Today in History: The First Day of Fall
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Manuscripts Division Curatorial AssistantIn Ann Arbor, the weather has started to have a chilly bite, and at the Clements Library we look to our collections to help celebrate the first day of fall.From our Schoff Civil War collection, we hear from Henry H. Seys, a Civil War surgeon and medical inspector, who wrote to his wife Harriet in late October 1862 about the spectacular autumn facing Union troops at Camp Elkwater in West Virginia."[O]n the whole thus far it's very...
Today in History: David B. Douglass Papers Addition and the Battle of Lundy’s Lane
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Manuscripts Division Curatorial Assistant In the late evening hours of July 25, 1814, one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812 commenced, continuing until after midnight. Unplanned and fought in the dark of night, the Battle of Lundy's Lane claimed over 250 fatalities and 1,700 casualties across both British and American troops. While American forces had recently defeated the British at the Battle of Chippawa and were continuing their advance into Canada, the...
Latest Quarto: Forgeries, Facsimiles, Follies, & Phonies
Forged Remington watercolor in Boots and Saddles (1885). The Spring-Summer 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 forgeries and facsimiles. "Forgeries, Facsimiles, Follies, & Phonies," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "Ferreting Out the Fakes," by Emiko Hastings,...
New Graphics Division Resources Available
The Clements Library is pleased to announce new resources now available to researchers, both related to the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography. The acquisition of this collection was made possible by David B. Walters, who wished to honor Harold L. Walters, University of Michigan class of 1947, Engineering, and Marilyn S. Walters, University of Michigan class of 1950, LSA. Subsequent donations to the collection have also been made by David Tinder himself, his friends, and family...
Toledo Museum of Art Exhibit: In Fine Feather, April 25-July 6, 2014
This week, an exhibit called In Fine Feather: Birds, Art & Science opens at the Toledo Museum of Art. The exhibit, coinciding with the Biggest Week in American Birding, highlights the intersection of natural science and art in the pursuit of describing and identifying birds, from a medieval treatise on falconry to John James Audubon’s Birds of America to the modern field guide. The exhibition features works by noted bird artists and illustrators including Audubon, Alexander Wilson, John...
From the Stacks: Looking Forward to Spring at the Clements Library
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room SupervisorWe may have gotten several inches of snow in Ann Arbor Monday night, but at the Clements Library we are looking to our collections to get us in the spirit of spring. Flowers are not fully in bloom in Michigan, but they are represented beautifully in the William L. Clements Library’s holdings.The Charles E. Flandrau Letters in the Manuscripts Division includes a short note that Flandrau, a lawyer who had recently moved to Minnesota, sent to...
Forging Forward: Sources on Post-Civil War Black Education
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room Supervisor Here at the Clements Library our collections continue to expand in new and exciting ways. With acquisitions and donations, established collections grow and new ones are formed. The manuscripts division acquires many individual letters and documents, which we incorporate into subject-specific collections. One letter interfiled in the African American History Collection was penned by Paris Arthur Wallace (1870-1952), an African American man who...
Latest Quarto: Move Accomplished
The Great Moving Day (1888). The Fall-Winter 2013 Quarto is out! 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 library collections move that took place in August 2013. "Move Accomplished," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "A Moving Experience," by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Associate Director & Curator of Maps. An overview of the move process from...
From the Stacks: Valentine’s Day Cards
Happy Valentine's Day to our readers! These Valentine's Day postcards are from our ephemera collection. They are postmarked from 1907-1909 and were sent to Mr. Andrew Swords from several people."We pledged our hearts my love and I. I in my arms the maiden clasping.""Which is it to be? A loving heart with a dear little wife, Or a selfish, lonely bachelor life.""Love's Offering.""You are the [apple] of my eye."
Lecture by Frank Boles, “The Collections of the Clarke Historical Library,” January 28, 2014
UPDATE 1-28-2014: Due to the extreme wind chill temperatures, we will be canceling our scheduled lecture today. We are currently working with Frank Boles on rescheduling his lecture, and will repost when a date has been secured.Please note: Due to the Clements Library's upcoming renovation, the 2014 Lecture series will be held at the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery, Room 100.Frank BolesDirector of Central Michigan's Clarke Historical Library"The Collections of the Clarke...