Exhibit: Symbols of the Holidays: from the Jean Outland Chrysler Art Library Collection

Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848)
The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds, 1833
Oil on Canvas, 101.5 x 182.5 in (257.81 x 471.17 cm.)
Chrysler Museum of Art

December is a special time of year for everyone.  The brisk wind and the hint of snow herald a time of year to celebrate.  Both Hanukkah and Christmas occur in the month and each has their most recognizable symbols, such as the menorah and the dreidel for Hanukkah and the Christmas tree and the Nativity for Christianity.

Various menorot used for Hanukkah.
From the 1901-1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Combing the Jean Outland Chrysler Library collection, we have found images of familiar holiday traditions both new and old to share with you.  Some are photographs from our Tidewater region, some are from the Holy Lands, some are clever references to traditional songs, and some are beloved paintings from Norman Rockwell.

Taro Yamamoto, American, 1919-
Christmas Card to Jean from the artist
Paper
Chrysler Museum of Art

These images also reflect the general collection of the Chrysler Museum.  As the Museum holds pieces ranging from the ancient to the modern, so does our selection of images.  See a menorah from the 18th century, a Nativity scene from the 15th century, and art glass from the 20th century among many others in the Library Reading Room.  To see the symbols of the holidays, stop by and have a look at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library.







Lynne Fors
Library Assistant

Picture from our past: Famous visitors to the Chrysler

Recognize this famous face?  It's Friday the 13th, and whether or not you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia you're likely to know this famous actor and art collector from one of his films.  In 1979,  Vincent Price visited the Chrysler Museum and posed with Bernini's Bust of the Savior (71.2043 ).  

Price is perhaps best known for his roles in horror films such as House of Wax (1953)  and  House on Haunted Hill (1959). He also starred in numerous radio shows including The Saint (1944-1951) on NBC radio.  You might also know him from  Edward Scissorhands (1990), or from voice work on Micheal Jackson's Thriller (1982).

What you may not know, however, is that he was also an avid art collector.  From 1962 to 1971, Sears Roebuck  offered the "Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art", to the general public. Around 50,000 works of art were eventually sold through the collection. Price's personal art collection, along with works collected by his wife Mary, became the core of the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College in California. 

Price's visit to the Chrysler Museum was purely for pleasure. You too can enjoy  Bernini's Bust of the Savior - it's currently on view in our Renaissance and Baroque Galleries (Gallery 218).  Happy Friday the 13th!

Marley was dead, to begin with…

What better on a cold evening than to curl up with a classic tale of mystery and horror? Even the most cheerful holiday songs tell us “There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories…” Spooky tales by the fire have been a winter’s tradition for time in memoriam, beginning as a Pagan tradition.  Over the centuries, the tradition has continued in many manifestations. Dickens visited upon Ebenezer Scrooge three spirits, the ghost of Hamlet’s father haunted the ramparts during Christmastide, J.M. Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson both spun ghostly winter yarns, and Poe – of course – sat his lonely characters before the fire on a midnight dreary. To continue this haunting tradition and as a nod to the on-going London Calling: Victorian Paintings from the Royal Holloway Collection, the Art/Books, Wine/Cheese Book Club will be reading the spine-tingling classic A House to Let by Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell and Adelaide Anne Procter. Please join us on Wednesday December 15 at 6:30pm to discuss the novella. Busy that evening? Drop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library Wednesday through Friday and leaf through favorite tales –scary and otherwise – by Charles Dickens, J. M. Barrie, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathanial Hawthorne and many more. Happy reading!

- SMR

Archives Month - A Bump on the Head

Pirates and phrenology? Yes. That’s right. In 1827 John Myers, who was Inspector of Customs for Norfolk at the time, received an odd question about the skull of a pirate from his friend Joshua Cohen. Apparently there was a desire for the skull for “phrenological appreciation at Baltimore” by a Dr. Archer. Did Dr. Archer wish to derive meaning from bumps on the bones of the Pirate Tardy? Popular science at the time postulated a relationship between a person’s character and the morphology or shape of the human skull. This study became all the rage, and was used in society at the time to explain misfortunes, predict the future, diagnose maladies, etc. Dr. Archer probably would have wanted to inspect the skull of a pirate in order to determine the malformation that sparked his life of crime.

