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Helen M. Beitler ephemera collection, 1728-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Helen Morris Beitler (1915-2002) was a collector of books and 18th, 19th and early 20th century ephemera. She collected trade cards, bill heads, catalogs, and other ephemera, focusing on trades and tools, children's literature, boating, advertising, Philadelphia and Pennsylvania history, and the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. The Helen M. Beitler ephemera collection, 1728-1987, focuses on Philadelphia, sports, civic matters, and business and industry, although many other subjects are represented.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Glass plate negatives of Frank Taylor drawings, circa 1860-1926

Extent:
5.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Frank Hamilton Taylor (1846-1927) owned a lithography firm and served as a special artist for various newspapers and publications in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He wrote for several guidebooks and publications, but is best known for his drawings of Philadelphia published as Ever-Changing Philadelphia and Old Philadelphia in the 1910s. The Glass plate negatives of Frank Taylor drawings, circa 1860-1926, consist of nearly 250 full-plate glass negatives of sketches drawn by Taylor, mostly of building exteriors and street scenes in Philadelphia, with some sites in nearby areas.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Charles and John D. Fridy lantern slides, circa 1920-1940

Extent:
3.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Charles Duhring Friday (1910-2004) was a civil engineer and architect who worked as a draftsman and designer in a number of firms during the 1930s and 1940s with his brother, John D. Fridy, until they formed their own partnership in 1947. The Charles and John D. Fridy lantern slides, circa 1920-1940, consist of about 215 lantern slides, most of which are hand colored, primarily depicting images from vacations taken by Fridy and his brother, John. The collection is organized into five series based on location: I. Washington D.C. and Virginia; II. New Jersey; III. Florida; IV. Pennsylvania and Maryland; V. Lancaster Research Laboratories (Hackensack, New Jersey). An application to the Kodak Correspondence College is also present in the collection.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Alfred A. Dé Lardi negatives and photographs, circa 1929-1964

Extent:
20.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Alfred Arthur Dé Lardi (1900-1993) was a photographer well known for his work in color photography. At times he worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the travel magazine Holiday, and companies including Sun Oil Company, the Pennsylvania Railroad, Philadelphia Electric Company, and Radio Corporation of America. The Alfred A. Dé Lardi negatives and photographs, circa 1929-1964, consist primarily of a vast number of negatives produced by Dé Lardi throughout the course of his long career, as well as a large number of prints. Images include some commissioned by clients or employers (many used for publicity and advertising), some he produced to sell or use in his exhibitions, and some were used for other purposes. The geographic area covered in most of the images is primarily the Philadelphia area and New Jersey, but a number of other locations including the East Coast of the United States, Tennessee, Arizona, and Texas are represented as well.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Benjamin Ridgway Evans prints, circa 1849-1890

Extent:
1.5 linear feet
Abstract:
Benjamin Ridgway Evans was an artist and draftsman active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the mid- to late 19th century known for producing watercolors of the city's buildings and streets. The Benjamin Ridgway Evans prints, circa 1849-1890, consist of 125 artworks, mostly prints of drawings, but also a few watercolors, showing detailed views of buildings and streets in Philadelphia.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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WPA Museum Extension Project photographs of Philadelphia, circa 1940

Extent:
2.75 linear feet
Abstract:
The Works Progress Administration was a "New Deal" program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to employ out-of work Americans on public works projects and arts and culture initiatives. The WPA of Pennsylvania started a Museum Extension Project to employ out-of-work artisans and historians in creating visual education aids for classroom use. The WPA Museum Extension Project photographs of Philadelphia, circa 1940, consist of almost 500 photographs of sites and streetscapes in Philadelphia.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Sol Mednick photographs, circa 1920-1968 (bulk 1940-1968)

Extent:
2.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Solomon "Sol" Mednick (1916-1970) was a photographer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York from the 1940s to the late 1960s. After becoming a successful freelance commercial photographer, Mednick took a position teaching photography at his alma mater, the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts), in 1951. While there, he established the school's photography department, helped to nurture the Philadelphia photographic scene, and maintained his freelance business. The Sol Mednick photographs, circa 1920-1968 (bulk 1940-1968), consist of photographs, photograms, color transparencies, and a few negatives taken by Mednick during his career as photographer. The collection contains images that were used in Mednick's work as a commercial photographer, as well as non-commissioned, more artistic photographs, many of which depict images of Philadelphia.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Neil Benson photographic collection, 1970-1992 (bulk) 1965-2005 (inclusive)

Extent:
50.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Neil Benson is a Philadelphia-based photo journalist whose photographs were featured in local and national publications, both alternative and mainstream, such as The Drummer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Time, and many more from the 1970s to the 1990s. Born in the Logan neighborhood of Philadelphia in 1953, in 2000 Benson shifted his focus to creating works of art from found objects and recycled materials. The Neil Benson photographic collection, 1965-2005 (bulk 1970-1992), largely consists of photographs in various formats taken by Benson during his career as a photo journalist from the 1970s through the 1990s. Tear sheets from and issues of publications in which Benson's work was featured, as well as some ephemera and office files are also present in the collection. The collection is organized into seven series: Series I. Negatives; Series II. Contact sheets; Series III. Slides; Series IV. Prints; Series V. Publications; Series VI....(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia History Museum local history collection, circa 1682-2014

Extent:
150.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded in 1682 by William Penn. Because of its central location among the American colonies, Philadelphia became a gathering place for American revolutionaries during the Revolutionary War era and served as the temporary capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became a major hub for railroad transportation and home to a variety of industries. As of 2014, Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, known for its arts, culture, and parks. The Philadelphia History Museum local history collection, circa 1682-2014, consists of a wide variety of paper materials from, or relating to, the Philadelphia region from the late 17th century to the 21st century. The collection is particularly strong in visual documentation and in printed materials, although there are also a large quantity of manuscript and other written documents. An extensive number of individuals, families, businesses,...(see more)

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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Reeves Wetherill scrapbooks, circa 1800-1989 (bulk 1935-1985)

Extent:
3.75 linear feet
Abstract:
Reeves Wetherill (1912-1992) was a Philadelphia socialite who served as the Vice President for Public Relations at Wanamaker's department store from 1960-1987. He descended from Samuel Wetherill, a textile manufacturer involved in founding the Free Quakers during the American Revolution, and Christopher Wetherill, an early settler in Burlington County, New Jersey. The Reeves Wetherill scrapbooks, circa 1800-1989 (bulk 1935-1985), consist of about a dozen scrapbooks that document the activities of members of Philadelphia's upper class, including the lives of Reeves Wetherill and his wife, Sally Ann, as well as a small amount of 19th century documents relating to Reeves Wetherill's ancestors.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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