Alligator to Frog
A is for Alligator
Joseph Benjamin McCaul pen and pencil sketches, 1886.
Ms. Coll. 918
This sketchbook is filled with dramatic illustrations by a member of the British clergy who, despite the exotic locations depicted in the drawings, does not appear to have left England!
You can see more of McCaul's delightful drawings in L for Leopard and also for Lion.
B is for Bat
Miles, Emma Bell. The Spirit of the Mountains. New York: James Pott & Co., 1905.
Schimmel Fiction 3232
From the Caroline F. Schimmel Fiction Collection of Women in the American Wilderness
Emma Bell Miles's life was a constant struggle. Poverty, illness and tragedy were constants in her life, but her talent as a poet, author, and artist, combined with an extraordinary resilience, helped her and her family survive. The Spirit of the Mountains, about life in Appalachia, was her best received work. Even so, it sold poorly and did little to pay the bills. When the publisher returned the unsold copies, Miles illuminated them with beautiful watercolors and ink sketches. These lovely books were then resold for a pittance, often as tourist souvenirs. Miles, who had battled tuberculosis for several years, succumbed to the disease in 1919 at the age of 39.
B is for Bird
Bascom, Caroline Crowninshield. The Bird Hospital. New York: Dodge Publishing Co., 1918.
On loan from Caroline F. Schimmel
According to chapter 1, Bascom was always "passionately fond of animals and [wanted] to make pets of them all." She wrote about her various pets and their tricks with the purpose of teaching children to love and be kind to all living creatures. She saved many birds in her "bird hospital," and wrote that "of all the birds I ever had ... Cady was the most interesting." Here, Cady is taking his singing lesson!
![Bird: [Voyages of the Eyes in the Kingdoms of the Main Cities.] [Aleppo, Syria]](http://specialcollectionsprocessing.exhibits.library.upenn.edu/files/fullsize/6b922f96015e2a8537c14bced4ebdca6.jpg "Bird: [Voyages of the Eyes in the Kingdoms of the Main Cities.] [Aleppo, Syria]")
B is for Bird
Ibn Faḍl Allāh al-ʻUmarī, Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá, 1301-1349. [Voyages of the Eyes in the Kingdoms of the Main Cities.] [Aleppo, Syria], 1710.
LJS 447
This gorgeous volume is written in naskh script in the hand of scribe Gilbrail ibn Mikail al-Harmawi, known as Ibn Labad, and includes 584 watercolor miniatures of animals and plants. It was written in Aleppo, Syria, in 1710. You can see this entire volume online.
B is for Bird
John W. Mauchly papers, 1908-1980.
Ms. Coll. 925, box 34, folder 1
In amongst the masses of paper about the creation of an electronic computer, the development of programming, and the running of businesses, is this sweet reminder that John W. Mauchly (1907-1980), known best as co-inventor of the ENIAC, was very much a family man.
B is for Butterfly
Emma M. Span papers, 1858-1916.
Ms. Coll. 776
We know very little about Emma M. Span, but we do know that she had a snarky sense of humor and seemed to find the fun in her everyday surroundings! Be sure to look closely at the faint penciled note at the top of the image. More of Emma M. Span’s drawings can be seen at G is for Goat and H is for Hare.
B is for Butterfly
Harriet Lickfold commonplace book, 1838-1864.
Ms. Coll. 834
This gorgeous volume includes original poems and drawings, as well as pasted in prints and copied verses. Beyond the fact that he or she was very talented, we know nothing about the artist "J.R." who drew these butterflies.
C is for Camel
British India photograph album, circa 1930-1935
Ms. Coll. 1137
This volume was probably created by a British officer (or his wife) in India. Great care was taken in assembling this lovely volume documenting the sights, people and animals of the region. We are sure you'll agree that it would be hard to find a more handsome camel than this fellow!
C is for Cat
Agnes Repplier papers, circa 1870-1960.
Ms. Coll. 18, box 12
Agnes Replier (1855-1950) was a Philadelphian best known as an essayist, but she was also an interesting mix, advocating for both conservatism and feminism.
A friend of hers made a beautiful book for her: it contains 11 photographs of her with her cat. This is our favoritite, but frankly, it was hard to choose.
C is for Cat
Gotham Book Mart collection of Edward Gorey material, 1945-2012
Ms. Coll. 1185
Andreas Brown, owner of the Gotham Book Mart, was a supporter and friend of Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), an American author and artist, primarily known for his children’s stories and illustrations of children’s books, although he also produced adult-oriented work. Sometime around 1977, Gorey established a company, Doomed Enterprises, to handle all matters related to publication and licensing of his work; and after his death, Brown served as an executor of his estate working to promote Gorey’s public image and legacy.
