Antiquarianation

Because of Jersey City’s proximity to New York City, the many historical and architectural treasures of this storied city are often overlooked. One such prize is the main branch of the Jersey City Public Library, which was designed by the architect who designed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Jersey City Public Library c.1900 The cornerstone of the Beaux-Arts structure was laid in 1899 after the New York architectural firm of Brite and Bacon won the design competition. Henry Bacon (1866-1924) had honed his style at the prestigious firm McKim, Mead and White, working on such projects as the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After striking out on his own, the Jersey City Public Library was one of his first commissions. Cornerstone of the JCPL Entrance of the JCPL with mascaron and cartouche Roofline of JCPL showing balustraded cornice and Beaux Arts copper decoration Another of his early commissions was the Lincoln Memorial. Bacon was sele...

Most appropriately for a nation founded on philosophical aspirations, an early name for the United States came out of a witty flaunting of British authority. Columbia lends its name to everything from the U.S. Capitol – the District of Columbia – to the oldest college in New York and many counties and towns across the nation. Have you ever wondered why? Columbia teaching John Bull [Great Britain] his new lesson c. War of 1812 Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. In the early 18th century, the publication of parliamentary debates was illegal throughout the British Empire. But the demand for such reports – especially in the colonies – was such that inventive journalists determined to find a way to publish the accounts of such debates. In order to skirt the law, the pioneering London periodical, The Gentleman’s Magazine , published the “fictional” Reports of the Debates of the Senate of Lilliput, drawing place names from Jonathan Sw...