Exhibitions
Plan Your Visit
Step into an exhibition and see history come alive.
Pequot Library Exhibitions bring daring ideas, rare materials, and unexpected stories into the public eye. Whether exploring a 17th‑century Shakespeare Folio, Connecticut’s abolitionist print culture, or children’s books that shaped American identity, each exhibition draws on the Library’s rich collections and invites community members of all ages to explore, reflect, and connect.
By pairing scholarship with immersive interpretation and cultural programs, the Library underscores its mission to bring literature, art, science and the humanities into everyday life by encouraging curiosity, enriching our community, and celebrating the power of knowledge in a historic place.
Current Exhibition
Print Revolution: Pamphlets, Persuasion, and the Path to Independence
In the decades leading up to the American Revolution, ideas of liberty, faith, and self-governance spread not just on battlefields but through the power of the written word. Print Revolution explores how pamphlets, broadsides, and sermons became the lifeblood of political and spiritual debate in colonial America. Works like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense ignited calls for independence, while New England ministers used the pulpit and the press to frame rebellion as both a civic duty and a divine mission. Together, these fragile publications held in Pequot Library’s Special Collections reveal a nation-in-the-making—one forged through argument, conviction, and the transformative reach of print.
Pequot Library is a proud affiliate of America 250 | Connecticut Commission, the statewide initiative commemorating the Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—on July 4, 2026. In the lead-up to this historic milestone, we’ve planned a series of programs that highlight diverse American voices and perspectives, including the programs listed below and Print Revolution:
Further Afield Day Trip | Winter Show: Jan. 29 at 12:00 p.m.
Out of the Vault: Selections from Pequot Library’s Americana Collection: Feb. 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Exhibition Tour for Children and Families: Feb. 7 at 1:00 p.m.
Meet the Author Jr. | Chris Newell: Feb. 7 at 2:00 p.m.
An Evening with Henry Adams: Feb. 10 at 6:00 p.m.
Art History Lecture | The Artists of the American Revolution: Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m.
Further Afield Day Trip | The New York Historical: Feb. 26 at 11:00 a.m.
Jeff Franzel Trio Concert: Feb. 28 at 2:00 p.m.
Pictured: “Common Sense Addressed to the Inhabitants of America” by Thomas Paine | Norwich, Conn., Re-printed and sold by Judah P. Spooner and by T. Green, in New-London, [1776]
A look back at the exhibitions that have celebrated discovery, creativity, and community at Pequot Library.
Explore all our past exhibitions!
