As of July 6th, APS offices are open to staff and invited visitors. The Society will remain closed to the public until further notice. Library & Museum staff now have access to our collections and will respond to reference and photoduplication requests as soon as possible. However, please note that response times may be delayed due to increased demand. The Society will continue a robust slate of virtual programs throughout the fall. Read more about virtual programming and resources that can be accessed remotely. For further information on the APS reopening and its COVID response, please click here.

APS Museum

APS Library
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Map of Philadelphia

Deforestation in Benjamin Rush’s “An Account of the Climate of Pennsylvania and its Influence on the Human Body"

Anna Shuff
September 16, 2020
In the summer of 2020, my research at the APS as a Curatorial Intern, has been focused on the effects of climate on the human...
APS Library
APS Museum
Members
Jefferson portrait

Emblematic Franklin

Janine Boldt
September 10, 2020
Benjamin Franklin was represented in portraits in nearly every medium: painting, prints, sculpture, medallions, ceramic, textiles, etc. According to Franklin himself, his face was “as...
APS Library
APS Museum
Center for Digital Scholarship
fellows headshots

2020-2021 Library & Museum Fellows

American Philosophical Society
August 20, 2020
The American Philosophical Society’s Library & Museum is excited to announce our 2020-2021 Fellowship recipients! This year, the Society has awarded five long-term fellowships, one...
APS Library
APS Museum
aerostation

Running A-fowl of Franklin: A Bounty of Birds in the Benjamin Franklin Papers

American Philosophical Society
July 28, 2020
By Rosemarie Fettig, Bryn Mawr College 2019 Curatorial Research Intern In my research for Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, I learned that birds crop up with...
APS Library
APS Museum
Wistar Portrait

The Venerated Doctor’s Portrait

Janine Boldt
July 21, 2020
Above image: Thomas Sully after Bass Otis, Caspar Wistar, 1830 (original 1817). Oil on canvas. APS. If you have spent time in the second-floor conference...
APS Library
APS Museum
Three Patterson Portraits

The Many Portraits of Robert Patterson (continued)

Janine Boldt
July 16, 2020
This is the second post of a two-part blog. Read part one here. In 1896, the American Philosophical Society acquired its second portrait of Robert...
APS Library
APS Museum
Philosophical Hall

Reopening Policies

American Philosophical Society
July 9, 2020
While the Society will remain closed to the public for at least the rest of the summer, staff have already developed a number of policies...
APS Library
APS Museum

Statement Regarding the Murder of George Floyd

American Philosophical Society
July 9, 2020
The American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743, proudly bears the title of the nation's oldest learned society. Our founders participated in the...