Philadelphia Museum of Art

Portrait of Professor Benjamin H. Rand by Thomas EakinsThe first in a celebrated series by Thomas Eakins to focus on physicians and scientists, this magnificent portrait is on loan from

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It is being shown at the Museum in context with major works by Eakins and his contemporaries, including Cecilia Beaux, Thomas Moran, and

Henry Ossawa Tanner.

New York DadaThe New York Dadaists were an eccentric, international group that gathered at the Manhattan apartment of art collectors Walter and Louise Arensberg between 1915 and 1921. Their works reflect a shared interest in everyday, readymade objects, and their impact reached far beyond their brief existence as an avant-garde group.

Ellsworth Kelly: Paris/New York, 1949–1959The paintings in this exhibition illustrate the significant changes in the work of Ellsworth Kelly during a formative period, when the artist experimented with strategies that would prove to be instrumental to his artistic development.

Presidential ChinaThe McNeil Collection of American Presidential China provides a material record of the social and cultural history of the United States. Fifty objects designed for and used by Presidents from George Washington to Ronald Reagan are on view here.

Chinese Snuff Bottles from the CollectionValued by Chinese emperors and other elites in the eighteenth century as both precious objects and as containers for powdered tobacco (snuff), these 137 snuff bottles encompass many decorative designs, including floral, figural, and landscape motifs, auspicious symbols, and poetry.

Irish SilverThe great age of domestic Irish silver began in the closing decades of the seventeenth century and lasted until the years shortly after the Act of Union of 1800, when Ireland merged with the Kingdom of Great Britain (today split into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland).

Ceremonial Teahouse: SunkarakuThe name of this teahouse, Sunkaraku, or "Evanescent Joys," reflects the spirit of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony as a temporary refuge from the complexities of daily life.

Constantine TapestriesThe monumental thirteen-panel tapestry set representing the "History of Constantine the Great" is one of the most intriguing masterpieces in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Medieval CloisterA Medieval cloister, or an arcaded walkway surrounding an open courtyard, was usually a space at the heart of a monastery where a variety of highly regulated events in the lives of members of the religious order took place, including silent prayer, meditation, or reading aloud from holy books.

The Crack

There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell. Hair-line cracks on bells were bored out to prevent expansion. However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack which rendered the Bell unringable was on Washington's Birthday in 1846.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger takes up the story in its February 26, 1846 publication:
"The old Independence Bell rang its last clear note on Monday last in honor of the birthday of Washington and now hangs in the great city steeple irreparably cracked and dumb. It had been cracked before but was set in order of that day by having the edges of the fracture filed so as not to vibrate against each other ... It gave out clear notes and loud, and appeared to be in excellent condition until noon, when it received a sort of compound fracture in a zig-zag direction through one of its sides which put it completely out of tune and le

Philadelphia.historic Tours

Tradition tells of a chime that changed the world on July 8, 1776, with the Liberty Bell ringing out from the tower of Independence Hall summoning the citizens of Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the Bell in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges, Pennsylvania's original Constitution. It speaks of the rights and freedoms valued by people the world over. Particularly forward thinking were Penn's ideas on religious freedom, his liberal stance on Native American rights, and his inclusion of citizens in enacting laws.

Click to interact with the Virtual Liberty BellThe Liberty Bell gained iconic importance when abolitionists in their efforts to put an end to slavery throughout America adopted it as a symbol.
As the Bell was created to commemorate the golden anniversary of Penn's Charter, the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10, was particularly apt. For the line in the Bible immediately preceding "proclaim liberty" is, "And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year." What better way to pay homage to Penn and hallow the 50th year than with a bell proclaiming liberty?

Click to enlargeAlso inscribed on the Bell is the quotation, "By Order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada." Note that the spelling of "Pennsylvania" was not at that time universally adopted. In fact, in the original Constitution, the name of the state is also spelled "Pensylvania." If you get a chance to visit the second floor of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, take a moment to look at the original maps on the wall. They, too, have the state name spelled "Pensylvania" (and the Atlantic Ocean called by the name of that day, "The Western Ocean"). The choice of the quotation was made by Quaker Isaac Norris, speaker of the Assembly.