It was the job of John Myers to say whether or not it was in his jurisdiction to allow this piece of a pirate, buried in the sand at Old Point, to leave the state of Virginia. We’ve had some challenging research questions here at the Jean Outland Chrysler library, but we’re willing to bet that this one had John scratching his own noggin. Interest in the human head has waned little in the last almost two centuries. The use of the skull in art has sky rocketed in the last few years – think of Damien Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull. Do you have a mind for some phrenological explorations of your own? Stop by the JOCL this Fall and glance through such popular titles as Wonder and Horror of the Human Head and Ghost in the Shell. We also have a copy of George Combe’s The Constitution of a Man - one of the most popular works on phrenology.
Just thought we’d give you a heads up.

- SCM

Here's the original 1827 letter from the Myers Collection. Click on the Image for a better view!

Going Green circa 19th Century

We are often surprised by the things we find in books. While walking through our stacks, I noticed what appeared to be a leaf of paper protruding from the cracked spine of an 1864 volume entitled The Shakespeare Gallery: A Reproduction Commemorative of the Tercentenary Anniversary. On more careful examination, the inside of the loose hard binding looked to be lined with a bill or ledger page, probably from the early part of the century of publication. These additions to bindings exist all over the library; inside periodicals, volumes from the Myers library, art reference materials, etc.

This common practice of lining the inside of book bindings is the 19th century version of using post-consumer materials. Often letters, ledger pages, advertisements, etc. were used as binding materials as new paper was expensive and often difficult to come by. Adding “recycled” paper to the bindings reduced the initial cost of publication and helped to lower repair costs to existing books. Occasionally, when volumes begin to age and become worn, these times capsules of lost information are revealed. Though we many never know whether or not the remains of the documents that were used in the binding stood the test of time, the many small clippings contained in the bindings of quite a large number of books here in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library live on.

One of our favorites includes the 1841 publication Memoirs, Letters, and Comic Miscellanies in Prose and Verse of the Late James Smith Esq., which includes an advertisement for “the Queen’s own” clockmaker. Please stop by if you’d like to see some of the volumes in our collection that contain these hidden examples of going green and thinking economically.

- SCM

International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010

‘Tis once again the magical time of year when we throw grammar and diction, manners and class aside in order to bring you International Talk Like a Pirate Day http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html. Yo-ho, me hearties! It is in this spirit that we here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library (an aaarrrrrrt library, you know), with the help of the Myers Family papers, bring you the “Pirates Rules for Civilized Living.”

To all of you career pirates out there – Just because Whistler was interested in The Gentle Art of Making Enemies doesn’t mean that you have to be. Here are a few rules for playing well with others and not interrupting international trade this holiday based on actual incidences of piracy that effected the shipping trade of the Myers family.

1- It is not polite to attach a ship and steal someone else’s cargo of $222.86 dollars in sugar. Do you have any idea how much that was in 1822?

2- It is unkind to abscond with a ship carrying mail – particularly that containing good gossip all the way from Richmond. Now what will we read for fun?

3- If you attempt to highjack a schooner off Pensacola, please leave the coffee aboard. We’re dreadfully tired of tea.

Well, me Matey? Do you feel better prepared to celebrate in higher class and style this year? Need a refresher course in pirate manners and 19th century Norfolk society? Stop by the JOCL and ask us about the Myers papers. Mind your pirate Ps and Qs, and make September 19, 2010 arrrrrguably the most polite International Talk Like a Pirate Day ever!

- SCM

The Seven Thrones Mystery

After most of a week off to officially become a resident of Norfolk (Boston to Norfolk in 16 ft. truck = 14 hours), I was welcomed back with the opportunity to work with some fantastic and sometimes mysterious rare materials. I’ve been able to catalog, among other things, the library’s holdings of an early 20th century magazine called The Craftsman and a rare, artistic box of booklets, multimedia, and sculpture to commemorate a 2004 performance by artist Terence Koh. The latter proves that an item need not be half a century old to be classified as rare; in this case, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library may be the only art library in the world with a copy of the “Koh & 50 Most Beautiful Boy” box, which was produced in very limited quantities.

