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November 2014
   
CITY SOCIAL 2014


The Philadelphia History Museum hosted its first City Social fundraising event on October 14, 2014. More than 200 guests attended the evening's starlit celebration, which raised $100,000 for Museum programs, exhibitions and operations. Mayor Michael A. Nutter and First Lady Lisa J. Nutter were honored by the Museum for their dedication to Philadelphia and its diverse neighborhoods. The event was sponsored by over 35 organizations and individuals. 

 

In a ceremonial gift exchange, the Museum gave Mayor and Mrs. Nutter a replica of the wampum belt, on view in the Museum, that legend holds the Lenni Lenape gave to William Penn in 1682 at the Treaty of Shackamaxon. In return, Mayor Nutter donated his 2008 Phillies World Series Championship ring, in addition to a hat and t-shirt donated by the Taney Dragons youth baseball league, to add to the Museum baseball collection.

 

To read more about the inaugural City Social, visit the Museum's blog,

 

Pictured: Top Left, Mayor Michael Nutter and First Lady Lisa Nutter display the 2008 World Series Ring; Top Right, Philadelphia History Museum Board Member and City Social Event Committee Chair Steve Wittenberg (middle); Bottom Middle, Philadelphia History Museum Board President David Rasner, Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis, Mayor Michael Nutter, Philadelphia History Museum Executive Director Charles Croce, and First Lady Lisa Nutter.

 

PECO CONTINUES SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY HISTORY GALLERY


The Philadelphia History Museum has received a $10,000 grant from PECO in continued support of the Community History Gallery"PECO is a great corporate citizen, committed to making educational and cultural opportunity accessible to the entire community. We are pleased to continue collaborating with them," said Charles Croce, Philadelphia History Museum executive director and CEO. The grant will support a full year of exhibitions and correlating programs. 

UPCOMING PROGRAM

 

Stick-lets Family Workshop in conjunction with Smith Memorial Playground exhibition, 

December 6, 2:00-3:30 p.m. 

 

In this family-friendly workshop, children will learn about Stick-lets, the building tool comprised of sticks, dowels, and joints that are eco-friendly and reusable.  

 

Stay connected to the History Museum's Fall Programming schedule at www.philadelphiahistory.org/upcomingevents

 

NEW EXHIBITION: CITY IMAGE


The Museum's newest exhibition City Image: Philadelphia in Photographs, located in the Museum's Main Gallery, provides the opportunity to step into a view from the past, take a picture to preserve the memory and to test your knowledge of Philadelphia's varied neighborhoods. A gallery guide provides in-depth information on each image revealing details about the photographer, the neighborhood, and how that location has changed over time. Whether you want to begin at Broad street in 1890 or explore more modern scenes of the Italian Market, the new exhibit invites you to see the real Philadelphia: the opportunities and challenges, cooperation and friction, the past and the future. 

City Image, Main Gallery, October 2014.
Over the next 18 months, the Main Gallery will be transformed in an unexpected way, allowing visitors to tell stories about themselves, their families, their neighbors, and the city. Rich, vibrant, and exciting stories will revolve around urban life, community, and neighborhoods to create a sense of place and identity. Your overall experience, through the use of interactive media and objects, will be active, big, energized, and enticing, all while atop the Museum's walkable map of Philadelphia.

COLLECTIONS CORNER: STENTON LOAN

 

The "Logan" mirror travels in style, even if it is only three miles

 

Stenton Reassembled: A Reunion of James Logan's Furnishings brings four important pieces from the Philadelphia History Museum collection to this historic house museum. Using Logan's inventories, Stenton Curator Laura Keim was able to place the Philadelphia History Museum furniture (caned stool, bottle chest, spice chest, pier glass) in the rooms where they were originally located.  Records indicate that this is the first time this furniture has been back at Stenton since the 1930s, when they were donated to The Historical Society of Pennsylvania by Mariah Dickinson Logan.  

 

At almost 5 1/2 feet tall, a circa 1710 pier glass (or large mirror) was a rare luxury in colonial Philadelphia.  Getting it to Stenton in one piece must have required some very special handling.  It continues to get the "kid glove" (or in this case latex glove) treatment to this day.  Trained art handlers spent hours measuring the mirror, crafting the shipping container, and fitting it so that the mirror would travel safely to North 18th Street.  Then they carefully uncrated it, prepared the wall with specially designed padding, and secured it in place.  Everyone present felt a special thrill to see the mirror in place, it just felt as if it was home. 

 

Philadelphia History Museum Members can see the exhibit for free through December 23, 2014 by showing their membership card upon entry. 

 

Read more about recent acquisitions to the collection here.

 
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