Introducing our partnership with The New York Public Library, celebrating its vast collection of more than 50 million items.
Our collaborative releases with NYPL feature reproductions of historical documents and cultural artifacts from their extensive collections and exhibitions, including the Spencer Collection, the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures. These special journals, notebooks and stationery items are sure to capture the attention of history and literature buffs alike.
Our Partnership with The New York Public Library
A Shared Passion
The New York Public Library, founded in 1895, is America’s largest public library system and an essential resource of books, information, ideas and education. For over a century, the Library has been a hub for cultural and learning experiences. It is home to a variety of carefully curated collections of great historical importance, on topics ranging from Women’s Studies and U.S. History to Baseball and Computer Science.
Partnering with such a venerable institution is an inspiring opportunity to bring together our shared passion for lifelong learning and connecting communities.
Be sure to check out this beautiful and historic institution the next time you visit New York City and keep an eye out for the original works behind these Paperblanks products.
A SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP
Our relationship with the Library goes back many years. We have had the honour to reproduce a number of works held in their collection, including antique and contemporary bindings and unique Art Deco plates.
Some of our bestselling designs, including Poetry in Bloom, come from NYPL’s archives, as do new and returning favourites like Shape Shift and Daphnis & Chloe. In the past we have also looked to their collection of Art Deco and Art Nouveau plates and bindings, reproducing works by Maurice Pillard (Emergence) and Marius Michel (Autumn Symphony).
THE POLONSKY EXHIBITION OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY’S TREASURES
A Special Collection
Our Treasures of The New York Public Library collection is a front-row pass to the permanent Polonsky Exhibition, which showcases a revolving selection of some of the Library’s most coveted, unique and culturally significant artifacts.
With these designs and the stories they tell, you can go behind the scenes at this most venerable institution, taking home a piece of history that can inspire your own creativity and expression.
Discover new worlds with the Hunt-Lenox Globe and De Sideribus Tractatus, explore the creative mind of Virginia Woolf and – in a North American exclusive – honour American history with the Declaration of Independence.
We are honoured to have been chosen to work with NYPL on this inspiring and varied collection. Each piece is truly a fragment of history in your hands.
An Evolving Relationship
During a visit to NYPL in early 2019 we learned of this monumental exhibition that the Library was putting together. It felt like a natural opportunity to collaborate on some truly special stationery products honouring those featured documents and artifacts.
WORKING TOGETHER
When our friends at The New York Public Library asked us to partner with them on branded journals for their new exhibition, we immediately delved into their archives together to select which heritage pieces to highlight. It is our great honour to be the stationery brand for the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures.
DEVELOPING THE DESIGNS
As soon as we returned to our home office in Vancouver, Canada, our marketing and design teams got to work. We were connected with many of the curators working on the exhibition so we could learn firsthand the cultural and historical details behind the pieces – important information that could only be shared by someone who has devoted their life’s work to researching it. Their passion was contagious, and our talented graphic artists dove headfirst into interpreting the art as Paperblanks cover designs.
Over the next year, we shared brainstorm sessions, concepts and mockups with the NYPL team. We sought to capture the most important details through our uniquely textured covers and rich, colourful palettes. Working with curatorial staff of the Library to do justice to their historic collection as well as treat these significant artifacts with due care and respect, we sought to create beautiful, unique, high-quality products.
And with the Polonsky Exhibition now a permanent installment, we are delighted to continue this very special Paperblanks + NYPL collaboration!
Browse Products of the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
In Fall 2021, we were honoured to work with the Schomburg Center to create a special Embellished Manuscript journal reproducing a letter handwritten by civil rights leader Frederick Douglass. In Spring 2022 we again worked together to bring a draft of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to our collection. Both manuscripts are part of the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures and are included in our co-branded collection with NYPL.
Browse Products of The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
What’s new and coming up?
The Polonsky Exhibition officially opened on September 24, 2021. As people from around the world have the chance to browse NYPL’s treasures in person, we continue to work on new products to complement the exhibit and celebrate the library’s collections.
Coming up in Fall 2024, we will be re-releasing a favourite design from the collection of the Library’s antique bindings. Daphnis, a beautiful binding crafted in 1910 by Émile-Philippe Mercier, was first released as a hardcover journal as part of our Daphnis & Chloe series and will soon be available as a softcover Flexi notebook.
We can’t wait to see where this collaborative relationship will lead to next!
Learn from the Exhibit Curators
