Broadsides capture big history in a seemingly small way. They are the product of their moment, usually not meant to last for long, and that makes them a powerful record of everyday life. Rhode Islanders have been printing and posting broadsides for hundreds of years, and this Athenaeum exhibition of items from the collections of the Providence Public Library will offer examples from the 1700s through the twentieth century. Times of war bring out some of the most dramatic and important broadside publications and many are included in the exhibition, but also on display will be examples of the peacetime proclamations, advertisements and other forms of broadside publications that made up the backdrop of daily life. The exhibit, titled: Rhode Island Broadsides Rule: War and Peace in the Ocean State will be on display from September 15th to October 15th 2012 and is curated by Jordan Goffin, Special Collections Librarian, Providence Public Library.
The Athenaeum is a collaborating partner of the Rhode Island Center for the Book’s, 2012 Art of the Book Program, Rhode Island Broadsides Rule! Accompanying exhibitions of Rhode Island Broadsides from the collections of Rhode Island libraries and institutions will be displayed state-wide. The keynote lecture will be presented by Phoebe Bean, Printed Collection Librarian, Rhode Island Historical Society, on Saturday, September 22 at 2pm, at the Aldrich House, 110 Benevolent Street, Providence R.I. For further details about the lecture and exhibits please see the Rhode Island Center for the Book website.
Thanks to our guest blogger, Kate Wodehouse, Collections Librarian
