Tag Archives: Coloring Cotsen

Dapper Dogs

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Our newest set of Coloring Cotsen pages is out, and features some of the best dressed dogs in our special collections vaults!

Katie’s selections are from Affen- und Hunde-Komödie by Eduard Ille (Monkey and Dog Comedy, translated from German). Eduard Ille (1823-1900) is a German writer and artist who contributed dozens of stories and illustrations to various German broadsides and humor publications. His work often described Munich’s bustling festival and social scene through caricature and literary drawings. He also wrote epic lyrical poems and light plays. Most notably, Ille was involved with painting images from the songs of Walther von der Vogelweide in the dressing room inside the famous Neuschwanstein Castle.

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Coloring Cotsen: Tigers Sis Boom Ah!

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The weekend before Princeton’s commencement, jovial alumni return to town for Reunions and to reminiscence on their time spent on campus as students. To commemorate their annual return and celebrate the Great Class of 2026, we wanted to share several iconic tiger images from our Special Collections for Coloring Cotsen.

The tiger is a common mascot for many schools, colleges, and professional sports teams in the United States, but Princeton University is the first academic institution to officially start using the tiger nickname. In the early 1880s, Princeton’s football players would wear orange and black striped jerseys, socks, and knit caps during their games. Sports writers at the time began calling the team “tigers” and the moniker was quickly adopted across campus.

Tigers are now a regular part of life at Princeton. Tiger sculptures appear on and around campus buildings, magazines and publications have tiger related names, and university cheers and songs include tigers in the lyrics. Princeton’s fight song, “The Princeton Cannon”, was written in 1906 by J. F. Hewitt and A. H. Osborne, both members of the Class of 1907. Hewitt and Osborne incorporated “And Nassau’s walls with echo with the Princeton Tiger’s roar” in the song’s intro and the verse lively proclaims “Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah! Tigers sis boom ah!”

We extend our heartiest congratulations to the Class of 2026! Rah! Tigers sis boom ah!

Coloring Cotsen: Aquarium Comicum

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The current special exhibition inside the Cotsen Children’s Library, “Sixpenny Stunners,” is a charming collection of illustrated children’s tales cleverly printed in pamphlet form.

One of the stories included in the exhibition, Aquarium Comicum, is a hilarious poem about the realm of King Sturgeon and his nemesis, the rebellious Octopus, and how peace between the two rivals was eventually restored with help from Lord Mayor John Dory. The illustrations are super quirky and fun, and Katie wanted to share a few of them for Coloring Cotsen!

The Toronto Public Library has a digital version of the Aquarium Comicum for anyone who would like to read more about the pamphlet’s cast of characters or sing the accompanying music score. There is also much more to learn about the “Sixpenny Stunners” exhibition on Cotsen’s curatorial blog.