Philadelphia Weekly Calendar – 08.25.2009
Thursday August 27
Philadelphia and Its Manufactures 1859 & 2009: Photographs and Objects From Factories Here and Gone
One hundred years ago Philadelphia was a manufacturing mecca—“the workshop of the world,” it was famously called. From Stetson hats to Baldwin Locomotives, goods produced in Philly carried a mark of distinction and high craftsmanship. But like suburban subdivisions that pour concrete over natural features and then name said subdivisions after the former farms/creeks/fields they lie atop of, many of these erstwhile factories are now just apartments bearing the names of the old industries (the Piazza at Schmidts [Brewery], the Sewing Factory Lofts, Chocolate Works Apartments). “Philadelphia and Its Manufactures” surveys, with bright and descriptive photos and artifacts, the city’s lost livelihoods, along with a few that are still keeping that industrial tradition alive. It might not
bring our train and shipbuilding industries back, but at least it can remind us of the entrepreneurial spirit that never dies. j.b.
Through Aug. 30. Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 116 N. Third St. 215.922.2600. artintheage.com
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