New to the Archives: The Torch Bearers

Earlier this week, the Library received a great new gift from the Museum's Director Bill Hennessey for the archives. It is a picture of artist Anna Hyatt Huntington putting the final touches on her remarkable sculpture titled "The Torch Bearers." This statue graces the front entrance of the Chrysler Museum and acts as a preview to some of the extraordinary works of art inside.




Anna Hyatt Huntington was a prolific American artist who was especially known for her animal and equestrian sculptures. She was one of the very few females to work in the heroic style. In fact, her classically-inspired work usually ran counter to the developments in 20th-century American Art. Two-hundred museums in American contain her work, and she has several pieces in Spain, France, and South America.
 
"The Torch Bearers" was one of Huntington's most ambitious multi-figure works. Her wealthy, philanthropist husband, Archer Huntington, collaborated on this piece with her by writing a poem with the same title that was inscribed on it's base. The first cast of the sculpture was given to the University of Madrid in 1955. A year later, she offered another cast to the city of Norfolk, to be installed in the plaza facing the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, which is now the Chrysler Museum of Art.

The Chrysler Museum has a long history of influential and special individuals who have helped turn the Museum into what it is today. This picture may remind us of those individuals and their efforts to keep the artistic spirit of Norfolk alive and thriving.

Want to read more about Anna Hyatt Huntington?
Come to the Library!



 

Written by,

Rebecca Wilkinson

Library Assistant

Vote today for the Myers Family Bible!

The Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library is thrilled to announce the nomination of the Moses Myers Family Bible to the Virginia Association of Museums' Top Ten Endangered Artifacts Program! From now until August 29th, you can vote for the Myers Bible to make it into the prestigious "Top Ten List."  If you believe the Myers Bible tells a significant story about the Myers Family and our local history, vote today!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

What is Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts?
The VAM's Top Ten campaign showcases the importance of Virginia’s diverse history, heritage and culture and the role that artifacts and archival materials play in telling those stories. This fun and educational project enables all citizens to take part in supporting the institutions that are entrusted with caring for our communities’ treasures. The public is encouraged to visit www.vatop10artifacts.org and cast their vote for the object that they believe should make the final list. Final nominations will be reviewed by an independent panel of collections and conservation experts, and the honorees will be announced in September 2012.

What is the Moses Myers Family Bible?
From the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library's archives, this is an American Bible belonging to the Moses Myers Family of Norfolk, Virginia, titled: The Holy Bible, Containing The Old and New Testaments; Together with the Apocrypha Translated out of the Original Tongues And with the Former Translations, Diligently Compared and Reviled. This scarce book was published in Philadelphia in 1798 by John Thompson and Abraham Small, and would become one of the Myers Family most important possessions. Although the Myers were Jewish, they used this Christian Bible as their family bible and recorded important family information within its pages, including birthdays, obituaries and military service information. It was passed down through five generations of the Myers family who lived in the Moses Myers House from 1795 until 1931.The Myers attained a prominent position in Norfolk history, rising to become leaders in both economic and social affairs. In addition, the Myers family were the first permanent Jewish-American residents in the Norfolk area, and would compose the region’s entire Jewish population for over a decade.

As is the case with many family artifacts, the Bible fell victim to Virginia’s heat and humidity while in the Myers’ home. It is now being well cared for and preserved within the Rare Book Archives of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. By strictly maintaining and monitoring the climate of the Rare Book Room, Chrysler Museum staff ensure that the Myers Family Bible and other unique treasures are preserved for future generations.