Digital Commonwealth

James Gillray (1756-1815), English caricaturist and printmaker, became one of the leading chroniclers of his country’s social habits and political struggles at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. Born in London, Gillray was apprenticed to an engraver for whom he... more

James McBey (1883-1959) was a Scottish painter and etcher. Born in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, he left school at age 15 to work as a bank clerk while attending evening classes at Gray’s School of Art and teaching himself how to etch. In 1910, McBey decided to pursue a full-time career as an... more

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American painter and printmaker born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Whistler received his first training as an artist in St. Petersburg, Russia, while his father was working there as a railroad engineer. Whistler’s early interest in art was... more

This collection contains correspondence relating to the abolitionist John Brown (1800-1859), specifically the unsuccessful armed slave rebellion he led at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown was captured and convicted of both murder and treason. He was hanged on December 2, 1859. Collection dates... more

Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.

The John D. Merriam Collection is a collection devoted to illustration. The particular focus of the collection is original prints, drawings, and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries that were created as illustrations for children's books and for children's magazines. However, in later... more

This collection contains letters written to and from John Sullivan Dwight between 1840 and 1848. They cover a variety of subjects including George Ripley’s (1802-1880) resignation from the Purchase Street church in 1840, Sophia Ripley’s (1803-1861) description of early life on the Farm, Albert... more

Joseph Pennell (American, 1857-1926) was an illustrator, printmaker, author, and lecturer. Born in Philadelphia, Pennell attended classes at the Pennsylvania School of Industrial Art and at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. However, he was largely self-taught. Using his natural... more

Justin H. Goodstein-Aue is a Boston-based photographer who spends much of his time documenting historic businesses and local neighborhoods. This digital collection includes images created at James Hook & Co., a family business founded in 1925 and located on Boston's waterfront. Goodstein-Aue... more