RECOGNIZED PRIMARILY FOR HIS beautiful AND REALISTIC images of birds, JOHN JAMES AUDUBON EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS PROJECT IN THE 1840S TO PAINT THE QUADRUPEDS OF NORTH AMERICA, BECOMING the first to illustrate AND DESCRIBE THESE ANIMALS IN A SINGLE PUBLICATION. HE, HIS SONS, AND DR. JOHN BACHMAN PRODUCED 150 drawings AND DESCRIPTIONS WHICH WERE THEN HAND PRINTED AND hand colored BY PHILADELPHIAN JAMES T. BOWEN AND PUBLISHED AS VIVIPAROUS QUADRUPEDS OF NORTH AMERICA. PICTURED HERE IS ONE OF THESE RARE PRINTS, KNOWN AS the imperials, SHOWING TWO RICHARDSON S COLUMBIAN SQUIRRELS. THE AUDUBON PRINT SHOWN HERE IS PART OF THE PRINT AND PICTURE COLLECTION. Richardson's Columbian Squirrel, #5, by John James Audubon from John James Audubon and John Bachman, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (New York, ).

4 Left: Gabrielle Fulton with pop-up books from the Children s Literature Research Collection Right: Later version of the map of Prydain, circa 1964, Lloyd Alexander papers, , Free Library of Philadelphia, Children s Literature Research Collection Inspiring Today s Children WITH YESTERDAY S FAVORITES Photo credit: Ryan Brandenberg The Free Library s Children s Literature Research Collection features more than 65,000 non-circulating books published from 1837 to the present, as well as the papers of renowned authors and illustrators Lloyd Alexander, Tomi Ungerer, Evaline Ness, and Virginia Lee Burton. Gabrielle Fulton, Head of the Children s Literature Research Collection, invites you to come relive and share your favorite childhood stories. Everyone has a favorite story from childhood. Whether this story was told to us by a parent or a grandparent or we discovered it ourselves on a shelf in the library, it holds a place in our hearts. The Children s Literature Research Collection (CLRC) one of the great children s historic collections in the United States exists to preserve these stories. While scholars from around the globe rely on the treasures in our Collection which enlighten their understanding of the history of children s literature I m most touched when individuals arrive looking to reread their favorite childhood story. Every day people come in to request a book that they ve had difficulty finding elsewhere. Books go out of print; copies are damaged; and the memory of many of them fades away except for those that sparked a child s imagination. The Collection consists mainly of books, but also contains prints, paintings, and an archive of author and illustrator papers which includes manuscripts and preliminary sketches. CLRC holds such classics as the Horatio Alger tales, fantasies like the Dungeons & Dragons series, and well-loved humor as in The Man Who Didn t Wash His Dishes. One of the gems in our archives collection is Lloyd Alexander s manuscripts and notes for The Chronicles of Prydain series along with both his original sketches and Evaline Ness s final illustrations. The fifth book in the series, The High King, won the prestigious Newbery Medal in Many of Alexander s books are still in print, and his publisher still receives letters from children writing about their love for his stories. Maybe you wanted to be a girl detective like Nancy Drew or an inventor like Tom Swift. Perhaps it was the pictures that caught your attention and you d like to reread The Last of the Mohicans with N.C. Wyeth s illustrations. Come in and relive the memory. Graduate students working on their theses; artists studying a particular illustrator s style; parents and grandparents who long to share the thrill of a cherished story with the next generation all are welcome to enjoy the gems in CLRC. A generous grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources enabled the Free Library to process and catalog important archival collections in CLRC.

5 Photo credit: Ryan Brandenberg Left: Aurora Deshauteurs in the Print and Picture Collection Right: Midnight on the Battle Field. Engraved by J.J. Cade, New York, Published by A.D. Worthington & Co., The Civil War in Philadelphia A LEGACY OF BROTHERLY LOVE The Print and Picture Collection houses roughly half-a-million circulating pictures in the largest public picture lending library in the nation. In addition, there are 395,000 fine art prints and thousands of drawings, photographs, postcards, greeting cards, and other ephemera to be seen. Aurora Deshauteurs, Head of the Print and Picture Collection, explains how searching through images of the past can help connect us to the present. The City of Brotherly Love is the maxim I heard repeated over and over when I first moved to Philadelphia 20 years ago. I understood that Philadelphia derived this motto from its Quaker founders and ideology, but it wasn t until preparing a special Civil War exhibition that I truly appreciated how ingrained the principle was in the culture. With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War upon us, the Print and Picture Collection at Parkway Central Library began working last summer on a digital exhibition to display some of its treasures in honor of this important commemoration. Reviewing the history of the Civil War is a very exciting and unique experience when you are holding and looking at decades-old recruitment fliers and photographs documenting such poignant and historic events. And it was in going through the many treasures of Print and Pictures that I gained a new understanding and appreciation of Philadelphia s ethos of Brotherly Love. The Sanitary Fair of 1864 that raised funds for and awareness about soldiers health conditions; the refreshment saloons where soldiers passing through Philadelphia could find a place to recuperate; and the Sisters of Charity who cared for some 12,000 patients at Satterlee U.S.A. General Hospital in West Philadelphia were all a vital piece of our city s history that showcased how brotherly love abounded as Philadelphians aided the morale and health of the Union soldiers. These efforts and the moments they inspired are brought to life again, 150 years later, through the fliers, battle posters, and black-and-white photographs contained in Print and Pictures that are now available for the public to see in our digital exhibition at freelibrary.org. A favorite and perhaps the most heart wrenching image I found while assembling the exhibition on the Civil War is called Midnight on the Battle Field. Underneath the photo, the sobering caption reads: It was Mother Bickerdyke, with a lantern, still groping among the dead. Stooping down, and turning their cold faces towards her, she scrutinized them searchingly, uneasy lest some might be left to die uncared for. She could not rest while she thought any were overlooked who were yet living. Without a doubt, Philadelphia truly exists as the City of Brotherly Love in the striking images and photographs highlighted in our special exhibition.

