This “book” is more than what meets the eye! Opening the “cover” reveals that it’s actually a box in disguise, which Jane Reuben Haines used to keep sewing supplies and other personal effects. In a family of voracious readers, a simple book would the perfect unassuming hiding place for special things. [Wyck Association 88.1827]
Enjoying summer concert nights at Wyck with carillon music from FUMCOG!
We’ve made it to the end of the alphabet and the finale of the ABCs of Wyck! Z is for … Zoetrope (check the comments for more photos of the object!)
This video of a dolphin would’ve been your view of a zoetrope in action! A zoetrope is an early form of entertainment and animation technology that dates to the 1830s. The zoetrope in Wyck’s collection has a label that reveals it was sold by George H. Pierce, who specialized in selling Stereopticons, Magic Lanterns, and other forms of entertainment to Philadelphians.
The device features a dark brown paper cylinder on an oak stand. The cylinder has several vertical slits cut into it and is open at the top, allowing the user to place a paper strip full of sequential images inside. The user would then begin spinning the cylinder by hand and when they look through the slits, the images would be rotating quickly and as a result, gives the illusion that they are moving. The principles of motion and animation used in zoetropes are also used in flip books and motion pictures – and are even used today to create GIFs.
Watching the moving images in the zoetrope would have been a fun activity and form of entertainment for the children who grew up and lived at Wyck. We can assume they used this object often due to signs of wear on the zoetrope itself as well as the 11 double-sided paper strips that feature hand-drawn sequences of images created for the zoetrope. Among them are five strips by Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer in photography who created “Animal Locomotion,” the 1st scientific study of motion to use photography, and 6 strips created in 1866 by the popular board game company Milton Bradley.
Zoetropes are not only an interesting example of mid-19th-century entertainment, but they are also an important aspect of the history of animation and moving pictures!
A Rose Q&A
Join Wyck's horticulturists as they answer questions about gardening, roses, and the history of Wyck.
Lauren shows us how scilla bulbs add a beautiful pop of blue to an early spring garden.
#historicgarden
#springbulbs
#spring
#historichomes
Episode 3
What you've all been waiting for! Episode three of Unboxing the Past!!!
Thank you to everyone who tuned into last month's very first episode of Unboxing the Past! Here's episode 2!
It's time for the big reveal! Today Wyck would like to introduce everyone to the new "Unboxing the Past" series! Here's the first episode! Thank you to everyone who participated by liking, commenting and sharing our post! Thank you in advance for watching! #collections #unboxingthepast #cabinetofcuriousity
Wow! Today at Wyck we learned so much about the Girl Scouts and founder Juliette Gordon Low. Thank you to everyone who came to the program today for #womenshistorymonth.
Wyck is so fortunate to have a dedicated buildings committee! This weekend, despite the blustery weather, they proceeded with major restoration to our fence near the Ed Shed. Dare we say, they rock?
Giving Tuesday is a annual tradition for people to donate to nonprofit after the hustle and bustle of Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Here at Wyck, we holds many traditions near and dear to our hearts. One that is very important to us is our summer educational programs we host every summer. For more details on how to make a contribution to Wyck to help fund our summer programs visit www.wyck.org. Happy Giving Tuesday 💗
Giving Tuesday is an annual tradition to encourage donating to nonprofits after the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here at Wyck, we hold many traditions near and dear to our hearts. One that is very important to us is our summer educational programs. For more details on how to make a contribution to help fund our programs visit www.wyck.org. Happy Giving Tuesday ❤️
Giving Tuesday is an annual tradition to encourage donating to nonprofits after the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here at Wyck, we hold many traditions near and dear to our hearts. One that is very important to us is our summer educational programs. For more details on how to make a contribution to help fund our programs visit www.wyck.org. Happy Giving Tuesday ❤️
Tuesday night we celebrated Sam Katz at our 29th annual Wyck-Strickland Award Dinner. Thank you to Chemical Heritage Foundation, Drexelbrook Catering and Banquet Facilities, and everyone who helped to make it a special evening! Photos by Helga Yang.
Quoting Accuweather: NOT raining until later. We're going until 4:00. Family activities all day. Tent featuring The Colony Meadery and Philly Homebrew Outlet for grown-ups . Dumplings, tacos, burritos, etc. for hungry people.
Red June Concert - September 2, 2011
Acoustic Americana band, Red June from Asheville, NC stopped at Wyck for a great show in the garden on Friday, September 2.
