Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sarah Finn

@romanceofbooks.bsky.social

Seaweed and algae from ‘American card album’ manufactured by L. Prang & Co. Boston, Mass. patented April 5th, 1864.

I saw this beautiful album at Boston Athenæum.

#bostonathenaeum #naturalhistory #seamosses #sciart

February 2, 2026 at 8:34 PM

Creative Quarterly

@cqjournal.bsky.social

#newrelease #newreleases #bookreview #bookreviews #cqjournal #cqbookreviews #design #designer #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #advertising #editorial #designbook #artanddesign #artistbooks #artist #PrincetonUniversityPress #AllanRohanCrite #IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum #BostonAthenaeum #ZimmerliArt

October 3, 2025 at 2:34 PM

Michael

@mdstamper.bsky.social

Self-Portrait by Polly “Ethel” Thayer (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1943 - Boston Athenaeum (Massachusetts) #womeninart #art #artwork #oilpainting #americanartist #BostonAthenaeum #PollyThayer #fineart #PollyThayerStarr #womensart #womanartist #femaleartist #thayer #portraitofawoman #AmericanArt

Named Ethel Randolph Thayer after her mother, though always called Polly, she was born in 1904 to a family that had encouraged forthright communications for generations (Ralph Waldo Emerson was among her forbears). She learned early to think about what she wanted and how it would affect those around her.

In 1932, she married Boston lawyer Donald Starr, but continued to use her maiden name professionally. Thayer sought tirelessly to understand the nature and effects of seeing. An artist who honed her craft over eight decades, Her approach was to look deeply at her subject to see what the form would reveal of what was underneath.

In this oil painting, she reveals herself with a contemplative gaze, capturing a moment of introspection during a tumultuous period in history. The portrait reflects her commitment to exploring the inner life of her subjects, a hallmark of her broader body of work. Thayer was known for her ability to convey depth and emotion, often delving beneath the surface to reveal the essence of her subjects. This self-portrait is no exception, offering viewers a glimpse into the artist’s own psyche during the early 1940s.

She is dressed in what seems to be a green jacket over a mustard-yellow vest. A mauve scarf is loosely draped around her neck. Most striking is her hat: a rather abstract, angular design in shades of deep pink and maroon, almost sculptural in its form. She also has a dark fur stole partially draped over her shoulders and arm. A dark brown muff is partially visible on her right hand while a large distinctive wiry ring is on the left hand.

Thayer’s skill and attention to realistic details are evident in the veins of her hand, arched eyebrows, and piercing eyes — gazing directly at us. She is confident and in control. As we look at her, she looks right back at us.

April 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM

Handmaid

@handmaid.bsky.social

@bostonathena.bsky.social
@universalhub.com
#BostonAthenaeum
#PrivateLibrary
#RIF
#Manuscripts
#FirstEditions
#QuietFloor
I am thrilled I finally checked out the Boston Athenaeum. Established in 1807 its home to over 500K volumes. Reading is such a central part of who I am. I loved my day.

April 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM

The Arts Fuse

@theartsfuse.bsky.social

“Visionary Projects” at the #BostonAthenaeum, writes Mark Favermann is a captivating exhibition of Frank M Costantino’s work, a display of over 80 drawings and watercolors.

artsfuse.org/308017/artis... work, a display of over 80 drawings and watercolors.

artsfuse.org/308017/artis...

Artist Feature: Architectural Illustrator Frank Costantino -- Adding Soul to the Built Environment - The Arts Fuse

"Visionary Projects" at the Boston Athenaeum is a captivating exhibition of Frank M. Costantino's work, a display of over 80 drawings and watercolors.

artsfuse.org

March 31, 2025 at 12:24 PM

The Arts Fuse

@theartsfuse.bsky.social

“Visionary Projects” at the #BostonAthenaeum, writes Mark Favermann is a captivating exhibition of Frank M Constantino’s work, a display of over 80 drawings and watercolors.

artsfuse.org/308017/artis...

Artist Feature: Architectural Illustrator Frank Constantino -- Adding Soul to the Built Environment - The Arts Fuse

"Visionary Projects" at the Boston Athenaeum is a captivating exhibition of Frank M. Constantino's work, a display of over 80 drawings and watercolors.

artsfuse.org

March 31, 2025 at 12:03 PM

Michael

@mdstamper.bsky.social

“Shopping for Furs” by Polly “Ethel” Thayer (American) - Oil on canvas / c. 1943 - Boston Athenaeum (Massachusetts) #womeninart #art #artwork #oilpainting #americanartist #BostonAthenaeum #PollyThayer #fineart #PollyThayerStarr #womensart #womanartist #femaleartist #shopping #luxury #mundane

Undoubtedly posed by a carefully selected model, the painting is a brilliant study, by Boston artist Thayer, in the numbing exhaustion brought on by the mundane, ultimately meaningless activity of shopping for luxury goods.

A thick-set but well-kept, pale-skinned woman sits slumped in a brightly upholstered chair, her collared lemon-colored top zinging in harmony with the chair’s pink, mulberry-stain stripes.

With her right hand resting on her thigh, she’s a fashionable member of society with fastidiously rouged cheeks, jauntily worn brown hat, and perfectly manicured nails. Despite her ability to meet and surpass beauty norms, her body conveys a deep and ironic fatigue with the whole business of civilization. Beneath all the trappings — the shopping, the furs, the makeup, the knee-high stockings, the fedora — there’s a bored woman wanting more.

She’s on the big side, no question as the seat of her chair bends under the strain, but there’s something fantastically sensual about the way her body has come to rest in its temporary perch blending indolence and feminine disillusionment.

February 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM

William Kuhn

@kuhnwilliam.bsky.social

#BostonAthenaeum

January 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM

Karin Wulf

@kawulf.bsky.social

Looking forward to conversation w Mary Bilder on Wed. March 23 @bostonathenaeum at 7pm -- hybrid so you can join us in the room or on the screen! https://bit.ly/3Iqi4MO #WomenAlsoKnowHistory

November 18, 2024 at 10:55 PM

Adroitly Absurd

@adroitlyabsurd.bsky.social

Why not partner it w/ @ArchivesBoston, @BPLBoston, @bostonathenaeum, @BostonLandmarks, @MHS1791, etc? Perhaps @BostonGlobe, @bostonherald etc. could contribute; a section could focus on publishing today. It’s a small space but the more the merrier to get it going! 4/5

January 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM