Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Repository University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Record Source University of Pennsylvania Place Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Social life and customs Form Scrapbooks

Thompson Westcott scrapbooks of Charles Durang's history of Philadelphia theater between the years 1749 and 1855, 1868 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2 linear feet (6 volumes)
Abstract:: A native of Philadelphia, Thompson Westcott (1820-1888) was one of the city's leading journalists and historians of his generation. Westcott's scrapbooks consist of the complete series of the 267 chapters of Charles Durang's history of theater in Philadelphia between the years 1749 and 1855, published as weekly installments in the Sunday Dispatch from 1854 to 1863. Including page numbers, indexes, and lists of illustrations, the six volumes (available to be viewed online) are interleaved with images of theaters and portraits of famous actors and artists, as well as with personal correspondence, playbills, and additional clippings on theatrical subject.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Marieluise and Martin Christadler scrapbook on Philadelphia, 1965 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.08 linear feet (1 box)
Abstract:: Martin and Marieluise Christadler, fellowship holders in American studies under the American Council of Learned Societies, spent a year in Philadelphia in 1965. They created a scrapbook documenting the history of Philadelphia and their experience during their stay in the city.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson scrapbook on theatrical subjects, 1857, 1886-1902 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear feet (2 boxes)
Abstract:: Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson (1867-1946) was a historian, lecturer, artist, journalist, and writer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This scrapbook contains newspaper clippings on theatrical subjects, dating from 1886 to 1902, and includes reviews, interviews, short biographies, and articles relating to the history of American theater.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Phyllis Perchick papers, 1933-1966 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.75 linear_foot (2 boxes)
Abstract:: Phyllis Perchick (1932-2018), the daughter of Jewish Russian immigrants, was raised in Philadelphia and attended public schools, including the Joseph Leidy School and Overbrook High School. This collection consists of material largely relating to Phyllis Perchick's childhood and education and her reactions to the tumultuous political world of the 1940s and 1950s, including newsletters, diplomas, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Richard Wilson McCredy scrapbook of Philadelphia and New York City playbills, 1869-1906 (inclusive) 1869-1905 (bulk)

Extent:: 0.2 linear_foot (1 volume)
Abstract:: The son of Thomas McCredy and Emma Dolores Wilson, Richard Wilson McCredy (1854-1924) was an iron merchant and alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania (Class of 1874). A gift by McCredy, this scrapbook consists of a collection of about 750 playbills and programs from Philadelphia and New York City, arranged in chronological order and pasted onto a volume of more than 200 pages.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]

Biddle family papers, 1709-2017 (inclusive) 1776-1952 (bulk)

Extent:: 14.5 linear feet (32 boxes)
Abstract:: The Biddle family has a long history on American land with Quaker ancestors emigrating in 1681 and settling in Philadelphia around 1725. This collection documents the family relationships, and to a lesser extent, the work and military service of six generations of one branch of that family, starting with Clement Biddle (1740-1814), and following the descendants of two of his sons: Thomas Alexander Biddle (1776-1857) and Clement Cornell Biddle (1784-1855). These papers tell the stories, to varying degrees, of more than 30 individual Biddle family members through correspondence, financial records, professional papers, diaries, scrapbooks, and photographs.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]