The Athenaeum celebrates 175 years at 219 S Sixth Street. Continue reading
Tag: Athenaeum of Philadelphia
FIRST FRIDAY: Inspired Sound Exhibition and Panel – October 1, 2021
Stop by to see our current exhibition, or head upstairs to hear more about the history and preservation of pipe organs. Continue reading
History of Bicycles and Cycling – October 12, 2021
Athenaeum Member Tom Carroll shares with us the history of bicycling using items from The Athenaeum archives. Continue reading
“Lost Heroes of WWII: We will not forget” with Shalom E. Lamm – October 26, 2021
Most people don’t know that hundreds of Jewish-American GIs killed-in-action in WWII were mistakenly buried under Latin Crosses, nd there they have remained for 75 years. Until now. Continue reading
Before 219: A Look at the Athenaeum Before its Move to Washington Square – October 13, 2020
Join the Athenaeum Curator for a brief history lesson on the Athenaeum of Philadelphia Continue reading
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon – October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 6:00-8:00PM
Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121
Free
Please REGISTER HERE
The 2015 Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will showcase glass lantern slides from the special collections of 7 Philadelphia institutions projected from an historic lantern projector in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall.
Glass lantern slides are wonderful artifacts in and of themselves, but they are most interesting when we discuss the context for which they were originally created. In the spirit of lantern exhibition culture, this year’s salon participants will present a narrative story with their slides. The American Philosophical Society, the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute, the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, the Scott Memorial Library of Thomas Jefferson University, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Wagner Free Institute of Science will present an exciting evening of education and entertainment. Sit back and relax as we travel to the American West and the Lesser Antilles, delve into the destruction and relief efforts of WWI, get early 20th century lessons in social studies and science, and learn the benefits of abstinence from alcohol.
Predating the motion picture, lantern slides were used for entertainment and to illustrate educational programs. The Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon will be held in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall using an historic lantern projector. Please join us for a rare treat as we revive an old technology in order to see culturally significant lantern slide collections from the libraries and archives of Philadelphia’s most distinguished institutions.
More information: http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/syllabi%202015-16/LanternSlideSalon2015.htm
Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon – October 08, 2014

“Iris Bowl” garden on the Lloyd estate, Haverford, PA circa 1930. Credit: McLean Library Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 6-8 PM
The Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121
Free
Please register here
The 2nd Annual Philadelphia Lantern Slide Salon showcases glass lantern slides from the special collections of 6 Philadelphia institutions projected from an historic lantern projector in the Wagner’s Victorian-era lecture hall.
This encore of last year’s popular event will showcase historic lantern slide collections from the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, the Historical Society of Frankford, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Predating the motion picture, lantern slides were used for entertainment and to illustrate educational programs and courses. The salon will be held in the Wagner’s unchanged Victorian lecture hall using an original lantern slide projector. Join us for a rare treat as we revive an old technology in order to see globally significant lantern slide collections drawn from the libraries and archives of Philadelphia’s most distinguished institutions.
More info: http://www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org/syllabi%202014-15/LanternSlideSalon2014.htm