Posts in “print-and-picture-collection” (39)
Blog Articles
Most of us are familiar with the artwork created by the Works Progress Administration: the striking photography, the murals in state buildings and post offices, the posters, and the public… continue reading The Federal Writers' Project American Guides
By written by Nina C. January 18, 2022
The New Deal, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s political experiment to pull the United States out of the Great Depression, created programs for relief for the unemployed and economic… continue reading Explore the New Deal’s Legacy Across Philadelphia
By written by Laura S. October 5, 2021
by Laura S. and Caitlin G. It’s been ninety years since the crisis of the Great Depression inspired the New Deal’s government investment and aid. But it’s not just history. The… continue reading For the Greatest Number: The New Deal Revisited
By written by Administrator August 31, 2021 4
When Frank Stephens, Jr., passed away in March at the age of 89, many mourned the loss of a friend and colleague. Others were hearing about Frank for the first time. And it was an opportunity for… continue reading Frank Stephens, Jr.: A Free Library Legacy
By written by Administrator May 11, 2021 3
Dox Thrash was an innovative artist and printmaker who gained recognition for his realistic and moving depictions of Black life while working for the… continue reading Spotlight on Special Collections: Artist Dox Thrash and the WPA Printmaking Collection
By written by Laura S. April 23, 2021 1
With current stay-at-home orders and social distancing precautions in place, I find myself more eager to spend time outside and walk (or jog if I’m feeling really motivated) around the… continue reading Explore Your Neighborhood Virtually with Digital Collections
By written by Megan M. May 18, 2020
For more than 25 years, libraries have been digitizing their collections, and the Free Library has digital collections in abundance—providing the opportunity to browse through roughly 50,000… continue reading Diving into Digital Collections
By written by Janine P. May 1, 2020
The Free Library of Philadelphia is home to a myriad of Special Collections . Since mid-March, we have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that those of us who work with the… continue reading #SpecialCollectionsAtHome
By written by Megan M. April 27, 2020
by Karin S. and Chris B. Social Distancing can be a challenge! It seems like the rules of what you should and shouldn't do are always changing. To help you learn* about the right and… continue reading The Rights and Wrongs of Social Distancing
By written by Administrator April 24, 2020 2
Do you remember that scene at the beginning of Tangled where Rapunzel completes a day's worth of tasks before breakfast? Yeah, that's a lot less funny now. But if the school… continue reading #ColorOurCollections: Creating Art with the Free Library's Digital Archive
By written by Chris B. April 8, 2020 4
From the mid-1930s to the early 1940s, artists working for the Federal Art Project’s Poster Division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA, later renamed Work Projects Administration)… continue reading Spotlight on Special Collections: WPA Posters in the Print and Picture Collection
By written by Laura S. December 2, 2019
In a recent CNN article titled, "Why touching art is so tempting — and exciting," Fiona Candlin, a professor of museology at Birkbeck College in London and author… continue reading Learning Through Touch: Connecting with Objects in Our Special Collections
By written by Joe S. May 28, 2019
Philadelphia has been a major center of international commerce for over 300 years. Even today, with major port complexes serving major metropolitan centers throughout the country, Philadelphia and… continue reading A History Minute | 14 Surprising Facts about the Port of Philadelphia
By written by Sally F. March 28, 2019 2
Can you name five women artists off the top of your head? (Not counting Frida Kahlo or Georgia O’Keeffe.) Try. Surprised if you can’t? Don’t be. It happens. But let us help… continue reading #5WomenArtists from Our Special Collections
By written by Karen K. March 8, 2019
Long ago, Philadelphians had the opportunity to escape the congestion of the city by ferrying to two islands in the middle of the Delaware River, across from what is now Penn’s Landing.… continue reading An Island Retreat Off the Shores of Philadelphia
By written by Megan M. January 22, 2019
October 10 marks the opening of an exhibition that analyzes Philadelphia's growth across more than three centuries, presenting more than 80 rare and revelatory prints, photographs,… continue reading Philadelphia: The Changing City - An Exhibition from Special Collections
By written by Janine P. October 9, 2018
The Print and Picture Collection recently added a group of photos to the Historical Images of Philadelphia Digital Collection featuring intrepid reporter Vivian Shirley climbing three… continue reading Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Reporter Vivian Shirley Climbs Philadelphia Landmarks!
By written by Laura S. May 31, 2018 2
William Penn was a dreamer. Like many attracted to the New World, he was a member of a persecuted religious minority—the Quakers. But unlike the Puritans and Catholics who founded religious… continue reading A History Minute: The 1844 Nativist Riots in Philadelphia
By written by Sally F. March 16, 2018
Now on view at the Rosenbach, Of Two Minds: Creative Couples in Art & History showcases the creations of romantic couples who inspired, instructed, or even assisted one another in… continue reading Violet Oakley and Edith Emerson: Painters and Partners
By written by Sara D. March 8, 2018
Do you send out greeting cards around the holiday season? Families have been writing "Christmas Letters" for hundreds of years, but the commercially produced Christmas card is a little… continue reading Do You Need Some Holiday Card Inspiration?
By written by Caitlin G. December 8, 2017