Amidst the hoopla for the Dickens 200 and the Civil War 150, it is all too easy to overlook another anniversary this year–the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. It’s a war that few Americans know much about, myself sadly included–when I tested my knowledge on an online 1812 quiz, I scored only 40% …
As summer winds down it seemed appropriate to highlight Dr. Rosenbach’s shore home in Strathmere, New Jersey. Here’s a map showing Strathmere (also known as Corson’s Inlet) in relation to some of the other shore areas. Dr. Rosenbach’s “Boat House” was manufactured by Sears and Roebuck. The home, with its lavish interiors, was actually …
If parody is a form of imitation, and if imitation is a form of flattery, then by my loopy logic James Joyce should be honored by the “comedic recontextualization” that we’ve put him through over the last month-and-a-half. Many of you will have seen the museum’s appearance on Comedy Central’s Colbert Report last month, in …
Random Rosenbach find of the week. Earlier this week I was working on a question about our paintings of Philip Heymann Rosenbach and Adelheid Rosenbach (the paternal grandparents of our founders Philip & A.S.W., the parents of their father Morris Rosenbach). Unknown artist. Philip Heymann Rosenbach. German, mid-19th-century. 2004.0089 Unknown artist. Adelheid Rosenbach. German, mid-19th-century. …
Many of us here at the Rosenbach have been avidly following the Olympics, so in honor of the games, here are a few sport-related images from the collection. George Cruishank, illustration for William Hone, The Every Day Book. William Hone: London, 1825. Rosenbach museum & Library 1954.1880.1910 Among the many gymnastic exercises described in The …
We’re continuing with our series of posts by the Rosenbach’s amazing interns. This one follows the French theme of the past few weeks. ——————————————————————————- Hello Readers! My name is Kat and I am a Collections Intern for the summer here at the Rosenbach. I have a B.A. in History from Temple University and a keen …
This week we turn the blog over to one of our summer collections interns: Julie Carlsen. ———————————————————————— As a new collections intern here at the Rosenbach, I have the pleasure of getting to explore the incredible collections. Today, I want to take a moment of your time to look at one of my favorite pieces- …
If you saw our appearance on The Colbert Report this week, you know that one of the quirkier objects associated with the Rosenbach is Napoleon’s penis. Dr. Rosenbach bought the body part in 1924 as part of the larger Vignali collection of Napoleonic “relics,” which included silverware, clothing, vestments, and other objects. Here is the …
The weather this week is enough to make one wish it was July 4, 1776 rather than July 4, 2012–you can see Thomas Jefferson’s notes on the weather at Monticello’s website and his highest temperature recording on July 4th was 76 degrees and on the 5th it was only 74 degrees. Not too bad–and definitely …
Today marks the anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth, a fact which came to my mind as I was looking at nearby New Jersey sites for a summer camping trip. The battle on June 28, 1778 was the first major engagement after the Continental Army’s winter at Valley Forge, and it was fought under weather …