One of the portraits we have in our collection by the well-known painter Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) is of Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse (1754-1846). According to reports, the young Waterhouse, who was born in Newport, spent some time reading medical books at the Redwood Library. The original collection contained a fair amount of medical volumes, which were […]
[vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the onset of the American Revolution, the colony of Rhode Island had many loyalists to the crown, particularly in Newport since many officers of the British government lived here. The frustration and tension between loyalists and patriots was palpable, even in daily life. As the indignation of the patriots grew, the friction between […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Thomas Tew, dreaded pirate and local rum namesake, lived a life out of a Daniel Defoe novel. Before Tew was a pirate, he was a respected member of a prominent Newport family, who had a wife and two daughters. Not much else is recorded of his early life before he sails into Bermuda in 1691. […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In honor of the recent opening of our newest exhibit in the Peirce-Prince Gallery, Tennis in Newport: The Casino and Jimmy Van Alen, we thought it would be appropriate to feature a tennis book this week. Practical Lawn Tennis, published originally in 1893, provides a guide on the basics of the sport for any skill […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A recent donation of early 20th century children’s books to the Redwood held some well-kept treasures in American education. Among titles like Cherry Ames, Student Nurse and Black Beauty, were some teaching materials from the 1940s, most notably, Our Story Book and Our Picture Book. As the opening page explains: “The purpose of Our Picture Book is to prepare children for reading […]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]General Grant, left center with his hands in his pockets, captured at a Post Office, in September 1861. At the time this photo was taken, General Grant was not yet famous.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] This photograph shows the battlefield where Union Major-General John F. Reynolds was killed in action at Gettysburg. The man on the left is pointing […]
As many of our readers and members are aware, the childhood portrait of Ms. Sarah Peters Bowker Bliss has been a fixture in the Rovensky Room for some time. Coincidentally, she was also an employee of the Redwood, and was married to one of our Librarians, Richard Bliss. She is personally responsible for hand-writing thousands […]
The New York Times began publishing the “Mid-Week Pictorial War Extra” in September1914, three months after the beginning of the First World War, as a Wednesday photographic supplement to its main publication. Very early editions of this periodical featured drawings as well as photographs, and the Mid-Week Pictorial kept running after the end of the […]
In our final installment of the Ladies of the Library series, we finish with three women who were well documented by their contemporaries. One was personally introduced to George Washington who remarked on her grace and beauty; another was an outspoken political figure who wrote for her husband’s newspaper; and the third was a well […]
This week we continue in our Ladies in the Library series, by investigating the three women in the Reading Room. Mrs. Stockton of Virginia, is a mystery. This portrait was completed around 1830, and given to the Library by the artist, Charles Bird King in 1859. It is extremely difficult for us to locate […]
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