George Peabody Library, Baltimore
Who doesn’t love a gorgeous library? Photographer Thomas R. Schiff proves you don’t have to leave the United States to find stunning library interiors. His set of 360-degree panoramas highlight the majesty of these spaces and are now on display in The Library Exhibition.
By expanding out the architecture, Schiff reminds us of the grandeur libraries possess. They are spaces that were originally reserved for the elite, only opening to the public thanks to Benjamin Franklin in 1790. “I became fascinated by how the history of the United States is reflected in our civic buildings,” Schiff writes in his book, “how the great old libraries on the East Coast, of two centuries ago, evolved into dynamic, contemporary public spaces like the Seattle Public Library, or the Salt Lake City library.”
Unfurling over long spans, the architecture itself reads like a book, telling the story of the era in which it was built. Displaying them as the great cultural spaces of our country, each library “acts as momentum to the potential of our civilization”.
Schiff has long been fascinated by these literary spaces and in anticipation of his monograph, The Library Book (which is set for publication on April 1), the photographer’s work is now on exhibition until April 20, 2017 at the Aperture Gallery in New York.
Historical Society of Pennsylvannia Library, Philadelphia
State Library of Iowa Law Library, Des Moines
Lincoln Public Library, Illinois
Boston Athenaeum
Herb Caen Magazines and Newspapers Center, San Francisco Public Library
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