One of the blogs we follow here at New York History is ephemera: exploring the world of old paper. One of their recent posts caught our attention:
Since reading The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
, the towering biography of J.P. Morgan by John Chernow, I’ve been intrigued by the legacy of the great financier and others of his ilk. Several years ago, while in NYC for a few days, I visited the Morgan Library. While not as impressive as other shrines to rich and powerful men (e.g., George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate), it was certainly an enjoyable and educational field trip. So, when I saw that Scott J. Winslow was presenting a catalog devoted to the financial giant, I thought it was worth a mention here. According to the Winslow site, the catalog traces the the course of Morgan’s prolific career, which saw presidencies from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt.
Ironically, it was almost exactly 100 years ago when old J.P. bailed out the country by loaning millions to the banks during the financial panic of 1907. Without J.P.’s cash infusion, the U.S. might have suffered a catastrophy that might have altered the course of the 20th century. Who would we turn to today?Ephemera collectors [and New York historians!] will undoubtedly appreciate this extensive catalog featuring Morgan and his many influential associates and partners, including John D. Rockefeller, Jay Cooke, Anthony Drexel, and Jay Gould.
Other posts on the ephemera blog that have recently caught our attention include:
Luggage Label Collector Tom Schifanella Interview
Vintage Advertising Collector Jamie Bradburn Interview
The Peterhof Museum of Playing Cards
Pulp Magazine Expert Avi Abrams Interview
Vintage Lingerie Ephemera – Slip of a Girl Interview
Rick Prelinger – Panorama Ephemera Film Project Interview
American Motel Roadside Ephemera Collector Andrew Wood Interview
From Shaker Lands and Shaker Hands – Interview with M. Stephen Miller
Photograph Kodak Collector Martha Cooper Interview
Antique Fishing Lures Collector Rob Pavey Interview
When Content Was King: Turn of the Century Magazines
Phillip Stager Venereal Disease Ephemera Collection Interview