Happy St. Patrick’s Day from our favorite Irish American, John Barry, the founder of the American Navy!
Here’s something a little different from our collection, the Barry-Hayes Papers (pdf): a recipe for hair dye. We’re not saying John Barry used this, but it’s likely that a woman in his family did. Read on for the instructions, which include a healthy dose of lead and covering your head with cabbage.
Hey hspdigitallibrary! Look what we found inside the binding of the 1st edition of Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.
![Rowing party, early 1900s.
The guy sitting 3rd from the left is my new favorite everything.
[Schuylkill Navy records, 1859-2009]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/a90d65cdfcd9e46b3a15659858fa1c5b/tumblr_nl2dauVtLH1r5hxjqo1_500.jpg)
Kara Walker explores the traumatic history of the transatlantic slave trade in her series of six etchings “An Unpeopled Land in Uncharted Waters.” See the whole series in “Represent: 200 Years of African American Art” on view until April 5.
“no world,” 2010, by Kara Walker (© 2014 Kara Walker)
![Truly a ridiculous amount of both masts and sails on the Thomas W. Lawson. (There are 7 masts on that ship. 7!)
[1964.17.002]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5a81210e870729fc6013ed0bae554a96/tumblr_nkpiq7lUAQ1r5hxjqo1_500.jpg)
Truly a ridiculous amount of both masts and sails on the Thomas W. Lawson. (There are 7 masts on that ship. 7!)
[1964.17.002]
This is your daily reminder that steam can be dangerous.
A singed ticket from August, 1901, when the steamer, City of Trenton, exploded on the Delaware River, killing 24 of the people on board. You can read a NY Times article about the explosion (pdf) or come learn more in our Disasters on the Delaware exhibit!
[2013.022]
For Veterans Day, a lesser seen photograph of the Unknown Soldier during a service aboard the USS Olympia. In 1921, the Olympia’s last official naval mission was to bring home the body of the Unknown Soldier from France.
Update! One of our historic ships employees did some digging and realized this is not, in fact, Olympia. We’re pretty sure this is earlier than 1922 and a funeral, but beyond that we’re not sure. The archival mysteries continue!
Show and tell with one of our favorite book bindings in the Othmer Library. This book has a contemporary binding of red leather with front and back covers decorated with as many as 437 decorative nails. “Liber Secreti Naturali” is a manuscript of recipes on topics ranging from alchemy and medicine to solutions for simple household problems. Probably from Northwestern Italy, between 1427 and 1447.
Why aren’t yo u wearing gloves to handle that book??? You could really wreck it!
This is a good observation. It may be surprising to hear, but gloves often do more harm than good when it comes to handling rare books. Per our library policy, before we handle any rare book, we thoroughly wash our hands to remove any oils. As the Library of Congress explains on its Books FAQ page:
“Contrary to widespread belief, gloves are not necessarily recommended to handle rare or valuable books. Gloves (nitrile or vinyl) are always recommended if there is reason to suspect a health hazard (e.g., mold, arsenic). Clean gloves (nitrile, vinyl, or lint-free cotton) are also recommended when handling photograph albums/photographs or books with metal or ivory parts. Aside from those specific situations, it is generally preferable to handle your books with clean hands, washed with soap and thoroughly dried, rather than with gloves. Why? See “Misperceptions About White Gloves ,” pp. 4-16 from International Preservation News [PDF: 1.08 MB / 52 pp.]”The article referenced above, “Misperceptions About White Gloves,” may be read in its entirety on the site for Between the Covers Rare Books.
We get this question a lot, too!
(via conservethis)
![A 1593 map of the west coast of North America, which seems to have been mostly populated by goats. Also: unicorn-mermaids.
[Quivrae regnu, 1593. 1984.34.8]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/66c1a5d4c6e786ff3f1b07d5a7fdbf81/tumblr_njzlq1zs3v1r5hxjqo1_500.jpg)
![Valentine for you!
[1979.039.005]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/d3e27fda9dcf6b382a0699be7b7ab1ce/tumblr_njm53d5Blj1r5hxjqo1_500.jpg)
Valentine for you!
[1979.039.005]
“Stag dance on quarter deck of flag ship Olympia,” circa 1898. Who said sailors don’t know how to have fun?
(No one. No one has ever actually said that.)
B. F. Littlejohn papers [2003.038]
70 years ago today! On January 30, 1945, these impeccably dressed folks gathered at John H. Mathis Company in Camden, New Jersey for the christening and launching of hull #165, a US Army coastal tanker.
