Philadelphia – As They See It

Posted by Josey Stamm on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Philadelphia – As They See It Interpreting a city through the eyes of its artists offers unusual – if not unique­ – perspectives and insights. As these artists choose a wide variety of styles and media, so, too, they select landmarks, people, and special moments not only to convey a portrait of their city, but to capture its spirit and collective psyche as well. Their resulting images prove diverse; they are...
read more

Bookshelf

Posted by PA Heritage Staff on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Bookshelf Guide to Photo­graphs at the Pennsylvania State Archives by Linda A. Ries Pennsylvania Histori­cal and Museum Commission, 1993 (229 pages, paper, $6.95) Although the Pennsylvania State Archives safeguards mostly documentary materi­als – such as the private and personal papers of individuals, governmental records, maps, military records, industrial reports, and similar archival items...
read more

Charles Grafly: An Apostle of American Art

Posted by Stephen May on Nov 26, 2013 in | Comments Off on Charles Grafly: An Apostle of American Art From the earliest days through most of the nineteenth century, sculpture in America was the enterprise of w1tutored artisans, craftsmen, stonecutters, and woodcarvers modestly plying their trade on furniture, gravestones, figureheads, and shop signs. Lacking opportunities for academic training at home, ambitious craftsmen flocked first to Rome and, following the Civil War, to Paris to learn the...
read more

A City of Fountains

Posted by Jim McClelland on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on A City of Fountains Rome, with its plethora of fountains, including the famous 1735 Fontana di Trevi, which occupies center stage in the 1954 motion picture, Three Coins in the Fountain, starring Clifton Webb, is known to the world as “The City of Fountains.” Rome’s sister city could be Philadelphia, also a city of fountains, although few visitors, or residents, see these wonderful works of water....
read more

Letters

Posted by PA Heritage Staff on Nov 24, 2013 in | Comments Off on Letters Hex Appeal I was pleased to see the article on Don Yoder in the spring 2006 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage. Dr. Yoder is considered by many to be the premier scholar on all things Pennsylvania Dutch and his contributions were well documented in that issue. I was, however, somewhat disturbed by the information provided on the inside page of the magazine regarding the cover picture that featured a...
read more

An Address for the Afterlife at Laurel Hill Cemetery

Posted by Jim McClelland on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on An Address for the Afterlife at Laurel Hill Cemetery It all began in 1836, when architect John Notman (1810–1865) laid out a series of meandering walkways and terraces on the east bank of the Schuylkill River above Fairmount Park. With his design for Laurel Hill Cemetery, the twenty-six-year-old native of Scotland created the first architecturally designed cemetery in the country. He also established the nation’s second garden-type cemetery,...
read more

A Modest Fountain on the Square

Posted by Bill Double on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on A Modest Fountain on the Square The modest appearance of a squat granite fountain hunkered along the curb on the south side of Philadelphia’s Washington Square belies its noble history. The fountain, which began in a much grander form on the opposite side of the square in 1869, was the first project of a sweeping movement that would adorn the city’s streets and quench the thirst of its residents, both man and beast. It was the...
read more