Location
Print and Pictures Department: Second Floor, Central Library
Hours of Operation
Weekdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Contact
215-686-5405
Spanning the graphic arts from 1493 to the present time, the Free Library's Fine Art Prints and Photographs collection includes thousands of images. Initially representing only Philadelphia artists, the collection has been extended to include early masters as well as renowned modern printmakers and photographers. You can view prints by such artists as Dürer, Rembrandt, Warhol and Dali. Some of the photographers include Ansel Adams, Bernice Abbott, Ray Metzker, Eadweard Muybridge and Aaron Siskind.
Featured Item
Benton Spruance (1904-1967) was one of the most important American lithographers of the 20th century. He lived and worked in the Philadelphia area, teaching printmaking at the Philadelphia College of Art and Beaver College. The Free Library is fortunate to have one of the largest collections of Benton Spruance in the country. His lithographs chronicle the city and the world from the 1930's through the 1960's. You'll find scenes of urban life, dramatic images of football players, pictures depicting great stories from the Bible set in modern times, and illustrations for Moby Dick.
