Monthly Archives: April 2013

Commonplace books: collections of precious gems

Posted on 29/04/2013 by Library of the Society of Friends

Have you ever kept a scrapbook, jotted things of interest in a notebook, or clipped extracts from webpages? Then you have been “commonplacing”. For centuries, writers, philosophers, theologians, scholars, poets, artists and others have gathered together passages from prose, quotations, … Continue reading →

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Playing with shadows: silhouette portraits and how to make them

Posted on 15/04/2013 by Library of the Society of Friends

Silhouettes – solid profile images – have long been a popular form of portraiture, though the name itself only dates back a couple of hundred years. The side or profile view of a subject, whether on coins and medals or … Continue reading →

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The Macaroni Jester – an antidote to melancholy

Posted on 01/04/2013 by Library of the Society of Friends

To mark April Fool’s Day, we’re not going to spin a yarn about Quakers and kilts or how George Fox invented porridge while in jail. Instead, here’s part of the true tale of an 18th century joke book recently added … Continue reading →

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