The importance and impact of the Rosenbach’s collection is local as well as global.  

As the Rosenbach Museum & Library prepares to open two more Treasures galleries, one focused on continental European literature and another focused on American history, this episode of the podcast shines a spotlight on an important portrait hanging in the Rosenbach’s stair hall, just outside the Treasures galleries. Bass Otis’s 1831 portrait of the French-born Philadelphia merchant Stephen Girard connects the Rosenbach to the history of Girard’s philanthropic activities in Philadelphia—and the Civil Rights activism that reshaped Girard’s local legacy in the 1960s. We’ll journey to Girard College in North Philadelphia to learn about Stephen Girard’s business empire, charitable activities (including the founding of the school), and the origins of the Girard Ginger, a favorite dessert baked at the college for more than a hundred years. We’ll bake a batch of Girard Gingers and teach you how to make your own at home this holiday season! 

Would you like to see the Bass Otis portrait of Stephen Girard in person? Reserve a Rosenbach introductory tour ticket today! Learn more at https://rosenbach.org/visit/. Also, plan your visit to the Founder’s Hall Museum at Girard College by visiting http://www.foundershall.org/.

When you step inside Treasures from the Rosenbach’s Collection: Literature of Great Britain and Ireland, two of the first people you will see are Phillis Wheatley and Charles Ignatius Sancho, both of whom were born slaves but ended up becoming important published authors. Their works offered critiques of the British imperial project and enslavement in America. The Rosenbach holds copies of important editions of their books today.  

Wheatley and Sancho are pivotal early figures in Black British literature. In this episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, Professor Sheila Sandapen of Drexel University introduces us to some of the key themes shaping postcolonial Black British literature and makes a few suggestions as to authors and book titles for those who wish to explore the subject.   

Would you like learn more about Sancho, Wheatley, and other figures in British literature? Reserve a Rosenbach introductory tour ticket today! Or, visit us during open hours and purchase a gallery and garden ticket. Learn more at https://rosenbach.org/visit/.

Many of the treasures Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach purchased for his own library and to sell to wealthy clients once belonged to aristocratic British families. Dr. Rosenbach paid many visits to the United Kingdom, purchasing volumes from book-rich, cash-poor landed families. This heritage, documented in the archives of the Rosenbach Company held at the Rosenbach Museum & Library today, raises an important question. What role did (and do) country house libraries play in preserving England’s books, manuscripts, and other literary and historical treasures? 

In this transatlantic episode of The Rosenbach Podcast, Dr. Alexander Lawrence Ames interviews Fran Baker, Archivist and Librarian at Chatsworth House Trust in beautiful Derbyshire, England, about the role of country house libraries in preserving some of Great Britain’s most spectacular bookish treasures. 

Would you like to explore the treasures of the Rosenbach’s British literature collections? Reserve a Rosenbach introductory tour ticket today! Or, visit us during open hours and purchase a gallery and garden ticket, with which you can access the Treasures gallery. Learn more at https://rosenbach.org/visit/.  

Note: Following the recording of this episode, Fran Baker’s professional title changed to Head of Archive & Library at Chatsworth House Trust. Congratulations Fran! 

With cohosts Monica Schmidt, Mary Alcaro, Anastasia Klimchynskaya

We wrap up the series and look back on Sherlock Mondays’ 29 episodes featuring the first 27 Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Like Watson, as readers, we marveled at the powers of Holmes to observe, imagine, and solve. 

With cohost Monica Schmidt

Watson faints for the first and last time of his life when he discovers what really happened to Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, all while the “second most dangerous man in London” stalks the city with his air-rifle.

You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here and a pdf as it appeared in Collier’s Magazine here.

With cohost Mary Alcaro

Sherlock Holmes battles his greatest foe, Professor Moriarty. Then it’s off to Switzerland with Dr. Watson.  Will Moriarty join them at the Reichenbach Falls?

You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here.

With cohost Anastasia Klimchynskaya

Watson brags about being a bully at school, Tadpole Phelps is recovering from brain fever, and Sherlock stops to smell the roses (literally). You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here.

With cohost Curtis Armstrong

Watson meets Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft.  Then they all help some Greeks in trouble. Opa!

You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here.

With cohost Monica Schmidt

Sherlock walks out on a client when he won’t tell the truth, but when Holmes learns what happens next, he . . . whistles. 

You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here.

With cohost Anastasia Klimchynskaya

A dead husband, a wife suffering from brain fever, a locked door with no key, and . . . a mongoose!  Sherlock must find the Crooked Man to solve this one.

You can find a pdf of the story as it originally appeared in The Strand Magazine here.