Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing City Museum Polka.

About this Item

Title

  • City Museum Polka.

Summary

  • This lithograph from circa 1854 shows a view of the fancifully adorned City Museum, located at 415--417 Callowhill Street in Philadelphia, originally built as a church in 1823. Lamps line the street outside, where many people are seen standing or walking on the sidewalk; some individuals enter the building. A few men are visible on the balcony of the building. The roof of the museum includes a series of painted billboards designed as a frieze. The billboards depict scenes with animals and include: a ram; a donkey and a goat; a jungle scene with a giraffe, a snake, and a man riding an elephant; a mother tiger with her cubs; and a lion tamer with his big cat. The decorative roof also features two model alligators entwined by snakes, architectural embellishments, and flags. The City Museum opened in 1854 and housed natural history, science, and portrait exhibits on the lower floor, and a theater on the upper floor. The museum burned in 1868. This lithograph was designed as a sheet music cover illustration created by artist and illustrator Peter Kramer (1823--1907). The composer, Adolph Scherzer, composed the city museum polka for the piano forte and dedicated the composition "to his diligent pupil Miss Louisa Osheimer." The printer, Thomas S. Sinclair (circa 1805--81), was born in the Orkney Islands of Scotland and was active in Philadelphia by 1833, where he soon had his own business and was one of the first local printmakers to experiment with color lithography. A practical lithographer throughout his career, Sinclair produced all genres of lithographs, including maps, advertisements, city and landscape views, sheet music covers, portraiture, political cartoons, certificates, and book illustrations.

Names

  • Krämer, Peter, 1823-1907 Artist.
  • Scherzer, Jacob Philipp Adolph, 1815-1864 Composer.
  • Sinclair, Thomas S., circa 1805-1881 Lithographer.
  • Vogt, Gustave, 1781-1870 Copyright Holder.

Created / Published

  • Philadelphia : R. Wittig, 1854.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1854
  • -  Cities and towns
  • -  Lithographs
  • -  Museums
  • -  Public buildings
  • -  Street scenes

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Digital catalog number: POS 136"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 page : lithograph ; 34 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: The Library Company of Philadelphia.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Philadelphia on Stone

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670171

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Krämer, Peter, Artist, Jacob Philipp Adolph Scherzer, Thomas S Sinclair, and Gustave Vogt. City Museum Polka. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1854. Philadelphia: R. Wittig. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670171/.

APA citation style:

Krämer, P., Scherzer, J. P. A., Sinclair, T. S. & Vogt, G. (1854) City Museum Polka. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1854. Philadelphia: R. Wittig. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670171/.

MLA citation style:

Krämer, Peter, Artist, et al. City Museum Polka. Philadelphia: R. Wittig. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670171/>.