Andrea Puccio, Assistant Museum Librarian, Thomas J. Watson Library – In Circulation: A Winter Wonderland in Watson

Bentley, W.A., Snow Crystals. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1931. The Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library

Winter is officially here, and as it gets colder and snow and slush begin to blanket the streets, it becomes difficult to enjoy the beauty of the season. But despair not! You can stay warm and cozy in Watson Library without missing a moment of winter’s splendor. Grab some of the wintry items below and head on over.

Clark, Fiona, Hats. London: B.T. Batsford, 1982. The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library. Mackrell, Alice, Shawls, Stoles and Scarves. London: B.T. Batsford, 1986. Kristal, Marc, Frye, The Boots that Made History. New York: Rizzoli, 2013. The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library. Coats! Milan: Skira, 2011

Or follow in the snowy footsteps of the Impressionists and delight in the effets du neige (while avoiding frostbite, of course).

Impressionists in Winter. Washington, D.C.: Phillips Collection, 1998

You could also enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top, though we hope there’s more cocoa in yours than in Rob Scholte’s below. (Full disclosure: we sadly do not allow hot chocolate in Watson’s reading room.)

Scholte, Rob, Hot Chocolate. Ghent: Ymere en MER. Paper Kunsthalle, 2009. Icaza, Alejandra, Marshmallows. Madrid: Turner, 2010

Curl up in our comfy seating near this roaring fire and while away a dark afternoon with a good book.

Kauffman, Henry J., The American Fireplace. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1972

Enjoy the biography of Wilson A. Bentley, a man who spent his life photographing over five thousand individual snowflakes.

Blanchard, Duncan C., The Snowflake Man. Blacksburg, VA: McDonald & Woodward Pub., 1998. The Nolen Library

Bentley, W.A., Snow Crystals. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1931. The Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library

Or find inspiration for some redecorating with these snow-flecked decorative arts from Japan.

Yuki no hana. Koga-shi: Koga Rekishi Hakubutsukan, 2007

However you choose to enjoy the season, remember—if the weather outside is frightful, our reading room is always delightful!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wednesday, December 23, 2015

http://www.metmuseum.org/research/libraries-and-study-centers/in-circulation/2015/winter-wonderland