The collection is full of delightful drawings and press for Gorey’s books and events. Along with this auction paddle is the catalog that the Gotham Book Mart folk marked up at the event.
C is for Cat
Ms. Coll. 310, box 28, folder 590
Wanda Gág (1893-1946) was an artist, illustrator, and writer, whose earliest work as an artist supported her siblings and mother. Millions of Cats was her first illustrated children's book, and for it, she became nationally known. She enjoyed a social circle made up of some of the most prominent members of the art and literary worlds and was widely regarded as an expert on the art scene.
C is for Cocodrillo
Cecco, d’Ascoli, 1269-1327. Lo Illustro Poeta Cecho Dascoli. [Milan: Giovanni Angelo Scinzenzeller, 1514]
IC C3230 476a 1514
This volume is illustrated with 77 woodcuts, depicting astronomical knowledge, women (illustrating vices and virtues), and dozens of woodcuts of animals. The animals range from the recognizable and realistic to the downright fanciful--and delightful!
C is for Crab
Inverarity, Robert. Movable Masks and Figures of the North Pacific Coast Indians. Bloomfield Hills: Cranbrook Institute of Science, 1941.
From the Caroline F. Schimmel Fiction Collection of Women in the American Wilderness
D is for Dog
Henry Vaux photograph albums, circa 1911-1928.
Ms. Coll. 1134
Major Henry George Vaux (1883-1957) was a military secretary in the British Army, stationed in India. Five volumes of photographs capture the luxurious style in which the highest-ranking members of the military and their families lived, as well as the activities they pursued. Horse races, polo, hunting, tennis, along with ceremonial events such as visits of royals and dignitaries, were all a part of their lives. Side by side with the pictures of people living glitzy lives are these glamour shots of pet dogs. Clearly these lucky pups enjoyed lifestyles as splendorous as those of their owners!
D is for Donkey
Nigrinus, Georg, 1530-1602. Von Bruder Johan Nasen Esel vnd Seinem Rechten Tittel F.I.N.S.A.C. oder, F.I.N.S.C.E. … [Oberursel: Nicolaus Henricus, 1570]
GC55 Sch955 570v
This scatalogical woodcut depicts the 16th-century Franciscan polemicist Johannes Nas (1534-1590) on an _Eselritt_ (ass-ride), a common satirical trope of this period. Images of Nas on an ass appear in several works about him held by the Penn Libraries.
D is for Ducks
Mamie A. Jones autograph album and sketchbook, 1869-1901.
Ms. Coll. 949, volume 2
We had a hard time picking the animal we wanted from this little volume. Mamie A. Jones, a Philadelphia Quaker, had quite the eye for drawing animals and a knack for capturing her world in a lighthearted manner. We went with ducks, but you should come and look at her collection in its entirety. It is truly charming.
E is for Elephant
Ms. Coll. 390, item 3025
This incomplete manuscript most likely was carried by the jyotiṣī (astrologer) for consultation. It deals with the auspicious and inauspicious consequences of encountering different birds and animals.
You can see the entire little volume, with its vibrantly colored illustrations, online.
F is for Fish
Sketchbook by a French sailor, 1884.
Ms. Coll. 781
This sketchbook is filled with beautiful drawings and paintings done by a French sailor en route to China during the Sino-French War.
F is for Fly
Hasenberg, Johann, d. 1551. Ad Luderanorum, Famosum Libellum, Recens Wittenbergae Editum, Responsio. [Leipzig : Melchior Lotter, 1528]
GC5 H2743 530l
This anti-Lutheran polemic contains a single large allegorical woodcut. Martin Luther (fending off flies with a fly-swatter) and his wife Katharina on horseback are leading their followers by the broad way into hell.
F is for Fly
Heywood, John, 1497?-1580? The spider and the flie. Imprinted at London … : By Tho. Pouuell, Anno 1556.
EC55 H5916 556s
Copiously illustrated with woodcuts, this allegorical poem pits valiant Catholic flies against encroaching Protestant spiders in a battle for control of the author’s study window, until the housemaid Mary (representing Queen Mary Tudor) enters to sweep away the webs and crush the leading spider underfoot. This illustration depicts the preparation for battle.
F is for Frog
Gotham Book Mart collection of Edward Gorey material, 1945-2012
Ms. Coll. 1185
Andreas Brown, owner of the Gotham Book Mart, was a supporter and friend of Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), an American author and artist, primarily known for his children’s stories and illustrations of children’s books, although he also produced adult-oriented work. Sometime around 1977, Gorey established a company, Doomed Enterprises, to handle all matters related to publication and licensing of his work; and after his death, Brown served as an executor of his estate working to promote Gorey’s public image and legacy.
The collection is full of delightful drawings and press for Gorey’s books and events.