Dr. Jill E Gage
LightNews LightNews
jillegage.bsky.social
Dr. Jill E Gage
@jillegage.bsky.social
1.9K followers 260 following 170 posts
Wing Curator, History of Printing @NewberryLibrary. Dix-huitièmiste. Love Madeira, hot air balloons, civilité type & maîtres écrivains.
Posts Replies Media Videos
jillegage.bsky.social
Just going to leave this here. What think ye of the Congress Now? (James Rivington, 1775)
November 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Jamie has a lot of questions about Thomas McKean. Yes, I know that the Declaration is crooked.
A chunky black and white cat stares at the signatures on a framed William Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence
November 8, 2025 at 2:41 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Happy Halloween! Woodcut by Bob Borja. #NewberryLibrary
Woodcut lowercase “h” with two diamond cutouts resembling eyes. At the bottom is text that reads “H is for Halloween”.
October 31, 2025 at 2:19 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
There is only one king in my life.
October 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I have never taken a photo that better captures the personality of this cat.
Grey tabby cat lying with her body on the radiator and her head resting on a 19th century settee. She looks very depressed
October 7, 2025 at 6:23 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Every year for my birthday my boyfriend gives me a copy of Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas. This year’s gift is a French-English facing page translation (Paris, 1840) that ended up in gold rush era San Francisco!
Facing French-English title pages of Rasselas (Paris: Baudry’s European Library, 1840). Inside of front cover with the name of the bookseller W. Schleiden San Francisco stamped in gold on the turn in. Another bookseller’s ticket - H. Miller’s Book and Music store is pasted at top of inside cover.
September 15, 2025 at 1:38 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I don’t have the heart to tell this cat that I am going away this weekend and taking my shoes with me.
August 22, 2025 at 2:02 AM
jillegage.bsky.social
I love every single thing about this typeface: the stress on the “o”; the uncial “h”; the weird serifs on the “u”. Found in Cicero. Orationes (Venice, Adam de Ambergau, 1472). #NewberryLibrary
August 22, 2025 at 1:53 AM
jillegage.bsky.social
Lady cat with peach.
A grey tabby cat sits on a black Mies van der Rohe chair with curved silver arms. In front of of her, on a wooden tea table with scalloped trim, is a small blue and white plate with half of a peach and and a knife. This cat has never eaten a peach and her expression tells the viewer that she is not about to start now.
August 11, 2025 at 11:30 AM
jillegage.bsky.social
Ok, this is a weird mashup of the Declaration and the Constitution. On Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s back. On the cover of Rolling Stone. That someone in my house bought.
July 26, 2025 at 1:21 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
My friend Bob Williams died at the end of June and I haven’t been able to bring myself to post about him. He used to make people beautiful little cards for birthdays. Here are two that he made for me….
Pop up card with initials J and G. On the side, the card reads,”Happy Birthday, Bob” Another side of pop up card that says “Happy” and a capital G Calligraphed card that reads”Happy Birthday Jill Gage”
July 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
So the first image of continental unity in 1774 is an emblem of 12 hands touching…a phallus???? So many John Hancock jokes here.
July 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Rare occasion when my interests in lowercase “g” and Chablis intersect. What’s going on with that …ascending ear?
Wine bottle from famille gueguen Chablis featuring a very large lowercase “g” on the label.
July 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Very fun and very non-Jenson lowercase “g”. Cicero, De oficiis (Venice, c1472). Printer of Ausonius. Bonus = Jenson-style lowercase “h” with straight arm instead of uncial in the margin to the left. Also, slightly left-leaning lowercase “s”? #NewberryLibrary
Detail of text from Cicero. De officiis. Of particular note is the lowercase “g” with its two round bowls connected by a nearly centered stroke. Bonus = to the left, in the margin, is a lowercase “h” with a straight arm instead of a curved uncial arm.
July 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Every day my boyfriend takes a photo of my cats waiting for me. Here’s today’s photo.
Two cats sit in front of a door. A grey tabby, looking depressed, crouches on a doormat. A tuxedo, clearly vexed with the photographer, cries in annoyance.
July 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I took this photo for the typeface (Flame?) and only later realized that it is advertising something called an Ice Burger. J’en ai peur.
May 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
He’s ready for his Monster Munch.
May 26, 2025 at 8:04 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
This French cat wants you to know that he did not sign a model release.
A fluffy brown and white cat with a big tail standing in a garden, looking back at me with disdain.
May 9, 2025 at 9:17 AM
jillegage.bsky.social
I feel like this is giving RFK energy. From The History of the Holy Jesus (Boston, 1774). #NewberryLibrary
May 1, 2025 at 1:44 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
A lot of our old book dealer catalogues are marked up with great notes from book selectors: this one from Librairie Jammes (1954) has a note from Hans Baron that says it may be “the most important catalogue we’ve ever received “(!) HB always made the best notes. #NewberryLibrary
Slim book dealer’s catalogue whose cover is obscured by two stapled pieces of paper. One, positioned vertically, reads in part: “I wonder whether this is not one of the most important catalogues we’ve ever received.” While unsigned, the note is from Renaissance scholar Hans Baron, who worked for the Newberry for many years. At the bottom of the note is a list of entries he thought the library should acquire. A second note, positioned horizontally, adds another list of items of interest in the catalogue and is signed H.B.
April 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I’m going to France in 2 weeks, but I already miss my cats.
April 29, 2025 at 8:43 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Happy Birthday, Shakespeare! When I was preparing for my 2016 Shax exhibition, I bought a ton of stuff on eBay, including what might be the most boring board game of all time. I love the dog on the box.#NewberryLibrary
Box for a board game called Shakespeare. The cover features a vaguely ye olde style room with red walls , a leather couch, and a table laid with board game, pile of books, and a candle. A large sheepdog is lying on the couch staring out at the reader.
April 23, 2025 at 3:13 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I also love this advertisement for Julia’s diary from the Chicago Tribune, also 1933, right above an ad for SANE SEX LIFE (NY: Eugenics Pub Co)
Small rectangular advertisement reading:Chicago Claims as her Own Julia Newberry’s Diary. The authentic diary of a Chicago girl, 1869-72. A smaller ad below announces Sane Sex Life by Dr. Long, published by Eugenics Pub Co in New York.
April 21, 2025 at 11:10 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
I had a question today about the diary of Julia Newberry, written in the 1870s, but not published until 1933. I ran across all kinds of weird articles about it, including this from the #NYT: “OUR BRAIN POWER HAS DETERIORATED.” #NewberryLibrary
Photo of 1933 NYT article with headline: PRESENT GENERATION SEEKS MENTAL EASE. The sub-headline reads: Julia Newberry Diary Leads to Belief That Our Brain Power Has Deteriorated. It ends with the question: Is there not today, in the atmosphere of our university life, a lot of questionable indulgence in ethical jazz almost to the boundaries of personal decency, getting by as philosophy? - Signed, Old Timer
April 21, 2025 at 10:58 PM
jillegage.bsky.social
Will end by saying that Scalzini’s portrait is giving young Jude Law vibes. 4/4
Engraved oval portrait of a young man with short hair, mustache, and tiny beard on a pointy chin. He looks rather suggestively out at the reader.
April 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM