Month: May 2014
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The John Scott collection of letters
Written by Kevin Lee, archival processor After finishing the Rosengarten collection, my next project was a small assemblage of letters from the papers of John Scott, the finding aid for which can be found here. Mr. Scott was a Pennsylvania native son with a storied family. His father, John Scott Sr., was born near Gettysburg…
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Pittsburgh (i.e. Milan)
Why was the first book printed in Pittsburgh written in Italian? Spoiler: it wasn’t! Above is the title page of the 1761 Lettere d’un vago italiano ad un suo amico with its place of publication listed as the thriving metropolis of “Pittburgo” a classic case of what bibliographers call a false imprint. I first came…
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Making a good marriage in the French bourgeoisie of the nineteenth century
Written by Aleth Tisseau des Escotais, archival processor The Napoleonic Civil Code (1804) states the total legal incapacity for French women, who move from their father’s to their husband’s guardianship. From then on, it is necessary for women to make a good marriage, and their education focuses on making them good wives and mothers. In…
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Leonard B. Meyer papers, 1935-2008
Musicologist and composer Leonard Meyer may have retired from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988, but his personality lives on in the Leonard B. Meyer papers, 1935-2008, which is now completed and ready for researchers at Penn’s Special Collections Center. “Lenny,” as he was known to friends and colleagues, has in a sense never left the…