By Antony Ramm, Librarian ‘He’s Behind You’ – Day 5 of our Heritage Advent Calendar brings us everyone’s favourite seasonal theatre – Pantomimes. ‘Bluebeard’ and the Leeds pantomime scene go back a long way. While it may not have been the first-ever panto in the town, it was certainly the first at the most prestigious…
Author: Leeds Libraries
Winter Wear
For Day 3 of our Heritage Advent Calendar our Library & Digital Assistant Jude Ramm gives you… formal winter wear in ‘Hand Coloured Fashion Plates 1770-1899’ from the Sanderson Collection. Anyone would be hard pushed not to be the talk of the town in this beautiful ensemble. From the dainty shoes, complete with pom-poms, to…
Snowy Tramscapes by Peter Lapish
We’re kicking off the 2021 festive period with our Secret Library Leeds Advent Calendar. Everyday in the run up to Christmas we will bring you something from our heritage & special collections, all with a seasonal feel. Day 1 – Prints from the Leodis.net photographic archive as chosen by senior librarian Louise Birch Impressionistic watercolours…
DISrupting the arts in Leeds
Gill Crawshaw has been researching examples of disability arts in the Local and Family History Library as DISrupt, a collective of disabled artists, continues this legacy in Leeds. This article is published to mark next week’s International Day of Disabled People on 3 December, and Leeds’ own week of events, Leeds for All. DISrupt, a…
Comic Art and Caricatures in our Collections
In today’s post our Senior Librarian for Special Collections, Rhian Isaac, explores the connection between comic books and some of the library’s prints, books and periodicals from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. This weekend is the annual Thought Bubble Comic Convention, a two day celebration of comics, their creators and their fans. We have…
Before Windrush: Black People in Leeds and Bradford, 1708 – 1948
This week the Secret Library blog is delighted to welcome back local historian and researcher Danny Friar whose four articles during Black History Month told the story of Black people in Leeds and Bradford in the three centuries before the arrival of the ‘Windrush Generation’. This week, Danny has very kindly allowed us to publish…
Before Windrush: Black People in Leeds and Bradford, 1708 – 1948, Part IV
This week on the Secret Library we hear from researcher Danny Friar, who explores the rich history of people of African heritage making Leeds and Bradford their home over a 300 year period. This is Part IV of a four part series during Black History Month: the result of new research, these articles will shed…
Before Windrush: Black People in Leeds and Bradford, 1708 – 1948, Part III
This week on the Secret Library we hear from researcher Danny Friar, who explores the rich history of people of African heritage making Leeds and Bradford their home over a 300 year period. This is Part III of a four part series during Black History Month: the result of new research, these articles will shed…
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