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[udspeccoll-blog]

Henry Blackwell Bookplates

Henry Blackwell (1851-1928) was an avid bookplate collector and a founding member of the American Book Plate Society. His collection exceeded 1650 bookplates at the time of auction in 1915.

Below are several of his personal bookplates.

“Cared doeth yr encilion (Welsh)” - “Love in the Wise Retreats”

Bookplate circa 1893, created by H.T. Sears.

“y ddraig goch a ddyry gychwyn (Welsh)” - “The Red Dragon Shall Give Start”

Bookplate circa 1894, created by E. D. French.

“A CAN AC AWEN (Welsh)” - “A Hundred and Muse” 

Bookplate circa 1895

Gift plate circa 1899, created by E. D. French.

Bookplate undated.

Bookplate undated. 

Blackwell, Henry - Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Blackwell, Henry. 1915. Catalogue of the extensive and valuable collection of book plates and books relating to book plates formed by Henry Blackwell, esq. of New York City. To be sold at auction December 1st and 2nd, 1915. New York: Scott & O'Shaughnessy, Inc.

William Augustus Brewer Bookplate Collection, bookplates 1165, 1163, 1159, 1167, 1158, and 1161. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

[upennmanuscripts]

What happens when we are between Tumblr Assistants

Good morning! You may have noticed that over the past couple of weeks the UPenn Manuscripts Tumblr has had many fewer original posts than usual. This is because our Tumblr Assistant since March, Amy Chen, has had to step out of the position to concentrate on finishing her Senior year at Penn. We’ll miss Amy! She did a fantastic job finding interesting themes for each week, and great manuscripts to suit each theme. If you’d like to revisit her posts, they are all tagged with #ac so you can find them easily.

We’re in the process of hiring a new Tumblr Assistant, and when she’s on board we’ll give her a proper introduction. Until then you’re dependent on me (Mod Dot, aka The Curator) to reblog interesting things AND! This week! We are ALL #BIBLIOPHILLY ALL THE TIME.

WHAT IS BIBLIOPHILLY I hear you cry. Your cries are not in vain.

BiblioPhilly is Bibliotheca Philadelphiensis, a grant-funded project to digitize and make available in the Public Domain (most of) the (Western) Medieval manuscripts in Philadelphia - about 450 of them, plus 150 leaves. 

Did you know that Philly has many libraries with many awesome manuscripts therein? It’s true! You know about Penn, because we post our stuff here all the time, but we’re not even the best collection. By all accounts, the best collection of medieval manuscripts in Philadelphia is at the Free Library of Philadelphia, the public library system for the city. But there are many other libraries with notable collections. In addition to the FLP, the other libraries contributing to the project are the Othmer Library at the Chemical Heritage Foundation (@othmeralia), The Library Company of Philadelphia (@librarycompany) - founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 and repository for the longest-held medieval manuscript in the USA-, Bryn Mawr College Special Collections (@brynmawrspeccoll), College of Physicians of Philadelphia Library, Franklin and Marshall College Archives & Special Collections, Haverford College Library Quaker & Special Collections, Lehigh University Libraries Special Collections, Philadelphia Museum of Art (@philamuseum), The Rosenbach, Temple University Libraries Special Collections Research Center, University of Delaware Special Collections (@udspeccoll)

You’ve made it this far, here’s a folio image to encourage you to read further.

(Free Library of Philadelphia Lewis E 90, Book of Hours, Use of Coutances, Annunciation, fol. 7r)

BiblioPhilly has its own Tumblr, which is managed by Andrew Stahlhut at Lehigh University (@bibliophilly), and which mostly blogs tweets using the #bibliophilly tag on Twitter (if you’re on Twitter check it out because it is pretty great), that tag is used primarily by people who are cataloging the manuscripts and tweeting fun finds as they go (currently two of them are having a contest to see who can find the most skulls). So until our new Tumblr Assistant comes on board, we’ll be reblogging posts from @bibliophilly. Hope you enjoy!

If you want to find out more about the manuscripts we’ve already digitized for BiblioPhilly and those that are coming up, you can find them using our Viewshare temporary search. 

[Bibliotheca Philadelphiensis is funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (April 2016-March 2019), the PI is Lois Black, Lehigh University, and co-PIs and Janine Pollock, Free Library of Philadelphia, and Dot Porter, University of Pennsylvania.]

[udspeccoll-blog]

Cinderella

Produced by McLoughlin Brothers in 1891, Cinderella is two books in one!  It tells the story of Cinderella in a format that depicts the theater experience. Its pages are bound on both sides of the book and cut down the center. When opened, the half pages that are turned back illustrate the stages’ boxed seating complete with audience.*

Cinderella. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware. 

