Jen Cohlman
Poiret's liberating platesThis fashion plate from Les Robes De Paul Poiret (1908) is one of eleven illustrations often credited with liberating women from the body constricting corsets popular during the Victorian and Edwardian eras (1837-1910). Dress reformers had advocated for classical-style high waistlines as early as the 1880s, but it was Poiret’s beautifully commissioned album that most successfully promoted this idea, inspiring a revolution in fashion. fashion plates, Paul Poiret, pochoir, Paul Iribe, rare books |
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Illuminating New York: Caldwell & CompanyThis black and white photograph represents just one of 37,000 from the National Design Library's Caldwell & Company Collection. Also containing 13,000 original drawings and watercolor sketches, this immense visual resource comprises one of the largest lighting fixture archives by a single American company. lighting, Art Deco, Carnegie mansion, ceiling fixture, metalwork |
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Lady Liberty's baby pictures from the Kubler CollectionTo celebrate the Statue of Liberty’s 126th birthday, we’ve pulled together some of her baby pictures. These earliest images of Lady Liberty, from our National Design Library’s George A. Kubler Collection, depict her before her dedication in 1886 on Bedloe's Island—now Liberty Island. You might notice a few differences from the statue we know today, most notably the pedestal she is standing on. Statue of Liberty, picture collection, George A Kubler, Lady Liberty, Smithsonian Libraries |
