The Gantz Sesqui-Centennial Collection at the Atwater Kent Collection

The Gantz Sesqui-Centennial Collection at the Atwater Kent Collection

Donor Sheldon Gantz created this extensive collection of memorabilia related to the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, in Philadelphia, as a memorial to his parents who were married at the fair. While the Exposition is generally considered a public and financial failure, Gantz’s more than 1,800-piece collection highlights the commercial and entrepreneurial explosion surrounding the 150th anniversary celebrations into a wide range of souvenirs. The collection include everything from lamps to stamps, a set of liberty-bell-embellished satin garters to pillow shams, and more.

We will share highlights from Gantz’s collection as we explore this cross-section of consumerism and patriotism from a century ago; issues we continue to wrestle with today.

Drexel University is now the steward of the Atwater Kent Collection (AKC)—the collection of the former Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent—held in the public trust. As its steward, Drexel is continuing the mission of the former Museum: collecting, preserving, and interpreting a collection of 130,000+ objects amassed to tell the important stories of Philadelphia’s past and give context for the present.

Drexel’s goal is to make this city history collection accessible as a “museum without walls”—for research, interpretive, and educational use—through an Online Collection, loan program, exhibitions, and public programming.