Hagley Library is still closed to the public, but, in recognition of World Book Day and National Library Week coinciding this year, it seemed only fitting to bring a little library (seriously, a little library) to all of you today.
This library exhibit was organized by the Wilmington Institute Free Library (now the Wilmington Public Library) for the 1921 Delaware State Fair in Elsmere, Delaware. It was photographed by Daniel Cauffiel (1867-1930), a Wilmington resident and a real estate agent for the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company.
World Book Day (also known as World Book and Copyright Day) is an annual observance to promote to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. It is organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which first celebrated the day in 1995. It falls on April 23 every year, in honor of the death dates of authors William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla, Manuel Mejía Vallejo, and others.
National Library Week is the brainchild of the American Library Association, who began promoting this event in 1958. Its generally held on the second full week of April and follows a different theme every year (most of the time).
The Delaware State Fair was first held in Wilmington, Delaware around the turn of the 20th century. From 1917 to 1928, the fair was relocated in Elsmere. In 1928, it was moved 60 miles south to Harrington. The Hagley’s collection of Delaware State Fair albums (Accession 1991.212) consists primarily of two albums covering the years 1919, 1920, and 1921. Subjects include livestock, agricultural displays, automobile displays, arts & crafts displays, displays of various youth organizations, vendor booths, horse and car races, views of the crowds, and, of course, dog shows.
To view more images from the Delaware State Fair, visit its page in our Digital Archive by clicking here.
