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Tag: AA/PG Library

The Riots at New York

nycriots2This post was written by Erin Friel, an intern at the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library, January-May 2013.

Currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is the installation “Bound for Freedom’s Light: African Americans and the Civil War,” which showcases portraits of familiar figures such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, as well as contemporary news illustrations of lesser-known events. Those who would like to learn more about some of the topics in the exhibit can find information in the excellent resources at the American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library (AA/PG).

African American art and the Harmon Foundation

 

1928 Harmon Exhibition Brouchure featuring Sargent Johnson
1928 Harmon Exhibition Brouchure featuring Sargent Johnson

When wealthy real estate developer William Elmer Harmon founded the Harmon Foundation in 1922, it originally supported causes as varied as playgrounds, biblical films and nursing programs. But it is better known today as one of the first major supporters of African American creativity and ingenuity.

Highlights from the Cultural Heritage Library: James Whistler

James Whistler was a Victorian dandy.  A staunch proponent of “art for art’s sake”, a prominent figure in Victorian society, and while born in America, he divided  his time between London and Paris. He advocated the decorative in art to such an extent, that his signature evolved into an apt symbol: the delicate, yet threatening, butterfly with a stinger.

Joseph Keppler and “Puck”

 This post was written by Elizabeth Brunner, an intern at the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library September-December 2012.

Joseph Keppler was the predominant political cartoonist of the late nineteenth century. His creation of the magazine, Puck, in 1877 brought him into a national position that allowed him to influence people’s political views and opinions. The magazine featured cartoon and caricature lithographs created by Keppler. The National Portrait Gallery is fortunate enough to own a few of Keppler’s lithographs from the height of his fame during the early 1880s. However, as a bibliophile, I was far more excited to discover that the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library owns one of the 300 copies of a limited-edition book that features some of Keppler’s best lithographs. Published in 1893, this book served Puck as an advertising tool and as a way to promote Keppler’s lithographs and talent.

Yesterday’s World of Tomorrow: A Souvenir from the World’s Fair

New York World’s Fair Map 1939

This post was contributed by Rachel Blier, an intern for the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library from June to September 2012.

One of my favorite parts of my time at the AA/PG library has been working with the rare books collection. Between the artists’ books, the unusual cartoons and caricatures in the Ray Smith collection, and the occasional doodle or signature from an artist, it’s a very exciting part of the library—and one that an ordinary visitor wouldn’t have the opportunity to see.

Nobody ever dies of it: The artists’ books of Ida Applebroog

Ida Applebroog’s artists’ books have a way of making you feel slightly uncomfortable without really knowing why. At least that is the effect her small books have on me. My first encounter with them had me feeling generally uncertain, thinking not only “What are these things?” but also “Why are these things?” Even after reading several of her books, I still did not understand exactly what her images represented. I had to read about Applebroog’s books to better understand.

Artists’ Books at AA/PG: Kara Walker’s Pop-up

Kara Walker Freedom: A Fable
Kara Walker Freedom: A Fable

Many of the artists’ books in the Smithsonian American Art & Portrait Gallery Library’s collection tell stories—from personal struggles with addiction, to pictorial descriptions of how to create a human salad, to universal stories of historical conflicts, such as Kara Walker’s book “Freedom: A Fable.”