1. Starfish, looking cool and tropical on this hot day. From the NYPL Arents Collection.

    Starfish, looking cool and tropical on this hot day. From the NYPL Arents Collection.

  2. The Deerstalker: Where Sherlock Holmes’ Popular Image Came From, via Smithsonian Magazine. An interesting read, and a similar theme to an upcoming exhibition at NYPL, which will focus on how Dickens’ characters have been portrayed visually over the years. ** Edited to add: We see there’s been some confusion about this post. We know that Dickens didn’t write the Sherlock Holmes books — what we meant to say was that our exhibition, like this article, focuses on how illustrators have portrayed fictional characters over the years. The article refers to Sherlock Holmes, while our exhibition will focus on the characters of Dickens. Hope that clears things up!

    The Deerstalker: Where Sherlock Holmes’ Popular Image Came From, via Smithsonian Magazine.

    An interesting read, and a similar theme to an upcoming exhibition at NYPL, which will focus on how Dickens’ characters have been portrayed visually over the years.

    ** Edited to add: We see there’s been some confusion about this post. We know that Dickens didn’t write the Sherlock Holmes books — what we meant to say was that our exhibition, like this article, focuses on how illustrators have portrayed fictional characters over the years. The article refers to Sherlock Holmes, while our exhibition will focus on the characters of Dickens. Hope that clears things up!

  3. “How to swim.” One in a series of Chinese cigarette cards from the George Arents collection. 

    “How to swim.”

    One in a series of Chinese cigarette cards from the George Arents collection. 

  4. What is the difference between a photographer and the whooping cough?

    Why are ‘Capstan’ Cigarettes like L100,000?

    Why is a school boy being flogged like you eye?

    Why a plum cake is like the ocean?

    .

    For more delightfully dumb old-time jokes, go to the library’s digital collection of “riddle” cigarette cards. (Warning: they really are dumb.)

  5. Jules Verne’s Moon Shell (fiction). Circa 1957-1958. Source: Cigarette Cards -> Into Space.

    Jules Verne’s Moon Shell (fiction). Circa 1957-1958. Source: Cigarette Cards -> Into Space.