1. It’s Caturday, so we thought we’d share this 1890s newspaper poster from our Art and Architecture Collection of a little black cat running away from a loud newspaper boy declaring there’s a new opera house in town. The poster was an advertisement for the Boston Sunday Herald - quite appropriate, considering our thoughts have been with Boston and its people all week. 

    It’s Caturday, so we thought we’d share this 1890s newspaper poster from our Art and Architecture Collection of a little black cat running away from a loud newspaper boy declaring there’s a new opera house in town. The poster was an advertisement for the Boston Sunday Herald - quite appropriate, considering our thoughts have been with Boston and its people all week. 

  2. This weekend is St. Patrick’s Day, and there will be much celebrating in New York City (starting today, with the St. Paddy’s Day Parade, which you can watch online and will march right past our landmark 42nd Street building), so for a festive Caturday, we’re sharing this 1885 image by legendary artist Rudolph Caldecott, which depicts a (very odd) celebration. The image - located in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection - features a kind of angry looking cat and the fiddle (as in “hey, diddle, diddle”) and several children happily dancing (including the one in the front, who is either very, very tiny, or a doll that’s sort of alive. It’s unclear). Meanwhile, an adult in the background is serving the food and looking on with an expression of, “Yeah. This is normal and happens all the time.” Gotta love it. Happy Caturday!

    This weekend is St. Patrick’s Day, and there will be much celebrating in New York City (starting today, with the St. Paddy’s Day Parade, which you can watch online and will march right past our landmark 42nd Street building), so for a festive Caturday, we’re sharing this 1885 image by legendary artist Rudolph Caldecott, which depicts a (very odd) celebration. The image - located in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection - features a kind of angry looking cat and the fiddle (as in “hey, diddle, diddle”) and several children happily dancing (including the one in the front, who is either very, very tiny, or a doll that’s sort of alive. It’s unclear). Meanwhile, an adult in the background is serving the food and looking on with an expression of, “Yeah. This is normal and happens all the time.” Gotta love it. Happy Caturday!

  3. Melissa Guion, illustrator of the adorable book Baby Penguins Everywhere, recently took a trip down memory lane and visited her old stomping grounds at Fort Washington Library to share her new book with her former neighbors. While there, she was very impressed by the artistic abilities of the next generation of Fort Washington artists. Read all about Melissa’s visit here!

    Melissa Guion, illustrator of the adorable book Baby Penguins Everywhere, recently took a trip down memory lane and visited her old stomping grounds at Fort Washington Library to share her new book with her former neighbors. While there, she was very impressed by the artistic abilities of the next generation of Fort Washington artists. Read all about Melissa’s visit here!

  4. “Do you know Cat’s In The Cradle? What’s New Pussycat? How about Freebird? We just looove birds. Freebird!”  Two cute kitties are enjoying a lute concert in this 1912 print of an illustration by legendary artist Randolph Caldecott, the namesake of the Caldecott Medal. The print is in the Library’s Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection, and is from the picture book “Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog.” The kid in the middle is a little creepy, but whatever. Happy Caturday!

    “Do you know Cat’s In The Cradle? What’s New Pussycat? How about Freebird? We just looove birds. Freebird!” 

    Two cute kitties are enjoying a lute concert in this 1912 print of an illustration by legendary artist Randolph Caldecott, the namesake of the Caldecott Medal. The print is in the Library’s Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection, and is from the picture book “Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog.” The kid in the middle is a little creepy, but whatever.

    Happy Caturday!

  5. It’s a vintage Caturday, courtesy of the Library’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs in our Art and Architecture Collection. This 1895 poster by famed illustrator Edward Penfield features two big black cats and a windmill - can’t lose with that combination. It’s advertising “About Paris,” a book by well-known journalist and writer Richard Harding Davis. By the way, you can order prints (including this one) from our collections via NYPL Premium Services - so browse the Digital Gallery and order up some unique and historic holiday gifts!

    It’s a vintage Caturday, courtesy of the Library’s Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs in our Art and Architecture Collection. This 1895 poster by famed illustrator Edward Penfield features two big black cats and a windmill - can’t lose with that combination. It’s advertising “About Paris,” a book by well-known journalist and writer Richard Harding Davis. By the way, you can order prints (including this one) from our collections via NYPL Premium Services - so browse the Digital Gallery and order up some unique and historic holiday gifts!