6 Left: Karin Suni of the Theatre Collection with a hand-painted poster for the musical George M! from Right: A cigarette card from the Collection Raising the Curtain ON OUR THEATRE COLLECTION Photo credit: Ryan Brandenberg With a special focus on Philadelphia, the Free Library s unique Theatre Collection contains research materials on the history of American theatre, early film, and popular entertainment. In addition to programs, clipping files, reviews, photographs, posters, film stills, and other memorabilia, the Collection features Philadelphia theatre playbills dating back to 1803, the Lubin Film Company Archive, and other rare items on the silent and classic film eras. Karin Suni, Curator of the Theatre Collection, describes some of her favorite discoveries from this one-of-a-kind collection. I have been told I sound like a cliché when I say this, but it s the truth I have my dream job. My position as Curator of the Theatre Collection combines two of my great loves: performance and libraries. Yet the title Theatre Collection is a bit of a misnomer, as it is a research collection of materials not only about theatre, but also about other popular entertainment such as film, television, radio, circus, minstrels, vaudeville, and burlesque. It contains more than a million items, with a special focus on Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. In addition to traditional books and magazines, myriad types of archival material are represented, including programs, playbills, theatrical scrapbooks, posters, lithographs, newspaper clippings, photographs, lobby cards, reviews, and film stills. Just like most new positions, there has been a somewhat steep learning curve regarding the contents and history of the Collection itself, and, as much of it is only minimally cataloged, every day is an adventure rife with discoveries. I open most boxes, drawers, and cabinets not knowing exactly what I ll find and am amazed at the items I ve come across in my first six months. There s been a box of more than 100 cigarette cards from the late 1800s with pictures of actresses and vaudeville performers; tins full of lantern slides, some from the 1920s, featuring advertisements for upcoming films and products like Quaker Oats and Cadbury Cocoa; a cache of playscripts from as early as 1635, some of which have markings that suggest they were used as part of a performance; and a set of leather Javanese

7 Left: Playbill for the December 27, 1862 performance of The Stranger starring the well-known actor E.L. Davenport and his wife and Robert Emmett; or, Treason and Rebellion at the Walnut Street Theatre. Right: Cigarette cards from the Collection shadow puppets, also known as wayang kulit. One item particularly important to Philadelphia theatre is a bound manuscript volume from 1900 written by Charles N. Mann chronicling the history of the Arch Street Theatre from As one of the largest public library collections of its type in the country, the task of cataloging the Theatre Collection is a sizeable project but a worthy one. As I continue my tenure in this position, I look forward to many more exciting and challenging finds and creating opportunities for the public to experience the same sense of joy and wonder that I get to feel every day discovering the Theatre Collection and its treasures. The cigarette cards featured on these pages, dating from the 1880s-1890s, are from several different cigarette companies, including Old Judge Cigarettes and Sweet Caporal Cigarettes. They were used as promotional items often issued in collectible sets and could feature a variety of subjects such as actresses, actors, performers (who are featured in the cards pictured here), athletes, social scenes, world leaders, and more.

8 FREE LIBRARY OF PHILADELPHIA FOUNDATION 1901 VINE STREET, SUITE 111, PHILADELPHIA, PA Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No Don t forget! THE YEAR OF DICKENS 2012 CONTINUES WITH EXHIBITIONS IN THE RARE BOOK DEPARTMENT! THROUGH MAY 25, FROM THE DESK OF CHARLES DICKENS SHOWCASES FIRST EDITIONS, LETTERS, ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, AND PERSONAL EFFECTS. ON JUNE 4, DICKENS AND THE THEATRE OPENS, FEATURING PLAYBILLS, SCRIPTS, AND EPHEMERA THAT HIGHLIGHT DICKENS S FLAIR FOR THE DRAMATIC. INFO AT FREELIBRARY.ORG/DICKENS. The Free Library is one of the most important educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia provides funds for the operations of the Free Library system, including staffing at our 54 locations. Through the generosity of individual gifts, the Free Library Foundation supports many of the Library s incredible programs and services, which advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity throughout our city. To make a gift to the Foundation, please visit freelibrary.org/support or call