Last week, I got to visit the Parkway Central location for the Philadelphia Free Library. Built in the 1920’s, the building is beautiful. I wasn’t there to be inspired by the building, but I couldn’t help it! Every corner is decorated and elaborate. The monumental staircase in the center is so stunning and I felt like royalty as I walked up to the second floor Art Department.
The librarians in the Art Department had curated a collection of books within my requested genre of liturgical textiles, among other niche topics like The Good Shepherd imagery and English needlework. Did you know that librarians would do that? I didn’t until I saw they did for my previous coworkers at Lilly Pulitzer. The whole experience was a dream. I could’ve stayed there all day and still wouldn’t have exhausted the amount of inspiration and information these books had for me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to visit the library again soon and revisit these and the Art Dept’s other books.
Some of the books they brought for me were very old - one from 1595 (!!!!), a French, accordian-style, hand-painted manual for “Ordres religieuex: Femmes” from the 1800’s. Others were newer, from the 1990’s. But all of them talked about some of my favorite topics: ancient Catholic symbolism and the various ways they’ve been portrayed through textiles in the ages.
From A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles by Antonino Santangelo, Colorplate 43 - “Dalmatic, showing pattern of palmettes and garlands in red and white borders woven with the Annunciation and the Nativity. Third quarter of 15th century, Florence. Osterreichisches Museum, Vienna
The title page of The Art of Garnishing Churches at Christmas and Other Times, 1882.
Punch-out stamp for “The Free Library of Philadelphia” in this book, The Art of Garnishing Churches at Christmas and Other Times, 1882.
Plate 21 from The Art of Garnishing Churches at Christmas and Other Times, 1882.
My favorite quote came from this book from 1882-
“All Church Decoration (architectural or otherwise) has a double purpose to serve - the glory of God and the edification of man. The first is secured if there be the intention of “an honest and good heart;” the latter, unfortunately, cannot be unless what is done accords with the rules of good taste.
It is probably not too much to say that, in the sight of our Maker, it matters not what materials are used or how they are disposed; but since men are greatly influenced, for good or ill, by what they see, we must so strive to work that every touch of the chisel, every spot of color, every line of ornament, ‘cry out of the wall:’ that there be sermons in stones, in glass, in wood, in flowers, and fruit and leaves.”
I love that phrase, “cry out of the wall” - and if that isn’t at the heart of everything at Ernie and Irene, then I don’t know what is.