  6. The stars at night are big and bright… TONIGHT! (actually more like REALLY early tomorrow morning.) The Leonid meteor shower is scheduled to arrive at 4:30 tomorrow early morning. EL Trouvelot created this beautiful illustration of the meteor shower’s appearance on November 14, 1868. This print and many of Trouvelot’s other observations are available in NYPL Point: E.L. Trouvelot’s Astronomical Drawings. We strongly encourage you to see his amazing astronomical drawings and then witness the beauty of tomorrow’s display.   

    The stars at night are big and bright… TONIGHT! (actually more like REALLY early tomorrow morning.) The Leonid meteor shower is scheduled to arrive at 4:30 tomorrow early morning. EL Trouvelot created this beautiful illustration of the meteor shower’s appearance on November 14, 1868. This print and many of Trouvelot’s other observations are available in NYPL Point: E.L. Trouvelot’s Astronomical Drawings. We strongly encourage you to see his amazing astronomical drawings and then witness the beauty of tomorrow’s display.   

  7. The Halloween-related Caturdays continue for the month of October! This cute card shows a little girl bobbing for apples next to her loyal kitty companion with the words “Halloween Pleasures.” The undated card then states, “Bobbing. Bobbing everywhere. Apples in a tub.” OK, it’s not exactly Sir Walter Raleigh, but it’s cute. The postcard is in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection (as were the images used for Halloween Caturdays one and two). Happy Caturday!

    The Halloween-related Caturdays continue for the month of October! This cute card shows a little girl bobbing for apples next to her loyal kitty companion with the words “Halloween Pleasures.” The undated card then states, “Bobbing. Bobbing everywhere. Apples in a tub.” OK, it’s not exactly Sir Walter Raleigh, but it’s cute. The postcard is in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection (as were the images used for Halloween Caturdays one and two). Happy Caturday!

  8. We thought it would be simply purrrrfect to share some of the Library’s hair-raising Halloween-related cat images on Caturdays throughout the month of October. So here’s the first one - an 1894 print from The Picture Magazine of a witch and her black cat. It’s currently in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. Happy October, and happy Caturday!

    We thought it would be simply purrrrfect to share some of the Library’s hair-raising Halloween-related cat images on Caturdays throughout the month of October. So here’s the first one - an 1894 print from The Picture Magazine of a witch and her black cat. It’s currently in our Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection. Happy October, and happy Caturday!

  9. Happy first day of October! Since we’ve “hopped” into a new month (ha ha ha ha) we thought we’d share this 1894 cover of Harper’s magazine, celebrating October and drawn by Edward Penfield (check out more of his art in our collection). It’s currently in our Arts and Architecture Collection - enjoy, and have a great month!

    Happy first day of October! Since we’ve “hopped” into a new month (ha ha ha ha) we thought we’d share this 1894 cover of Harper’s magazine, celebrating October and drawn by Edward Penfield (check out more of his art in our collection). It’s currently in our Arts and Architecture Collection - enjoy, and have a great month!

  10. Got milk? Specifically, Nestle’s Swiss Milk? Apparently, according to this ad from between 1893 and 1924 and currently in in the Library’s Art and Architecture Collection, it’s very important for cats to have it, because it makes them “sound in limb and brain.” Actually, a while back, we posted the prequel to this ad, in which the brown cat had been drinking - gasp - skim milk instead, and looked rather, well, not sound in limb and brain. His friend set him straight, though, and now they’re both fat with coats like silk. A happy ending for a happy Caturday!

    Got milk? Specifically, Nestle’s Swiss Milk? Apparently, according to this ad from between 1893 and 1924 and currently in in the Library’s Art and Architecture Collection, it’s very important for cats to have it, because it makes them “sound in limb and brain.” Actually, a while back, we posted the prequel to this ad, in which the brown cat had been drinking - gasp - skim milk instead, and looked rather, well, not sound in limb and brain. His friend set him straight, though, and now they’re both fat with coats like silk. A happy ending for a happy Caturday!