


A nesting doll of copies: a digital facsimile of an engraved facsimile of a medieval manuscript copy of a Roman map
This image comprises all the engraved segments of a half-size facsimile copy of a medieval manuscript map known as The Peutinger Map. The engraved facsimile is found in later editions of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, edited and published by Abraham Ortelius (and often...
Pirates and Indigenous of the Pacific: Reading Between the Coastlines of the Hacke Atlas
Guest post by Danny Zborover; 2020-2021 Mary G. Stange Fellow at the Clements Library; dazborov@gmail.com *** As the pirates disembarked their ship and prepared to attack, another group of black-attired characters formed a solid line behind the defensive wall. After a...
A picture is worth a thousand words: Illustrations from the Clements in “The History of Cartography Volume 4”
Mary Pedley, Assistant Map Curator at the Clements Library, is co-editor with Matthew H. Edney of The History of Cartography Volume 4: Cartography in the European Enlightenment (University of Chicago Press 2019). * * * The old adage about pictures and words has...
Digitization supported by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps
To create a digital archive is an expensive endeavor. The Clements Library is deeply committed to sharing its rich collections with an ever-wider audience, but the queue of material is long and resources limited. Pockets of the collection would not see cyber-light...
Conservation Close-up Part 2: Sea Charts used in Whaling
Clements Library Conservator Julie Fremuth provides a follow-up to our recent post about the arrival of 14 tightly-rolled sea charts and early conservation steps. The initial post Conservation Close-up: Sea Charts used in Whaling discusses Fremuth’s months-long...
Conservation Close-up: Sea Charts used in Whaling
While our team adheres to restrictions from the current public health crisis, this post replicates one of the Clements Library’s most popular Facebook posts ever. The post was shared 40 times and reached thousands of Facebook users when it was published on...
Imperial Spanish Symbolism: The Pillars of Hercules
This essay by volunteer Derek Brereton examines three examples of the same Spanish cultural symbolism found in some of the oldest collection items at the Clements Library. The Clements Library is fortunate to possess at least three fine examples of illustrations...