Philly Museum Proudly Displays... Colbert's Bud Light Lime Bottles?

August 4th, 2012 9:42 PM

The Washington Post published an AP report  by Kathy Matheson on a “playful new exhibit at the Rosenbach Museum & Library” in Philadelphia which “pairs priceless material by James Joyce and Maurice Sendak with, um, perhaps less valuable items used by Colbert to write I Am A Pole (And So Can You!).”

The Post loved Colbert’s placement among “literary lions,” but it sounds less than impressive: “The exhibit, on view through Nov. 11, includes Colbert book drafts, sketches by illustrator Paul Hildebrand, two Bud Light Lime bottles, a crumpled paper bag, a turkey sandwich receipt and a rhyming dictionary.” But it’s easy to guess their motivation:

AP reports “museum officials say the display reinforces their mission to engage and inspire visitors with collections that include papers from Lewis Carroll, Bram Stoker and Miguel de Cervantes.” By this, they mean a liberal comedian who plays a dumb cable-news conservative on TV can dramatically increase your number of visitors:

Colbert could not be reached for comment for this story. But he highlighted his new connection to "Ulysses" in a July segment called "Who's Honoring Me Now."

"So congratulations, America, because now my manuscript ... is officially enshrined in its rightful place, side-by-side with the former greatest book of all time," Colbert quipped.

The next day, Dreher said, Colbert devotees descended on the Rosenbach, which is located in a pair of brick townhouses in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.

"It's been great fun for us," Dreher said. "Colbert has such rabid fans, and I mean that as a compliment."