Most exciting for me, however, was the chance to solve the mystery of a Persian-language book possibly created as far back as 1482. Lacking a staff member able to read what may be an archaic form of Persian script, we’re unable to say with certainty what the text is about. The volume is beautifully illustrated in a Persian miniature style prominent in the 15th and 16th centuries. Adding to the mystery is a loose, typed note with the name and dates of a famous Persian poet, Jami. Clues in hand, I started some online digging through other institution’s catalogs and exhibitions as well as following a Wikipedia trail (yes, I admit it) to Jami, Persian poetry, and miniature painting. When I looked up it was 2 PM and I was momentarily convinced we had a version of Jami’s most famous work, Haft Awrang (Seven Thrones). Unfortunately, my theory remains just that and without being able to read the text, I can only rely on visual characteristics and the beautiful illustrations. Two of the illustrations in our volume match scenes depicted in the most famous Haft Awrang manuscript, currently residing in the Freer Gallery of Art, but the others do not immediately invoke scenes from Jami’s epic work. If nothing else, I had an exciting morning of feeling the smallest bit like a desk-bound Indiana Jones, but hopefully my research can provide another starting point for future catalogers or researchers. The mystery volume remains one of the most intrinsically valuable in our rare collection and stands as a personal highlight for me.

Item of the Week - Surprise in the Stacks

It's always a wonderful surprise to discover something new between the pages of a book in the Library Collection.  From time to time we like to share them here before returning them to the shelves.  Earlier this week while working with the Myers Library Collection we came a cross a delightful copy of  The Life of Francis Marion by William Gilmore Simms.  Beautifully bound this volume tells the story of the South Carolina Revolutionary War hero perhaps better known as the "Swamp Fox" This copy also contained a suprise which we discovered on the one of the first pages - a portrait in profile. Who is this lady? Is she a member of the Myers family? It's fun to wonder who drew her portrait here, when, and why. 

Trompe l'Oeil - More than meets the eye.

Is there a man leaning out of that picture frame? Are there angels flying down from the ceiling? Is that a window or a painting? Who would pin those letters so carelessly to a wall? Fear not! You’re eyes are playing tricks on you. Or rather, some very talented artists are playing tricks on your eyes. Trompe l’Oeil painting – literally “trick the eye” is meant to amuse and confuse, with the added benefits of allowing the artist to show off and forcing the viewer to think harder about the piece in question. The ability to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two dimensionally surface has long been prized. Laura and I are so enthralled with the genre, in fact, that we will both be taking up Trompe l’Oeil paintings in our free time. Watch out before you walk through that new door in the library. Want to learn more about Trompe l’Oeil? Topeka it!

 April Fools.

By Library Assistant Sara Mason

Kate Chopin's The Awakening at Art & Books, Wine & Cheese!

Please join us on March 17th at 6:30pm for Art & Books, Wine & Cheese in the Gifford Room at the Chrysler Museum of Art. We will be kicking off Women of The Chrysler by discussing Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Kate Chopin, nee’ Catherine O’Flahrety, was born in St. Louis to an Irish father and a mother of French descent. She spent her life surrounded by strong women, including her mother and two grandmothers, and good friends who influenced her creative ideas and encouraged her writing. Her charming personality and quick mind led to friendships with the likes of Edgar Degas and George Sand. Chopin’s writing was both celebrate and heavily criticized by her contemporaries; quite notably Willa Cather.

Upon its publication in 1899, The Awakening was labeled as shocking, morbid and distasteful. Chopin’s depiction of the public and private life of a well-off woman of polite New Orleans society caused a fuss in its day, but was quickly forgotten after her death in 1904. A resurgence of the popularity of her work in the late 1960s and early 1970s once again brought Chopin’s novels and short stories to the forefront. Her work has become a permanent fixture in literature classes world-wide, The Awakening being arguably the most popular and thought-provoking. We hope that you will be provoked to join us on the 17th.

For more information about Kate Chopin, please visit http://www.katechopin.org/.

- Library Assistant Sara Mason

Thoroughly Modern

If it were 1913, we’d all be in a bit of an uproar at the moment. This week in 1913, Marcel Duchamp displayed his now-famous “Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2” at the First International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York City. We know this show, now a tradition, affectionately as “The Armory Show.” The American public was scandalized by the Cubist and Futurist-influenced piece. The art critic Julian Street went so far as to dub the painting “an explosion in a shingle factor.”

