The early “What in the World” television game show inspired young people to enter the world of archaeology and anthropology Continue reading
Category: previous years
Imperfecta – Multi-day exhibit, 2017
Using artifacts from The Historical Medical Library and Mütter Museum collections, this new exhibition examines the shifting perceptions about abnormal human development, from fear and wonder to curiosity and clinical science. Continue reading
Curious Revolutionaries: The Peales of Philadelphia – Multi-day exhibit, 2017
An exhibition about the Peale family’s role in shaping early American public culture through innovations in art, science, and technology. Continue reading
Deprived of the Use of their Reason: Quakerism & the Curability of Mental Illness at Friends’ Asylum, 1817–1867 – Multi-day, 2017
This exhibit traces the history of the first private mental institution in the United States. Continue reading
Where is the Penn Treaty Elm? – Multi-Day Exhibit, 2017
This exhibit explores the myth and history of the Penn Treaty Elm from the time of the treaty to the present day. Continue reading
Invisible, not insignifcant – October 10, 2017
“Invisible, not insignificant” uses the Historical Medical Library’s collection of 19th- and early 20th-century photographs, case books, diaries, and pamphlets to look at ‘invisible’ conditions such as depression, and explores 19th-century asylum life. Continue reading
Othmer Library Open House: Back to School Night – October 11, 2017
For one-night only, discover how STEM education has changed over the centuries as the Othmer Library of Chemical History opens its vaults for American Archives Month! Continue reading
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 14, 2017, and more all month long
Archives & History Day, a history expo with more than 60 organizations participating, plus other days with lectures and a feature film.
Continue reading
Behind the Scenes – October 17, 2017
Come see the invisible sights and unheard sounds of the moments before the big moments … before the counter-attack is launched, the play performed, an execution ordered, a new bestseller published. Continue reading
Animals in the Archives – October 25, 2017
Join us for an evening filled with temporary tattoos, origami, a library-wide scavenger hunt, and more – all based on animals from the archives!
The Art of Ownership: Bookplates and Book Collectors from 1480 to the Present – Multi-day exhibit, 2016
Presenting beautiful and curious specimens from five centuries of book collecting, The Art of Ownership delves into the stories of these bookplates, the rare editions behind them, and the lives of the men and women who owned them. Continue reading
Something’s Brewing: History of the Gay & Lesbian Coffeehouse of Philadelphia – Multi-day exhibit, 2016
For over a decade—at multiple locations and in several guises—the Gay and Lesbian Coffeehouse of Philadelphia served as a welcoming and inspiring anchor for LGBT community life in Philadelphia. Continue reading
“Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
“Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” is presented in partnership with the Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, and covers the 12 political conventions held in Philadelphia between 1848 and 2016.
All the Presidents’ Flowers: Plants and Flowers for Presidents and First Ladies – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
This exhibit of archival photographs and nursery catalogs from the library’s collections, features plants named in honor of U. S. presidents and first ladies, and also reflects aspects of the garden history of the White House, with some Philadelphia connections.
Vesalius On The Verge: The Book and The Body – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
In 1543 Vesalius published De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body). The exhibit features an edition of the Fabrica book as well as other works by Vesalius and specimens highlighting his accomplishments in the field of anatomy.
Common Touch: The Art of the Senses in the History of the Blind – Multi-day Exhibit, 2016
Common Touch: The Art of the Senses in the History of the Blind is a multimedia exhibition that looks at historical embossed and raised-letter documents for the visually impaired as a starting point for a multi-sensory exploration of the nature of perception.
Springerle and more: 19th Century Cookie Molds from the Collection of Ryan Berley – October 3, 2016
Take a look at these authentic wood or metal molds, and sample the cookies you can make with them! (SOLD OUT) Continue reading
Monmouth County Archives Week – October 4-8, 2016
Seminars, archives tour, movies, history organization expo, awards, raffle Continue reading
Hagley Library Open House – October 8, 2016
Selection of materials on display and a behind the scenes tour!
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Building Tour and Curator’s Look of “Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia” – October 10, 2016
Join us for a tour of the Union League and a curatorial discussion of “Sweep the Country: Political Conventions in Philadelphia,” on display in The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia.
Exposed: Philadelphia Physicians in Photographs – October 11, 2016
The Library will be displaying highlights from its rarely shown collection of photographs featuring physicians, patients, and all things medicine in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Collection Curios and Oddities – October 14, 2016
Visit our open house and see some of our favorite known unknowns. Continue reading
Redemptorist Archives Evening Lecture and Open House – October 19, 2016
Visit the newly constructed Redemptorist Archives during its open house and hear an evening lecture by a local historian on the value of religious archives. Continue reading
Othmer Library Open House: The Golden Age of Science Advertising – October 20, 2016
For one night only, discover hidden treasures from the Othmer Library of Chemical History as we open our vaults in celebration of American Archives Month!
By the Book: Making–and Breaking!–the Rules – October 25, 2016
Join the catalogers of the Kislak Center to meet the medieval to modern role models and scape graces who inhabit our collections and have influenced history by making, breaking, and enforcing the rules. Continue reading
Archives Hands-On History – October 24-28, 2016
In celebration of Archives Month, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Manager, Archives and Records, Erica Harman, will lead ten special Hands-On History (15-minute) tours of the historic site’s collection storage area. Continue reading
Archives Open House at William Way LGBT Community Center – October 26, 2016
Check out the sexiest archive in the city! Continue reading
Food from the Archives – October 27, 2016
Come learn about Parmesan making in Italy according to Thomas Jefferson, the history of food conservation in WWI, how tofu was made in the 18th century, William Glackens’ recipe for beer, and more!
