Alexia MacClain – Page 18 – Smithsonian Libraries and Archives / Unbound

Star-Spangled Music

July 3, 2013

This post was written by Audrey Hopkins. Audrey is a Summer 2013 intern at the National Museum of American History Library. She is currently a library graduate student at Simmons College in Boston.

This fourth of July, we give you all the fixings for a barbershop quartet!

Among the collections here in the National Museum of American History Library are a number of books on American music. For 25 cents in 1897, one could purchase this hard-bound copy of Uncle Sam’s School Songs for Schools, Colleges, Institutes, and the Home Circle published by the still extant Hope Publishing Company in Chicago.

You’re at the movies. Suddenly someone is trying to climb over you to get to the aisle. So you stand or half stand, maybe knocking over some of your popcorn and blocking the view of the people behind you. A few minutes later, you get up again to let the person back in the row.

Have you ever wished for an easier way for everyone involved? How about a chair that swivels?

A Carriage for a President’s Grandchild

Alexia MacClain

May 24, 2013

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A quick glance at this Butler Brothers catalog, Special Catalogue of Baby Carriages, makes it seem like it is just that–a catalog of baby carriages. But after looking more closely, the page showing the “Baby McKee” Carriage stands out. The description reads, “One that is good enough for any president’s grandchild.” Seeing that led to a little research.

The New Century at the Turn of the Century

Alexia MacClain

April 15, 2013

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New Century Caligraph No. 5 from 1901 American Writing Machine Co. trade catalog — New Century Caligraph No. 5

“Machinery soon grows old.”

We can all relate to that especially since we know how quickly technology changes. But when do you think that sentence was written? It was actually the first sentence in this 1901 trade catalog by American Writing Machine Co. The catalog advertised the New Century typewriter.

Riding a Streetcar

Alexia MacClain

March 15, 2013

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Image of Combination Car from 1901 J. G. Brill Co. trade catalog entitled Patented Round Corner Seat-End Panel for Open Cars. — Combination Car of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company of New York

Imagine commuting to work on a streetcar like this one! Its open design made it easy to quickly load and off-load passengers, but the disadvantages were quickly felt during rainy weather. This trade catalog by J. G. Brill Co. describes how the patented round corner seat-end panel made open streetcars more pleasant to ride, even on rainy days.

Peerless: Cars from the Past

Alexia MacClain

February 15, 2013

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Front cover of Peerless Motor Cars 1910 trade catalog — Peerless Motor Car Co. trade catalog

Cars are part of our everyday lives. For many of us, it would be hard to imagine life without cars. So it’s not surprising to browse the Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library and find catalogs by automobile manufacturers. Let’s take a look at one of these catalogs, a catalog describing the 1910 car models for Peerless Motor Car Co.

Twelfth Night Traditions: A Cake, a Bean, and a King

Alexia MacClain

January 4, 2013

7 Comments

Have you heard of a cake with a bean baked into it and the man who finds the bean becomes King for the night? That is just one tradition associated with Twelfth Night, but there are many more customs and traditions for this holiday. Several items mentioning Twelfth Night are located at the National Museum of American History Library, like the 1923 Dennison’s Christmas Book by Dennison Mfg. Co.

Author: Alexia MacClain

Star-Spangled Music

Swivel Chairs at the Movies

A Carriage for a President’s Grandchild

The New Century at the Turn of the Century

Riding a Streetcar

Peerless: Cars from the Past

Twelfth Night Traditions: A Cake, a Bean, and a King