Scandalous or not, Duchamp was in good company. Other artists exhibiting included Kandinsky, Picasso, Brancusi, Sloan, Matisse, Munch, Redon, Cezanne, van Gogh, Prendergast and more. Kandinsky, Picasso and Duchamp were being shown in the United States for the first time. The show, organized over the course of a year by artists and critics, aimed to showcase the new era of thought and energy emerging within the art world. Though some patrons were hesitant at first, The Armory Show and its works - those loved and hated- sparked conversation all over the country and marked a change in American thinking about art.

As we look ahead to The Armory Show 2010, which will be held March 4- 7, I can’t help but be grateful for that first show nearly one hundred years ago. We live in a world where, on a whim and at the click of a mouse, we can travel to nearly any museum or stand in nearly any gallery in the world and see what’s new. And yet artists and patrons alike make the pilgrimage year after year to New York to see, to be seen and to see what everyone will be talking about tomorrow. The conversation that began on February 15, 1913 continues generations later.

Speaking of which, does anyone out there have an extra ticket?

http://www.thearmoryshow.com/cgi-local/content.cgi

Library Assistant Sara Mason

Item of the Week: The Norfolk Mace - January 27, 1926

If you’ve visited the Museum on a weekday morning, there’s a good chance that you encountered a school group on tour. Guided by able docents, children of all ages regularly fill the galleries with the hum of excited young voices. One stop on some school tours is the Norfolk Mace, an impressive historic item that many visitors remember long after their first visit to the Chrysler Museum. Recently, while doing some research in the archives, we came across this image from January 27, 1926 when “Children’s Day” brought record numbers of parents, teachers and children to an exhibition at the then Norfolk Art Museum. Note the two Norfolk Police Officers watching over the Mace. As a February 23, 1926 letter [below] from City Manager I. Walke Truxton reveals, at this time, the Mace was stored in a vault at the Norfolk National Bank. Whenever it left the bank police guard was required to go with it. Eighty-four years later, school children are still visiting the Mace here at the Museum. You can find more information about the Norfolk Mace here or by stopping by the Library.

Season’s Greetings from the Jean Outland Chrysler Library

It seems like such a small thing, but I find it thrilling to unlock my apartment’s shiny brass mailbox to find a stack of brightly-enveloped holiday cards. Every year, I await their arrival with child-like anticipation. I excitedly check the postmark and return address, then gently peal back the adhesive flap. (Be careful. There may be glitter inside!) I relish the words in ink biting into the paper, the photos tucked inside of younger cousins who are no longer small, the holiday letters telling of loved ones’ joys and sorrows. If there happens to be a gift card from Target tucked inside by a far-away aunt, well, that’s just a bonus. The real joy in these small paper and paste wonders is that someone, somewhere intentionally chose, purchased, inscribed and mailed this lovely remembrance to me. They thought of me, just as I think of the people who have touched my life over the last year as I fill out my holiday cards. With a quiet smile, I pin these magical mementos to a card display wreath, hand-made by a friend years ago, and bustle off to make a cup of cocoa. ‘Tis the season to be jolly.

Since the production of the first commercial Christmas card by Sir Henry Cole in 1843 London, they have been a staple of Christian and non-Christian celebrations alike during this festive time. The archival collection of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library contains many holiday cards to and from people all over Hampton Roads, including the Chryslers. If you’re in the mood for a burst of holiday cheer, please stop by and have a look. We wish you a bright and happy holiday season.

Library Assistant Sara Mason

Item of the Week: Egypt Delineated

         In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in an ambitious attempt to upset the balance of power in central Asia. While Napoleon’s soldiers went about the business of conquering and occupying Egypt, another small army of artists and scientists – called the Commission of the Sciences and Arts documented its antiquities, history and culture. Among them was Vivant Denon, a talented painter and engraver and an enthusiastic antiquarian. Sometimes called the first Egyptologist, Denon not only explored, sketched and described Egypt’s ancient monuments but also documented Egyptian life and culture at the end of the 18th century. Denon’s engaging work became part of the Description de l’Egypt, one product of the Commission of the Science and Arts, but he also published two volumes relating his personal experiences.

