FOR JANUARY 14 –

READING PUBLIC MUSEUM TO EXHIBIT SLS’S POSTCARDS –

TG/jl set 12-29 #614353

READING, PENN. — Reading Public Museum and The Historical Society of Reading present a joint exhibition, “Samuel L. Schmucker: The Golden Age of Postcards” January 22–May 30. The exhibition features recently discovered art by Schmucker, a Reading artist. Schmucker emerged as one of the leading commercial art designers of postcards in the era from 1895 through 1915, widely regarded as the golden age of postcards. Within his brief career Schmucker combined the design elegance of Art Nouveau style with the rich color palette of the Pre-Raphaelite artists, bringing a unique, artistic vision to a popular art form.

Ron Roth, director and CEO of the museum states, “This special collaboration between the Reading Public Museum and the Berks County Historical Society will provide the public with a window into the art ad history of a unique era in American popular art. The discovery of the work of this talented and little-known Reading artist is a significant addition to the Berks County art heritage.”

The exhibition at the Historical Society of Berks County also features other types of artwork by Schmucker including paintings and Reading High School yearbook covers. There will also be three-dimensional personal objects once belonging to Schmucker including vases and dishes from the collection of Daisy and Dede Schaeffer.

In addition to the Schmucker objects, the exhibit will highlight the comic postcards of Clint Shilling and postcards with local scenes from the collection of Merritt’s Museum of Childhood, Anne and Roseanne Darrah, Douglasville, Penn; antique postcards from 1893 to the present from the collection of Dennis Becker, postcard collector and Berks Postcard Club; and Schmucker postcards from Donald Brown, founder, Institute of American Deltiology, Myerstown, Penn.

The Reading Public Museum is at 500 Museum Road. Hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm; Wednesday, 11 am to 8 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. The Historical Society of Berks County is open Tuesday–Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm. For information, 610-371-5850 or ReadingPublicMuseum.org.

1-14 WINTER WEEKENDS FOR FAMILIES

FOR JANUARY 14 –

WINTER WEEKENDS FOR FAMILIES AT THE BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM –

TG/jl set 12-29 #614209

CHADDS FORD, PENN. — Brandywine River Museum will host Winter Weekends for Families from January 22 to February 27.

Explore the museum’s galleries with a museum discovery game where one’s powers of observation will be tested to find objects represented in works of art throughout the museum. As part of Winter Weekends, visitors will also receive a free copy of the Family Guide: A Museum Activity Book.

Also available during Winter Weekends are audio tours for children. Designed for children ages 6–12, the tours feature entries on more than 30 favorite works of art from the museum’s collection, including “Bill Bones” from N.C. Wyeth’s Treasure Island illustrations, Jamie Wyeth’s “Portrait of Pig” and Howard Pyle’s “The Nation Makers.”

The Brandywine River Museum is on US Route 1 and is open daily, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Admission is $8 for adults; $5 for seniors ages 65 and over, students with ID, and children ages 6 to 12; and free for children under 6 and Brandywine Conservancy members. For information, www.BrandywineMuseum.org or 610-388-2700.