Collection Deep Dive: Florence Smith Romaine
Photographed wearing a fur coat and posing alongside three dogs, I first came across Florence in the Clements Library Image Bank. Alongside her fur coat ensemble, two more digitized photographs served as an introduction to Mrs. Romaine. These images captured her time on the stage and later in her mid to late forties, leaving us to wonder who was she in between all of those years? And who was she?
Clements Library Acquires 192 Original Revolutionary War-era Sermons, Begins Crowdfunding Campaign
The William L. Clements Library recently acquired an extraordinary archive of 192 original sermons written between 1765 and 1780 by Rev. Joseph Bowman. Held in a private collection, the existence of the papers were previously unknown. The 2,000 page hand-written collection forms a significant corpus of religious writing that coincides with the final years of the First Great Awakening and continues through the American Revolution.
New Manuscripts Finding Aids, July 2026
The Clements Library is thrilled to make another large batch of manuscript collections available for research. Included in this batch are colorful sample checks, documents penned by poet James Whitcomb Riley, and a fan diary recording celebrations of the 4th of July over the years!
A Day in the Life at the Clements Library: Diana Baxter
Welcome to the 6th edition of a Day in the Life at the Clements Library! Read on to spend a day with Diana Baxter, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan’s School of Information.
Verbiest’s Complete Map of the World Pt II: The Man Behind the Map
Who was Ferdinand Verbiest and why did he create a world map?
New Graphics Division Finding Aids, June 2026
The Graphics Division has published thirteen new finding aids documenting the lives of individuals and families from the 1840s to the 1990s.
“Spy of the Cumberland”: Recognizing the Legacy of Pauline Cushman and her Historian
By Graphics Assistant Sirianna Blanck and the Graphics Department, in honor of William J. Christen, who dedicated 14 years of his life to ensure that the life of Pauline Cushman would not be lost to or obscured by history and its myths.Newly arrived at the Clements, the Pauline Cushman Collection is now available to visitors and scholars. 21 photographs highlight Miss Major Pauline Cushman (1833-1893), a famous Union spy and scout for the Cumberland Army during the Civil War. While much of her...
What’s In Your Attic 2026
Last month, we hosted a “What’s In Your Attic?” open house-style events where members of our community brought their own paper treasures (letters, journals, photographs, prints, books, and maps) for discussion with Clements Curators and guest Americana collectors. A handful of our guests generously chose to donate materials to the Clements Library at this event, here are a few of those newly donated acquisitions!
New Manuscripts Finding Aids, June 2026
As always, the Manuscripts Division has been diligently processing unique collections to make them available for research. All are welcome to research at the Clements Library, so request an appointment if any of these collections are calling your name!
A Day in the Life at The Clements Library: Jakob Dopp
Welcome to the fifth edition of “A Day in the Life at the Clements Library!” Today we will meet with Jakob Dopp, our recently appointed Assistant Curator of Graphics.