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FeedThe Natural
Photographer Kevin Fleming gets up close and personal with the First State’s flora and fauna for his new book.
(page 3 of 4)
Hardbound History
“Historic Photos of Delaware” recalls a simpler time.
History buffs have a lot to love about Delaware. And those buffs have a lot to love about Ellen Rendle.
Curator of maps and photographs at the Delaware Historical Society in Wilmington, Rendle has taken the museum experience out of the galleries and onto bookshelves with her latest book, “Historic Photos of Delaware.”
Sifting through more than 500,000 black-and-white photographs from the historical society and the Library of Congress, Rendle captioned and detailed 199 pictorial records of social and civil history in Delaware, the earliest accounts dating to the 1860s—in other words, back when Old New Castle was simply New Castle.
“I tried to figure out what would give the best representation of home life, national life and work life,” she says. “This book gives a very well-rounded view of all of that.”
Pulling from city directories as early as 1814 and compiling information from the historical society’s research library, Rendle spent a month filling in the interesting facts and details spotlighting the mosaic of railroads, steamboats, storefronts and cityscapes.
Rendle is especially fond of the photos of butchers and farmers at local farmer’s markets, the views of old train stations and the Delaware Memorial Bridge under construction.
The 216-page book will be the topic of discussion during Rendle’s book signing at 9th Street Books in Wilmington on November 13. The event will last from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and copies will be available for $39.95. —Emily Riley
Page 4: Eating to Nirvana
