Princeton University Library

05/27/2026

In the 19th century, chromolithographs were used to make multi-color prints by carefully layering one color at a time. Separate plates are used for each color and carefully aligned, all for one impressive final print.

Scribner's Magazine became highly regarded for its color illustrations, and Special Collections has progressive proofs for one of its cover designs!

To demonstrate the layering process, staff in our Digital Studio created a GIF that shows each color layer in sequence, building up to the final print.

05/15/2026

Hallie Graham, a politics student and tour guide for "Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution," discusses her favorite item in the show, an invitation on the back of a playing card.

"Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution" runs through July 12, 2026, in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library.

05/12/2026

Novia Liu, a Ph.D. student and tour guide for “Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution,” guides viewers through a story of one life upended by the Revolution: Annis Boudinot Stockton.

“Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution” runs through July 12, 2026, in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library. https://library.princeton.edu/princetonandtherevolution

05/05/2026

Sam Lemley, Director of the Posner Center for Special Collections at Carnegie Mellon University, and Laura Wahl, Library Conservator at the Hagley Museum and Library, received the inaugural “Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Research Grants.”

Sam Lemley, Director of the Posner Center for Special Collections at Carnegie Mellon University, and Laura Wahl, Library Conservator at the Hagley Museum and Library, received the inaugural “Will Noel Innovative Cultural Heritage Research Grants.”

04/30/2026

What's your favorite item in our latest exhibition? History senior Luke Carroll takes a look at "The Apotheosis of George Washington" (Circa 1785).

"Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution" runs through July 12, 2026, in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library.

04/22/2026

In the summer of 1787, 55 delegates gathered to fix the nation’s troubled structures of government. Charged with revising the Articles of Confederation, the 1787 Convention—which included nine Princeton graduates—instead designed a new national government from scratch, one strong enough to pay its debts and act on the world stage. Supporters argued that these reforms were necessary to preserve the republic, for wartime experience had made Congress’s failures painfully clear. But many others thought the Convention had betrayed the principles of the Declaration, replicating the kind of tyrannical state that patriots had fought eight long years to escape.

As contemporaries knew, the proposed Constitution was fragile and imperfect. Crucially, though, it included a process for future improvement. After vigorous debate, the Constitution was ratified in part because federalists promised to address skeptics’ concerns through a series of amendments protecting individual liberties. Now called the Bill of Rights, each of these first ten amendments carries its own legacy of colonial resistance and the trials of war.

This official edition of the US Constitution – one of 14 copies known to survive – is on display as part of Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution," which is open now in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library. https://library.princeton.edu/princetonandtherevolution

04/21/2026

Happy National Library Workers Day! Here's a look at some of what goes on behind-the-scenes at the Library.

04/15/2026

We’re so excited that “Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution” is officially open in the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library. Commemorating the 250th anniversaries of U.S. independence and the Battle of Princeton, “Nursery of Rebellion” features 94 items that tell the story of Revolutionary America.

The Milberg Gallery is open from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. https://library.princeton.edu/princetonandtherevolution

04/14/2026

Ahead of our opening day tomorrow, here's a glimpse at a Dunlap Broadside, one of just 26 known surviving copies of a document better known as the Declaration of Independence.

“Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution" opens April 15 at the Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library.

04/08/2026

A behind-the-scenes look at the installation of one of the items on display in our upcoming exhibition: an invitation to a ball on the back of a playing card.

“Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution” opens Wednesday, April 15, at the Milberg Gallery in Firestone Library. https://library.princeton.edu/princetonandtherevolution