Exhibit at Boston Public Library: We Are One: Mapping America’s Road from Revolution to Independence
The William L. Clements Library is pleased to announce its participation in a new exhibition, We Are One: Mapping America's Road from Revolution to Independence, opening May 2, 2015, at the Boston Public Library's Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. Featuring cartographic and geographic representations of how America transformed from British colonies to an independent nation, We Are One presents a unique opportunity to explore the Revolutionary era in all its drama. The Clements Library is among...
Recent Acquisition: Rare 151st plate from Audubon’s Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
Rare 151st plate from Audubon’s Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Detail of Plate CXXIX.Post by Aprille Phule, Curator of Cryptozoological Collections and BibliochicaneryThe University of Michigan Library marks its formal beginning with the purchase in 1839 of John James Audubon's The Birds of America (1827–1838). After a brief interval of a hundred and seventy five years, it has been joined by Audubon's final work. In August, we acquired the full set of John James Audubon's Viviparous...
Women’s History Month: Women in Men’s Clothing
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Manuscripts Curatorial AssistantIn mid-July 1860, travelling salesman George P. Slade wrote a letter to a female correspondent about his experiences plying his trade in the Midwest. In his attempts to sell fruit trees, he covered a great deal of territory, including the Illinois prairies which "spread out like a map before me as far as the eye could trace." He also encountered a wide range of people, from struggling farmers to a dulcimer salesman. Slade had a gift of the...
Latest Quarto: Natural History
The Fall-Winter 2014 Quarto is now available. The Quarto is a semi-annual magazine published by the William L. Clements Library and sent to members of the Clements Library Associates. This issue of The Quarto focuses on the Clements Library collections related to natural history, in celebration of our recent acquisition of Audubon's Viviparous Quadrupeds. "Natural History," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "Natural History Drawn Large," by Emiko Hastings, Curator of Books...
Today in History: Miniature Hand-Cut Valentines
According to Ruth Webb Lee's A History of Valentines (1952), the creation and distribution of valentines in America began sometime in the mid-18th century. Prior to the advent of mass-produced, printed notes and cards around 100 years later, women and men made these often anonymous tokens of affection by hand. Valentines took many forms, from acrostics, rebuses, cryptograms, and other puzzles, to elaborately illustrated or cutwork designs. The awe-inspiring valentines shown below suggest the...
In the Classroom: Photography and African American Identity
Post by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic MaterialsDuring fall semester 2014, University of Michigan Professor Martha Jones's African American Women's History class embarked on a detailed examination of a pair of photograph albums from the Clements Library collection. The albums originally belonged to Arabella Chapman (1859-1927), an African American woman from Albany, New York. They were assembled from 1878 to 1900 using portraits taken from the 1860s to the turn of the century. The photos...
From the Stacks: Christmas in the Library
Archives specialize in documenting change over time, but the holdings at the William L. Clements Library also reveal how some things remain stable through the years, including the excitement surrounding Christmas morning. On December 20th, 1840, Edward H. Fitzgerald found himself far from home as he served in the United States military. At sea and melancholy, Fitzgerald wrote a wistful journal entry imagining Christmas with his family. "I fancy myself at home, sleeping in the passage...
Giving Blueday
On the heels of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, the Clements Library invites you to join today's global day of giving, Giving Tuesday, and the University of Michigan's parallel university-wide campaign, Giving Blueday.Donor support helps the Clements Library develop and conserve its stellar collection of early Americana primary source material while also making it increasingly accessible to the public. If you donate today, you can choose from several funds that will sustain the...
Today in History: Thanksgiving
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Manuscripts Curatorial AssistantThe William L. Clements Library sends warm Thanksgiving greetings and offers a glimpse at holidays past via our Manuscripts Division. In November 1857, William H. Ireland, Jr., sent an illustrated, lyrical letter to his friend to ensure that he would "not have a dull Thanksgiving." In the spirit of the day, Ireland included a pen-and-ink drawing of a turkey. William H. Ireland, Jr., ALS to M. A. W. Man[ ], 1857 November 25, Duane...
Giving Blue Day – December 2, 2014
Giving Blueday is the University of Michigan's first-ever university-wide day of giving. Around the world, December 2 is known as Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving. This is YOUR chance to make a gift to the Clements Library to support acquisition, conservation and outreach. Help spread the word about the Clements Library and tell the world about our great collections and resources. Join us on December 2 to be part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.