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April 13 - September 12, 2004

A is for Air; B is for Ball... From the books, manuscripts, and fine and decorative art left to the museum in 1954 by founders Philip and A.S.W Rosenbach, to those added in the 50 years since, the nearly 350,000 objects in the museum's collections provide an inexhaustible playground for curious minds. Free from a traditional organization by maker, medium, or period, R is for Rosenbach uses a playful alphabetic format to present an array of intriguing and often disparate objects combined in unexpected ways.

"B is for Ball," for example, will feature:

• Modernist poet Marianne Moore's keepsake Yankee baseball, autographed by Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle;
  
• a period sketch of the musket ball that killed Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1812;
  
• Lessons in Dancing, a printed pamphlet dated 1828 that shows instructive illustrations of new dances introduced at various society balls, including the "Pat Juba," an African-derived dance observed at the African Fancy Ball in Philadelphia;
  
• George Washington's handwritten toast for the 1792 Philadelphia Assembly "birth-night ball" held on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Bringing together over 150 rare and unusual objects in varied media and from many different cultures, R is for Rosenbach will awaken visitors' childhood sense of discovery as they explore the depth and breadth of the Rosenbach collections through a visually dynamic and exuberant "jumble" of objects—many of which are rarely seen by the public.

R is for Rosenbach is presented in honor of the museum's 50th anniversary this year.

Top right: Marianne Moore's keepsake Yankee baseball, signed by Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, presented to her on her 84th birthday (under "B is for Ball")

Middle right: 18th-century silver spice box, European (under "F is for Fish")

Bottom right: The Jabberwock, with Eyes of Flame by John Tenniel. Illustration for Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass. (under "E is for Eyes")