Despite the number of prominent men on the walls of the Redwood, there are also some key female figures that have figured into the history of not only the library, but the early formation of our country. Follow the link to read our last installment of the Ladies of the Library series.
Ready for another look at the paintings hanging on our walls? Click here to read about the women in the Redwood Library & Athenaeum portrait collection.
With the recent attention that famous women, past and present, have been generating lately – from Hilary Clinton to Harriet Tubman – we thought it appropriate to discuss the women in the Redwood Library’s portrait collection. Most of the ladies pictured were wives of prominent men, and as such there is little to no recorded information about their personal lives. However, women have a way of making their mark on history whether or not any men are paying attention. Read more here.
Sarah Chauncey Woolsey, pen name Susan Coolidge, was a Newport resident and Civil War nurse. We recently rediscovered some early editions of her work in our Children's Library. Click here to read more!
Henry Collins, once called the Lorenzo di Medici of Rhode Island, died a pauper and is buried in an unmarked grave in the Common Burial Ground. How could such an influential man meet such an end? Click here to find out!
“The ballot, the most perfect weapon yet devised of moral and intellectual power. We do not wish to take it from the hands of any man; we would put it into the hands of every woman.” Click here to read more about Julia Ward Howe and the Women's Suffrage Movement.
Wondering what we have in our collection that belonged to the Redwood Family? Click here to see documents from the Collection of Redwood Family Papers.
We are loving this spring weather! Click here to see some beautiful examples of 18th century flower prints and get in the spring mindset.
“The appeal of the flower print is through that elusive quality which may be described as ‘charm.’ It is a compound of process techniques, draftsmanship, arrangement or design and color, mellowed and tempered by time. It speaks of an art which is simple, natural, graceful as the sunlight or the rain. It knows neither contortion nor distortion for in the flower world these are blights and very evil. It is both technique and something more than technique which makes the flower print distinctive in the field of graphic arts.” - Gordon Dunthorne, 1938
In light of the opening of our newest exhibit, Newport Designs: The Art of Architecture, Landscape and Planning, we have decided to do an architectural timeline of the Redwood from our own collection of images. Enjoy this slideshow and marvel at the changes of the Redwood Library over the past 266 years. We hope to see you this weekend for the opening of the new exhibit!
