A Closer Look: Rope pull, undated
Written by Patricia Feeley, Interlibrary Loan Librarian, Boston Public Library The handwritten caption on this photo states, “Taken Ropepull day Sept. 18, 1895”. I don’t know if these mostly cheerful, mostly young men are rope pullers (tug of warriors?) or spectators. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst simply calls it, “Rope pull, undated”. I was originally…
National Archives at Boston Civil Defense Photographs Collection
Written by Patricia Feeley, Interlibrary Loan Librarian, Boston Public Library The National Archives at Boston (NARA-Boston) recently added a fascinating collection of Civil Defense photographs. The Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) had the two-fold job of preparing Americans for natural disasters and military attacks. Its heyday was in the Cold War years of the 1950’s. It…
New Collections Added to Digital Commonwealth in May
All those May showers brought us this month’s eight collections of perennials (new items in existing collections), new plants (new collections) and crops ready to reap (harvested). Whether you will be enjoying the fruits of your own or someone else’s gardening labors this season, save some time for these varied and fascinating collections. American Antiquarian Society American…
A Closer Look: La Baleine d’Ostende
Written by Patricia Feeley, Interlibrary Loan Librarian, Boston Public Library Some images beg for a closer look. At first glance, this is a sad scene of a beached whale being inspected by curious onlookers. However, the caption reads, “La Baleine d’Ostende/Visitee par l’Elephant, la Giraffe les Osages et les Chinois.” Elephant? Giraffe? What exactly is going…
Massachusetts College of Art and Design collections
Written by Patricia Feeley, Collaborative Services Librarian, Boston Public Library Massachusetts Normal Art School opened in 1873 with the goal of educating art teachers to teach drawing at lower levels of education. The hope was that this effort would result in more architects for the growing country. Massachusetts Normal Art School became Massachusetts School of Art…