Arthur Glaser's collections
Albert Bierstadt and the Lure of the West
<p>Easterners heard many stories about the dangers of traveling to the American west. Accounts of the great American desert as an almost impossible place to cross caused many to rethink leaving home. Albert Bierstadt and painters of the Hudson River School traveled the west and sent back their impressions of the landscape and wildlife.</p>
Arthur Glaser
13
American stereotype: All Black Pilgrim Attire
<p>Every year near Thanksgiving, images of our Pilgrims father begin to proliferate showing them as very austere and wearing only black clothing. This learning lab introduces images of Pilgrims that are compared with written primary sources. It was customary in the 17th century to inventory all the belongings of the deceased before they were distributed to the heirs. These inventories and the wills themselves provide detailed information about the attire of everyday Pilgrims of this period.</p>
Arthur Glaser
21
Captured by Indians: Warfare and Assimilation on the 18thC Frontier.
<p>After the Britains won the British, French and Indian War, the victors made promises to the native Americans that the former French claims would not be occupied by the English colonists. The Quebec Act forbade settlers to pass beyond the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Britain soon discovered that it was impossible to stop the settlers from crossing into Indian lands. The reaction of the native-Americans was swift and furious. Raiding parties killed and/or captured hundreds of these frontier farmers.</p>
Arthur Glaser
34
Charles Messier: Comet Ferret
<p>Charles Messier was an eighteenth century astronomer whose specialty was searching for comets. He observed at an observatory atop the Hotel Cluny which was financed by the French Navy.</p>
Arthur Glaser
24
Charles Russell: Art of the American West
<p>Charles Russell brought the west alive with his paintings and sculptures of western life. His authentic depictions of Native Americans allow the viewer to appreciate the dress and life of the plains Indians. Also skilled in sculpture, Russell depicts cowboys and wildlife in action settings. This lab provides samples of Russell's best work.</p>
Arthur Glaser
17
Famous Pennsylvanians on U.S. Postage
This lab has a collection of postal commemoratives that honor Pennsylvanians from the colonial period to the present day. These honorees represent science, art, industry, sports, politics, finance and many other fields.
Arthur Glaser
27
George Catlin: Indian Portraiture
<p>During the 1830s, George Catlin and his team produced over five hundred images of native American life on the western plains. Nearly half of his work consisted of exquisite portraits of Indians of many different tribes. Some tribes like the Hidatsa disappeared before any other visual representation of them could be made.</p>
Arthur Glaser
25
George Catlin: Lives of the Plains Indians
<p>Long before the camera went west, artists like George Catlin were preserving the images of the native Americans on the western plains. Catlin's paintings are numerous and divide into two genre: the group activities and portraiture. This learning lab focuses on group activities of many plains indians including hunting, traditional dances, and recreation.</p>
Arthur Glaser
32
Journey of the Vin Fiz
<p>The Vin Fiz was the first aeroplane to cross the United States from coast to coast. At a maximum speed of 51 mph and many in flight set backs, the Vin Fiz made the crossing in over 84 days.</p>
Arthur Glaser
26
Liquid Gold: The Discovery of Oil in Pennsylvania
Oil existed in shallow pools and was discovered both oozing from the soil and as a contaminent in salt wells.
Arthur Glaser
19