Blog

Eleanor and I met by accident.

It was an ordinary day. I was browsing Pearl for eye-catching content, humming along to whatever song dribbled from my computer’s speakers. Scrolling, scrolling, endlessly scrolling, until—a specter, a ghostly figure in white, prompted me to pause, my finger hovering atop my mouse.

Or—no. Not a ghost. A woman. She is wearing a white, long-sleeved gown that brushes the forest floor. She is leaning against the bark of a slim young tree, her hands behind her back. A...

Scattered throughout the PHS building on 425 Lombard Street are several museum items on display. If you've visited us, perhaps you've seen a few of them—like Cornelia, our small reed pump organ that sits on the first floor, welcoming researchers into our Reading Room.

But for those of you who are scattered across the country—across the globe, even—there may not be a chance to wander our halls or our Philadelphia city block. And so, we present: The Curio Cabinet. Here, you’ll find images and descriptions of some of the objects preserved and presented...