Library Digital Collections

Winterthur Garden Autochromes

During the early 1900s, Winterthur founder Henry Francis du Pont had his estate’s garden photographed, using the autochrome process that had been developed by the Lumière brothers—Auguste and Louis—in France and first marketed in 1907. 446 images. 
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Bookplates

The library’s collection of over 300 engraved and hand-drawn bookplates contains plates of individuals, colleges, and circulating libraries. Personal bookplates from the 1700s featured coats of arms and heraldic emblems that symbolized owners' wealth and lineage. Bookplates from the 1800s and 1900s showed allegorical and pictorial subjects.  In the early 1900s, artist Louis Rhead designed bookplates with allegorical figures and garden scenes. 304 images.
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French Candy Wrappers

These wrappers, ca. 1830-1855, have illustrations showing a variety of subjects, including transportation, scenery, buildings, animals, and historical and fictional people.  Apparently printers' proofs, they were likely used by stationers to show confectioners what types of wrappers could be purchased to package their goods. The wrapper imagery—ranging from historicism to exoticism to courtship—reflects the vast scope of visual culture that was popular in France during the nineteenth-century.  198 images.
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Winterthur House Construction Photographs

Photographed by the Sanborn Studio, of Wilmington, Delaware, these black and white photographs document the construction of a large addition to the Winterthur house in 1929 and 1930. 152 images.
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John Lewis Krimmel Sketchbooks

John Lewis Krimmel (1786-1821) was a genre and portrait painter who worked in Philadelphia. He is best known for his portraits, miniatures, and satiric street scenes. The library has seven volumes of his sketchbooks. They were done in watercolor, pencil, and pen and ink and date from between 1809 and 1821. 364 images.
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Charles Magnus Imprints

Charles Magnus (1829-1900) was a lithographer, publisher, mapmaker, bookseller, and stationer working in New York City, 1850-1899. He issued hundreds of items—what today we call paper ephemera—including lettersheets, maps, song sheets, envelopes, and prints. Winterthur’s collection of Magnus’ work includes letter sheets, envelopes, song sheets, prints, cards with pictures of Confederate officers, board games, etc. 251 images.
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Winterthur Period Room Stereo Cards

This group of stereo cards was created in the 1930s when Henry Francis du Pont commissioned photography to document flower arrangements and seasonal changes of textile fabrics used in the rooms of the Winterthur house when it was a private home. The photography is credited to Robert V. Brost, photographer; Annette Karge, colorist; and the Keystone View Co. 152 images.
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Shaker Photographs and Postcards

In addition to imprints and manuscripts, The Edward Deming Andrews Memorial Shaker Collection includes images of the Shaker religious sect.  At least 15 Shaker communities located in eight states are represented. Although the photographs depict more than a century of Shaker life, most date from a 50 year span of time beginning around 1880. 969 images.
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Taylor Sketchbook of Philadelphia Buildings

Probably kept by artist James Taylor, a newspaper illustrator whose chief notoriety stems from his work in the American West following the Civil War, this sketchbook contains pencil drawings of old Philadelphia buildings that remained standing in 1861. They show shops and businesses, a church, taverns and hotels, residences, and schools. Most, if not all, no longer exist. 57 images.
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Thomas Tuttell Mathematical Playing Cards

Thomas Tuttell (fl. 1695-1702), a British mathematical instrument maker, produced these cards in 1701. They depict mathematical instruments and their application to various occupations.  Instruments shown include "dyals," cross-staffe, compasses, scales, bows, surveying wheels and chains, protractors, quadrants, etc. Occupations such as millwrights, bricklayers, shipwrights, and architects are portrayed. 52 images.
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