A gif of pages from the exhibition catalog designed by Drexel alumna Fiona Tran. Photos courtesy of Fiona Tran.

A catalog of curiosities

Many of the objects in the exhibition can be seen in a catalogue designed by Fiona TranBS graphic design ’23.

“Since many of the pieces in the Atwater Kent Collection had never been exhibited before, we wanted the catalog to serve as a storytelling device and an extension of the exhibition,” said Tran. “Collaborating with the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel throughout the process was crucial because that’s how we got to the finished product! Holding the catalog in my hands was incredibly satisfying, especially after spending so much time building it digitally.”

From conception to draft to revision and editing, the entire process took about five months.

“When we designed the catalog, we wanted it to ‘reveal’ Philadelphia’s rich history, bridging past and present. My inspiration came not only from the collection itself, but also from the practice of scrapbooking – weaving together memories and history through various materials,” said Tran. “I really enjoyed creating the collaged elements throughout the catalog, which has an immersive scrapbook feel. The cover is also a personal favorite!”

This is the second exhibition catalog designed by Tran for Drexel; in the past year she has helped design both catalog and exhibition for Drexel Founding Collectionhis ELECTRIFIED: 50 years of electric factory. Based on that experience, Mark Willieassociate director of the graphic design program and teaching professor at the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, recommended Tran to the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel for Philadelphia was revealed catalog, which Tran took as an independent work. It’s one of several freelance projects he’s completed since graduating, and he works as a design apprentice at J2, a branding and creative agency in Philadelphia.

Emma Johnson, Drexel student and “Philadelphia Revealed” gallery attendant, posing in a Neil Benson jacket. Photo credit: Emma Johnson.

Dragons as gallery companions

The Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel has hired two Drexel history majors as gallery attendants, supporting PAFA’s education program: Bailey Michalak ’26 and Emma Johnson ’25.

They spend six hours a day, two days a week, in the exhibition, where they are on hand to help visitors, answer questions and search through the exhibition to make sure things are in order. Both said the one item people ask about the most is a 1900s floral carpet bag near the podium where they are stationed.

“I talk to a lot of older guests who ask me if they can donate items or say something like, ‘I had this!’ or ‘I remember this’ about something in the exhibit,” said Michalak, who is also majoring in European studies.

Their favorite objects? For Michalak, it’s a jacket fastened with nearly 750 colorful buttons collected over the last decades of his 20s.^th century (more on that below). As for Johnson, her picks go back to the top half of the 20^th century: the Pennsylvania First Aid Uniforms and a bowl used in the lottery system for both world wars.

Johnson, who is also a Spanish minor, previously worked with the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel on a World War I research project last summer and will continue that project during a co-op position, funded by the Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships, with 103^st Armory this coming spring and summer.

“As I was getting back in touch with some of the people involved, they suggested I apply for it Philadelphia was revealed position since I was familiar with the people and the collection. I was excited to be involved because I want to go into museum work after college and I love being able to get experience before I graduate!” she said.

A screenshot showing how the Instagram filter designed by Drexel appears for users to virtually try on the hats in the exhibit.

Hats off and on

Several hats are on display in the exhibition and you can try some on – virtually.

Students in a class taught by Nick Jushchyshynprogram director for digital media and virtual production in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, created an Instagram filter that allows users to “wear” these hats:

A photo of Dr. Frances Allen de Ford as a member of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1887.

A historical diary of a historical moment

Frances “Fanny” Allen de Ford (1855–1937), MD, was 21 years old when she visited the monumental 1876 ​​Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and recorded his experiences visiting what is now considered the first world’s fair.

About 11 years later, de Ford graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania—the first degree-granting medical school for women, which is a legacy institution of today. Drexel College of Medicine. With her physician husband, she opened a practice in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, where she was known as an advocate for better sanitary and hygienic conditions.

Jushchyshyn and his students created a digital flip book that combines excerpts from de Ford’s journal with historic photos from the Atwater Kent collection, as well as a photo of de Ford from Archives and Special Collections of the Drexel University Heritage Centerlocated within the College of Medicine.

A jacket with more buttons than you’ve ever seen

There are almost 750 buttons fixed on one navy polyester and cotton jacket in the exhibit—and you can learn more about them through an interactive digital display also created by Jushchyshyn and his students. The buttons vary in color, size, decade and sphere (cultural, political, local, national) and were picked by the jacket’s owner, the late Philadelphia photojournalist. Neil Bensonfrom the 1970s to the 1990s.

“Every time I walk past the jacket, I feel like I’m seeing a new needle. Sometimes it’s like a scavenger hunt!” said Michalak, the student gallery attendant.

A Drexel literary magazine looks back

The Drexerd was a literary magazine published at Drexel from 1921 to 1942. The students published a special sesquicentennial issue in June 1926, just before the United States turned 150.^th birthday and Philadelphia hosted celebratory events for the Sesquicentennial International Exposition.

The STRIKING Drexerd cover it was framed and hung on a wall. It is surrounded by other Sesquicentennial-related items, including several from the same donor, Norman W. Fesmire.