The Rosenbach

A Dickensian Afternoon at The Rosenbach

Last Thursday, we were delighted to welcome members of the Philadelphia Pickwick Club and the London Pickwick Club to the Rosenbach for a special afternoon celebrating all things Charles Dickens! Among the visitors was Ian Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, who joined Pickwick Club members to explore some of our Dickensian treasures.

The adventure started at the Rare Books Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, where Ian Dickens and Edward G. Pettit visited Grip the Raven, one of the city’s most memorable literary treasures.

At the Rosenbach, members had the chance to get up close with manuscript pages from Dickens’s first novel, The Pickwick Papers.

CollegeFest 2026 at The Rosenbach

Join us Sunday, September 20, from 12–4 PM to explore literature, history, and the stories held in the Rosenbach’s remarkable collections.

Admission is free, and self-guided tours are available! Discover charming rooms, curated exhibitions, and our literary-themed walled garden. Discover rare books and manuscripts spanning centuries, including Bram Stoker’s notes for Dracula, the manuscript for James Joyce’s Ulysses, and first editions from Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe, and Phillis Wheatley.

Don’t miss Treasures of the British Isles and our new Treasures of the Americas exhibition, exploring five centuries of American history and culture.

Come connect literature with life at the Rosenbach!

Join us at our Fall Open House!

Celebrate the start of fall with a visit to the Rosenbach! Take a free, self-guided tour, visit our permanent exhibition, Treasures from the Rosenbach’s Collection, to view rare objects from our Dracula, vampire, and Gothic holdings, and enjoy a spooky, Halloween-inspired immersive audio-scape. Learn about upcoming fall programs and get a discount if you sign up for one during your visit! This free, casual open house is the perfect way to explore the Rosenbach at your own pace and introduce your friends and neighbors to who we are.

Saturday, September 19. 10:30-4:00. Hourly capacity can be limited; reservations are encouraged. Learn more at www.rosenbach.org.

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Last night, we had the pleasure of seeing My Carmilla at Plays and Players, as part of Philadelphia’s Fringe Festival. This captivating new adaptation of the classic Gothic vampire tale by J.S. Le Fanu was written and performed by the incredibly talented local artists Asha Bagal Kelly and Sabrina Caruso.

Encountering the Rosenbach’s recently acquired first edition of J.S. Le Fanu’s In a Glass Darkly in the Rosenbach reading room, Asha and Sabrina found fresh insights for their new adaptation of Le Fanu’s classic vampire short story Carmilla. It's an inspiring example of how engaging directly with rare books and archives can spark new creative work. A fascinating intersection of literature, history, archives, and live performance, I highly recommend seeking out My Carmilla during Fringe!

If you’re curious about exploring the collections yourself, research appointments at the Rosenbach are free and open to all (by appointment)! Whether you’re adapting a work of Gothic fiction for the stage, conducting historical research, or simply indulging your curiosity to engage up-close with the collections, the reading room is there for you.

Read deeply, create boldly, and discover something new with a Rosenbach course. Join an online reading seminar to explore beloved literary works or roll up your sleeves in a hands-on workshop to bind your own journal and experience the book arts firsthand.

Inspired by the Rosenbach's world-renowned collections, our courses are designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and lifelong learning.

Registration for Fall Rosenbach courses is now open. Browse the offerings by clicking the link in our bio and reserve your spot for your next learning adventure.

It’s always a celebration when we spend time with our friends and collaborative partners from the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia and the Mexican Cultural Center. We are proud of our programmatic collaborations focused on our Mexican history holdings. Thank you for inviting us to share in the Independence Day festivities, and looking forward to what’s next.