Today in History: Valentine’s Day Cards
Saint Valentine's Day was first established in 496 A.D., and became associated with the celebration of romantic love in the Middle Ages. In the United States, mass-produced paper valentines were first sold in the mid-1800s. The Ephemera collection at the Clements Library includes a variety of greeting cards for many occasions. A sampling of some of these cards shows the great diversity and creativity of 19th century Valentines. While the earlier cards are simple handmade items, the later...
Black History Month at the Clements
The Clements Library has a wealth of materials on African American history, documenting many aspects of slavery, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and beyond. Much research remains to be done with these materials, to more fully explore the African American experience in the United States. Some highlights from the different Divisions include: Book Division: Narrative of James Williams, an American Slave (1838) The American Anti-Slavery Society published this controversial account of...
Staff Favorite: First Map of the State of Vermont
Here at the Clements Library, we are sometimes asked, "What is your favorite item in the collection?" In a library full of great treasures, there is no easy answer to this question, and the answer will probably vary for each person. Starting with this post, the Clements Library blog will occasionally feature one of these favorite items, selected by a library staff member. These may not always be the most famous objects in the library, but the choices will reveal something of what we do here at...
The Quotable Ethan Allen, January 28th, 2010
Kevin GraffagninoThe Quotable Ethan AllenBased on his 2005 book with H. Nicholas Muller III, The Quotable Ethan Allen, Kevin Graffagnino's lecture offers a representative selection of Ethan's fiery rhetoric on the American Revolution, the Yankee v. Yorker struggle for control of the area that became Vermont, theology, the rights of man, and other subjects that attracted his attention.Thursday, January 28, 20104:00 p.m.William L. Clements Library909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109Free...
The Fall-Winter 2009 Quarto is Here
The latest issue of The Quarto is now available. The Quarto is a semi-annual newsletter published by the William L. Clements Library and sent to members of the Clements Library Associates. Contents of the Fall-Winter 2009 issue of The Quarto: "Native Americans," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director. An introduction to the focus of this issue, Native American history materials at the Clements Library. "Tales of Indian Captivity," by Emiko Hastings, Curator of Books. The Library's extensive...
Recent Acquisition: Audubon Wolverine Print
The Clements Library has recently acquired a hand-colored lithograph of a wolverine from John James Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (New York: 1845-48). It is now on display inside the back entrance of the building. Appropriately, as the first Audubon piece owned by the Clements Library,* it illustrates an animal famous on campus as the University of Michigan mascot.A naturalist and painter, John James Audubon (1785-1851) was best known for his illustrations of North...
Reframing the Color Line: MLK Symposium Event at the Clements Library, January 18, 2010
On January 18, as part of the University of Michigan's 24th Annual MLK Symposium, the Clements Library will be hosting a discussion in conjunction with the current exhibit, Reframing the Color Line: Race and the Visual Culture of the Atlantic World. MLK Symposium Event: Reframing the Color Line: Race and Visual Culture January 18, 2010 4:00 pm Location: William L. Clements Library, 909 S. University Avenue Speaker: Martha S. Jones, History and Afroamerican & African Studies; Kristin Hass,...
Happy Holidays from the Clements Library!
This holiday card from 1929 was created for Mr. William L. Clements, the founder of the Clements Library. The illustration is based on an etching of the exterior of the library by Wilfred B. Shaw. His work can also be seen in the circular Clements logo on the library website.Wilfred B. Shaw was a graduate of the University of Michigan in 1904. He attended the Art School in Chicago, and was known for his work as an artist and etcher of UM campus scenes, buildings, and personalities. From 1929...
Current Exhibit at Hatcher Graduate Library: 200 Years of Cookies
The Clements Library and the Hatcher Graduate Library present an exhibit giving an overview of the history of cookies in "200 Years of Cookies." The exhibit showcases cookbooks from both collections, as well as 19th century American cookie cutters and cookie molds from the Clements. The exhibit is now open in Hatcher's North lobby and Gallery, and will be there through January 15th. The history of cookies is probably impossible to trace back to its beginnings. The Roman writer Apicius gives a...
National Letter Writing Day: The Lost Art of the Handwritten Letter
While the origins of this obscure December 7 holiday are unclear, the tradition of having letter-writing days can be traced back to a time when handwritten letters were the most common form of communication. Before the invention of the telegraph, the typewriter, or the computer, handwritten letters were both an art form and an essential part of everyday business. To illustrate this history, we present the following examples from the Book and Manuscript Divisions of the Clements...