On-line Exhibition Celebrates 40 Years of the Print Department

On September 13, 1971, Stephanie Munsing began work as the Library Company’s first Curator of Prints and Photographs. The library had been collecting graphics for a long time and Ms. Munsing’s appointment was public recognition of the significance of our visual materials and the need to provide intellectual and physical control over these collections. Forty years later the Print Department is an integral part of the library with knowledgeable staff offering assistance to both scholars and the general public in the use of graphic materials, researching and publishing about the collection, and leading the library into the digital age.  Most recently, the Visual Culture Program was created to further support the use of visual material in historical scholarship and interpretation.  

To celebrate this 40th anniversary, Curator of Prints and Photographs Sarah Weatherwax put together an on-line exhibition that looks back over the last four decades. This exhibition highlights important gifts received, as well as purchases made, and celebrates the many exhibitions and projects spearheaded by the Print Department. The collection has grown, the staff has increased, and our accomplishments have multiplied. The next 40 years are promising!

Above: Benjamin F. Smith, Jr. and John W. Hill.  Philadelphia from Girard College - 1850 . Tinted lithograph. New York, Francis Smith, 1850.

Click here to view Celebrating 40 Years: The Library Company’s Print and Photograph Department, 1971-2011.