Titian Ramsay Peale Butterfly Boxes, 1830-1880
Academy of Natural Sciences
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Titian Ramsay Peale Collection of Butterflies and Moths is an aesthetically and scientifically valuable 19th-century assemblage of specimens arranged in glass-faced boxes. The Peale Collection consists primarily of North American moths and butterflies and is the oldest collection of Lepidoptera presently in a North American museum. The foil sealed boxes were designed by Peale to protect the specimens from insect depredations and from undue exposure to light, while ensuring that specimens could be easily examined from both sides without breaching the boxes. Handling and poor storage, have taken a toll. A few of the 98 boxes do not have bindings.

Handbill for “The Greatest Show On Earth”:
Phineas Taylor Barnum
Harvard University, Houghton Library
Cambridge, Massachusetts

This handbill lists “A Few of the Many Leading Figures” in the show, including “America’s Side-saddle Queen” (Emma Lake), “Zoologic Wonders,” and “Arenic Feats & Novelties.” Printed on two sides of thin, fragile paper, and badly in need of repair, this exuberant description of Barnum’s show is typical of the Theatre Collection’s archive of several million historic playbills and programs. Together, they document the history of the theatre, including popular entertainments such as circuses, magic, and fairground shows.