John A. McAllister's Civil War: The Philadelphia Home Front

"John A. McAllister's Civil War: The Philadelphia Home Front" is the Library Company's principal effort to commemorate the American Civil War and draws on our extraordinary collection of material gathered by one of the most important antiquarians of the 19th century.  McAllister voraciously collected several thousand broadsides, leaflets, handbills, pamphlets, recruiting posters, photographs, and epehmera that comprise a veritable documentary history of Philadelphia at war.The exhibition will touch on military recruitment; political campaigns; balls, benefits, theaters, and social life; support groups like the Union League, the Cooper Shop Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, and the Sanitary Commission and Great Central Fair; hospitals; and other examples of municipal engagement in support of (and sometimes in opposition to) the Union cause to present a comprehensive picture of the war years in Philadelphia. 

Gallery Hours Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 4:45