Vesalius On The Verge: The Book and The Body – Multi-day Exhibit, 2015
Daily 10AM – 5PM
Mütter Museum
College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia PA 19103
Free with museum admission (Museum admission fees)
December 31st marked the 500th birthday of the “Father of Modern Anatomy” Andreas Vesalius. In 1543 Vesalius published De humani corporis fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body), a series of seven books based on the dissection and research he conducted while at the University of Padua. This treatise on the human body was a groundbreaking work, with both detailed text and illustrations. To this day the Fabrica is still considered a masterpiece of both medical and anatomical literature. Please visit our exhibit which opened on December 19th, 2014. It features an edition of the Fabrica book as well as other works by Vesalius and specimens highlighting his accomplishments in the field of anatomy.
Defiant Archives: Trans Histories of Existence, Resistance, and Brilliance – Multi-day Exhibit, 2015
October 1 – December 4, 2015
City Hall, Second Floor, East Corridor (in front of Mayor’s Office)
1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19107
In celebration of LGBT Month, Art In City Hall and the City’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy presents Defiant Archives: Trans Histories of Existence, Resistance, and Brilliance. The exhibit shares a collection of archival and personal items with a focus on the history of transgender activism in Philadelphia, curated and collected by local trans community members. Visitors will be able to watch a collection of oral history videos shared by the Trans Oral History Project, as well as the short documentary video “Transpass” about the work of Riders Against Gender Exclusion, a local activist group who won the fight to end SEPTA’s use of gendered stickers in 2013. The exhibit will also invite participation, as visitors are welcomed to share their own histories on a timeline stretching from 1965 to 2015.
The Defiant Archives exhibit responds to a missing piece in the Reminder 2015 celebration. Before, during, and after the Annual Reminder Day protests (1965-69) demanded gender conformity from participants, transgender and gender nonconforming activists have mobilized for sexual and gender self-determination, social transformation, and collective liberation.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defiantarchives
Twitter: #defiantarchives
Gay Love On Display: Taking On the APA – Multi-day Exhibit, 2015
October 9-31, 2015
William Way LGBT Community Center
1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
Free
From 1953 until 1973, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) classified homosexuality as a mental disorder, a disease that doctors could treat. Gay activists like Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny first challenged this medical definition of homosexuality as illness through actions such as petitions, lectures, and appearances on television talk shows. In 1970, they moved on to spontaneous demonstrations, or “zaps,” at the APA conference, and in subsequent years Gittings and Kameny became the first gay people to have a voice in official APA panel discussions.
Between 1972 and 1978, Gittings, Kameny, and Gittings’ partner Kay Lahusen created three informational display booths for national meetings of the APA. Portions of these confrontational booths, donated to the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives of the William Way LGBT Community Center by Kay Lahusen, have been restored and are presented together for the first time as part of an exhibit called “Gay Love on Display: Taking on the APA”
Exhibits at The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia – Multi-day Exhibit, 2015
Exhibit on view until February 2016. Open Tuesdays and Thursday, 3-6pm and the second Saturday of every month, 1-4pm.
The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia
140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145
Free
No RSVP needed.
“1865: Triumph and Tragedy”: On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the bloodiest conflict in American history. Six days later, John Wilkes Booth ended the life of President Abraham Lincoln. The year ended with the passage of the 13th amendment to the United States Constitution, ending slavery in America. On May 5, the Union League began a new chapter in its history with the opening of its new clubhouse on South Broad Street. These and other events of the year will be explored in the exhibit on Philadelphia and the Civil War.
“Love of Country Leads”: Titled after the motto of the Union League, this exhibit gives the visitor an overview of the League’s 150-year history and was designed to showcase some of the League’s historical collections. Foremost among these is a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed with Abraham Lincoln’s full signature. It is one of an edition of about 48 that League members arranged to have printed and sold at the Great Central Fair in Philadelphia in June of 1864. (Only about 26 of these still exist.) The fair raised more than $1 million for sick and wounded Union soldiers. Love of Country Leads will remain on display indefinitely.”
http://www.ulheritagecenter.org/research-and-exhibit/exhibits/current-exhibits/
Facebook.com/ulheritagecenter
Twitter (@uheritagecenter)
100 years in Nursing History & Open House and Tour, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing on October 12th – Ongoing Exhibit, 2015
Exhibit will be ongoing for month of October, Open House Event and Tour of the Center will be on October 12th from 5-7 PM
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
418 Curie Boulevard, Floor 2U, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Free
http://batesopenhouse.eventbrite.com
100 Years in Nursing History will be an ongoing exhibit that explores the rich history of the nursing profession beginning in 1915 and will include photos and selections from the archives of the Bates Center.
Open House and Tour Description for 10/12/15: Come explore the archives of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at Penn Nursing. As one of the oldest and largest archives dedicated to preserving nursing’s rich history, the Bates Center is a rich resource for researchers from across the globe who are interested in the historical development of nursing.
The open house will be held on October 12th from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM and will feature the Center’s ongoing exhibit “100 Years in Nursing History,” as well as select items from the archives.
Follow the Bates Center on Twitter @Penn_Bateshx
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PennNursingBatesHistoryCenter
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nursinghistory/
