Philadelphia: Workshop of the World
Join us for our March First Friday as we unveil Philadelphia: Workshop of the World, the latest exhibition from our A Closer Read series.
Philadelphia was once known as the “workshop of the world” due to the abundance of factories, products, and infrastructure located within the city. From the 1800s through the 1920s, ships, yarn, paints, and more were manufactured on the banks of the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers.
This display features works originally published by some of the pioneering companies that made Philadelphia an industrial powerhouse. Guests can enjoy handling collection activities in our museum and a talk by curator Caroline Meehan, followed by a light reception.
The Philadelphia Chapter of the Society of Industrial Archaeology will also be here to share information about their organization and events for those who are interested in Philadelphia’s industrial past. Their mission is the study, interpretation, and preservation of the surviving factories, machinery, bridges, canals, industrial communities and artifacts that are historically significant. They will also be selling their books Workshop of the World: A Selective Guide to the Industrial Archeology of Philadelphia and Workshop of the World Revisited.
Agenda
4pm–4:45pm
Library tour (Space is limited!)
5pm–7pm
First Friday programming
6pm–7pm
Curator’s talk and light reception on the mezzanine level
7pm
Event concludes
Registration is requested.
About the Speaker
Caroline Meehan is a librarian in the Othmer Library of Chemical History at the Science History Institute. She contributes to the library’s technical and access services activities, including processing library materials, helping library patrons, and providing research assistance.
Caroline completed her undergraduate coursework in Spanish, American studies, and religious studies at Cabrini University and received her MSLIS from Drexel University, with a concentration in archive and data services.
Othmer Library Tours
We are now giving public tours of our research library every First Friday! Come upstairs before the event at 4pm to get a behind-the-scenes look at the resources and archives available to all scientifically curious minds. Registration is not required, but space is limited. Learn more here.
About First Fridays
Spark your curiosity while exploring the exhibits after hours! First Fridays bring together a myriad of activities covering everyday science, historical oddities, and everything in between. Grab your friends, and kick off an evening of discovery, surprise, and a little nerdy fun.
First Fridays at the Institute are always free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant.
Featured image:
Lithograph of an advertisement depicting the Tatham & Brothers factory complex located at 608 Delaware Avenue in Philadelphia, August 1847.
Library of Congress
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