The Playful Antiquarian

Beatrix Potter in America, Aug. 16-Dec. 5, 2005

In conjunction with the Beatrix Potter Society conference, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has mounted the exhibit, “Beatrix Potter in America”, in its Central Gallery. The exhibit, which opened earlier this week, features a wide range of materials on loan from the Cotsen Children’s Library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and private collections.

This and other current and upcoming exhibits are listed on the museum’s exhibitions page.

Add comment August 21st, 2005

The Juvenile Drama, June 29-Sept. 16, 2005

The Harvard Theatre Collection (Pusey Library) exhibit “The Juvenile Drama: Eighteenth-and Nineteenth-Century Toy Theatre and Penny Prints” opened yesterday, June 29. The exhibit features Regency and Victorian period toy theatres and toy theatre prints and will run through September 16, 2005.

For more information (and fun) with toy theatres, visit the Osborne Collection’s “Toy Theatre” page, which includes a toy theatre flash animation. Other special collections containing toy theatres and penny prints include the Juvenile Drama Collection at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and Pollocks Toy Museum in London.

Add comment June 30th, 2005

Boston Ink: A Century of Printing, 1905-2005

In celebration of its centenary, the Society of Printers is sponsoring an exhibit and series of lectures and demonstrations highlighting book arts and printing history in Boston. “Boston Ink: A Century of Printing, 1905-2005″ is co-sponsored by the Boston Public Library, and the exhibit and related events will be held at the library from April 5 through June 6. A schedule of events is available at the Society of Printers website (linked above) and on the Boston Public Library’s events page.

Add comment March 17th, 2005

Art of the Japanese Postcard

I decided to break out of my Cambridge(work)/Somerville(home) rut and venture into Boston last Wednesday night. This was not an entirely spontaneous adventure. I have been very anxious to see the new Art of the Japanese Postcard exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), and Wednesday seemed like the perfect time for postcard-viewing.

The exhibit was all that I hoped it would be and more, but I am somewhat biased. When Leonard A. Lauder donated his collection to the MFA in 2002, I was ecstatic about the news. I could not wait for the materials to be accessioned, catalogued, and exhibited and briefly had considered applying for the curatorial assistant position for processing the collection.

The exhibit, which opened March 10 and will run through June 6, showcases 350 of the more than 20,000 Japanese postcards in the Lauder collection. There is also an accompanying exhibit entitled Japanese Design in Transition: 1900-1940?E which features posters, kuchi-e, and sculptures.

I would say more about the exhibit and my impressions, but I am still feeling overawed. If I have time and can collect my thoughts, I may revisit this topic in a later post or in an extended story. But, this is dependent on how much work I complete in my research on Japanese decorated paper and pattern design (newly invigorated by the exhibit and the exhibition catalogue that I purchased from the museum gift shop).

For anyone who may be interested, Leonard Lauder will be giving a lecture at the museum on April 14^th on the art and social history of Japanese postcards. I will probably attend, as I am really looking forward to hearing his perspective on this topic. I am also looking forward to another journey to the MFA to explore this fun and refreshing ephemera exhibit.

Related links

• Christine Temin’s review of the exhibit in today’s Boston Globe arts section
• Online images from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection: browse or search for images from the exhibit
• Art of the Japanese Postcard exhibition catalogue: Available from the museum gift shop and online (but not yet at Amazon or in general bookstores)

Add comment March 26th, 2004

The Willard Suitcases Exhibit

This story from Saturday’s Newsday describes the Willard suitcases exhibit. The exhibit, titled “Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic,” recently opened at the New York State Museum in Albany and features abandoned suitcases and trunks found in the attic of the Willard Psychiatric Center after the hospital closed in 1995. This exhibit is part of an archives project collaboration, involving the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), the State Museum, and the State Archives and Records Administration (SARA).

Add comment January 20th, 2004