[udspeccoll-blog]

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday

The reverse of the postcard reads:

He left for the mountaintop to witness the glories of the Lord. Dr. Martin Luther King, 1929-1968

PPI 0107 Gregory C. Wilson collection of African-American postcards and trade cards, Special Collections,University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.   

[udspeccoll-blog]

Views of Delaware College, 1914

There have been many changes at the University of Delaware over the past one hundred plus years...

Old College was once a dormitory.

The library has grown!

Classrooms and  labs have been streamlined.

Views of Delaware College, Newark, Delaware. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Something New for Little Folk

In this book of verse by Clifton Bingham, artist A.E. Jackson created an illustration for each poem that morphed into an abstract design as you rotated the edge of the circle.

Something New for Little Folk.  Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Peepshow Pictures

Photographs of the pop-up pages in an 1894 children’s book.

Peepshow Pictures. A Novel Colour Book.  Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Recipe Book

Looking for a sauce for your Thanksgiving Turkey? Try Mary Baker’s recipe...

Sauce for a Turkye

Take water and sett it over the fire then slice good store of oynions and put into it also Pepper and salt and good store of Gravy that comes from the Turkye and boyle them very well together then put to it a few fine Crumbs of Grated Bread to thicken it a very little Sugar & some vinegar So Serve it up with the Turkye

Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware  Mss 097 Item 156

[udspeccoll-blog]

Delaware’s Past in Postcards

Longwood Gardens’ Fountain Revitalization Project was completed earlier this year. Below are bygone views of the fountains at Longwood Gardens. 

ca. [1939-1950]

ca. [1940-1960]

ca. [1930-1945]

ca. [1930-1945]

ca. [1950 or later]

Postcard Collection: dexlong025, dexlong026, dexlong016, dpc_00107, dpc_00060. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Delaware’s Past in Postcards

In November of 2002, Delaware was the first state to go smoke-free in restaurants, bars, gaming facilities and most workplaces. The following postcard apprised potential tourists to Delaware’s new smoke-free status!

Back of postcard:

ca. 2003

Postcard Collection: dpc_00137. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

[udspeccoll-blog]

Delaware’s Past in Postcards

University of Delaware’s Fighting Blue Hens Football team will host their final game of the season this Saturday, November 11th.

Hopefully the fans will be lined up just as they were in 1914 when the “Blue and Old Gold” took on the Carlisle Indian Reserves and won 33-0.

Postcard Collection: dennewauniv083. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware. The Review, Vol. 31, 3rd issue.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Delaware’s Past in Postcards

Brandywine Powder Mills by Pierre Gentieu (1842-1930)

Pierre Gentieu created this crayon sketch of the Brandywine Powder Mills in 1878. He was employed by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company and created a photographic record of the company at the turn of the 19th Century.

Postcard Collection: denwilmhagl059. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

[udspeccoll-blog]

Conard-Pyle Company

The Conard-Pyle Company of West Grove, Pennsylvania was a large horticultural enterprise that specialized in the cultivation and hybridization of roses. Before they were Conard-Pyle Company they were...

Covers and title page from the Fall 1897 catalog.

Many of Conard-Pyle’s famous roses can be found at Star Roses and Plants.

Conard-Pyle Company records, Mss 634.  Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

[udspeccoll-blog]

Book Club Bookplate

Unique, early 19th century bookplate used to track a book through the members of a book club at New York Society Library (NYC’s oldest library).

William Augustus Brewer Bookplate Collection, bookplate 1275. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

[udspeccoll-blog]

Delaware’s Past in Postcards

Augustine Paper Mills on the Brandywine early 20th century.

postmarked 1913

Dam on the Brandywine above Augustine Paper Mills.

postmarked 1910

Postcard Collection: denwilmpape005, denwilmpape004, denwilmpape002, denwilmrive020. Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware

[udspeccoll-blog]

Happy Birthday Rembrandt! Born July 15, 1606

Rembrandt Leaning on Stone-sill

Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s is considered the most important painter in Dutch history. He was well known, throughout his life time, for his portraits, etchings and paintings. In addition to his own work, he taught many other Dutch artists for 20 years.

Woman Reading

Studies of the head of Saskia and others -1636

The Triumph of Mordechai

Etchings from: Complete Etchings of Rembrandt, with authentic copies, vol. 2.

Special Collections, University of Delaware Library

Wikippedia: Rembrandt