One of these, Egypt Delineated enjoyed great success and was reprinted in numerous languages. The Library is lucky to have an English edition of Egypt Delineated published in London in 1819. This large folio edition describes itself as “The celebrated work detailing the expedition of the French” and contains engravings “exhibiting the scenery, antiquities, architecture, hieroglyphics, costume, inhabitants, animals, etc” of Egypt. Denon’s engravings provided a wealth of information for the first generation of French and British Egyptologists, helped to inspire the use of Egyptian motifs in art, literature, architecture, fashion, and décor and also guaranteed a place in 19th century popular culture for a romanticized image of Ancient Egypt.

If a visit To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum has you dreaming of elaborate temples and tombs encircled by wind-swept desert landscapes, stop by the Library and ask to take a look at this monumental volume that helped to reintroduce Egypt to the European imagination.

Edgar Allan Poe - 200 Years

Once upon a a research query while I pondered bright and cheery over many a quaint and curious volume of artistic lore...

In honor of Halloween this weekend and of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday this year, we thought we would present these items from our collection  that are connected to the Poe's life and work. Click on the Album below to see more images. Enjoy!

Edgar Allan Poe in Jean Outland Chrysler Library Collections

Celebrating American Archives Month: At Home and Abroad

Every family keeps records: birth certificates, deeds to land, and of course, passports. This particular passport, signed July 8, 1810 is special. It would have kept Jean Jacques Andre and his wife Suzanne out of prison as they left Norfolk and traveled to France in the middle of the American embargo against France. Suspicious that the United States was turning a profit from shipping goods from French colonies, Napoleon ordered the seizure of all American ships in European ports in 1806. By 1809, the United States Non-Intercourse Act stated that any French or British ships entering U.S. waters were to be seized. In 1810, the year stamped on the Andre’s passport, fears of war between the United States and France ran rampant. Tensions ran high between the two powers, making it difficult to travel by sea, and even more difficult to be a Frenchman traveling on an American ship. The trade disputes were eventually settled by the creation of tariffs and proper documentation for items shipped overseas. Proper travel documentation and regulations for people and cargo remain an important part our lives to this day. Unlike the passports of today, however, photographs were not available at this time for easy identification. Instead this passport features a description by the issuing agent, providing an interesting look at what he may have looked like.  Interested in finding out more? Stop by the Library and take a look!

Celebrating American Archives Month: Hampton Roads Stories from Our Collections

October is American Archives Month. To celebrate, we thought we would share some of the stories told by items in the archival collections of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. Each week in October we'll be featuring a story from our archives that reveals part of Hampton Roads history. This week's item, a diary, is a little mysterious...

Can you solve a mystery? – Diary-keeping has always been a popular form of reflection for both men and women. A diary might hold lists of daily activities, family life, travels, or – of course – secrets. The author of this diary is unknown. Writing between 1893 and 1895, the author was a servant on a working farm or estate in New Hampshire. We know what work the author did each day, what food they ate, what books they read (strangely enough, this diarist loved mystery novels), and even what time they got up each morning. We don’t know the name of the person who created this diary, their gender, why the author wrote or how this detailed account of daily life ended up here in Norfolk. Who knows, maybe you can solve the mystery.

Celebrating Archives Month: Hampton Roads Stories from Our Collections

October is American Archives Month. To celebrate, we thought we would share some of the stories told by items in the archival collections of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. Each week in October we'll be featuring a story from our archives that reveals part of Hampton Roads history. Feeling a little under the weather? This week’s item might help.

Feeling a little under the weather? We’ve got a remedy for you – a home remedy from the eighteenth century. It’s a little worse for wear, but we can still read most of the ingredients for these homemade pills. You take half an ounce of rhubarb, half an ounce of an ingredient lost to time, mix both with soap and roll into pea sized pills. Add a little honey (to help it go down) and hope for the best. What ailment was this prescription for? Unfortunately (or, perhaps fortunately), this document is very discreet, but we do know that rhubarb was used as a cure for various stomach troubles. This document hails from a time when home remedies were relied on for everyday ills. If a home remedy didn't appeal to you, there were other options. By 1882, people in Norfolk could also elect to head to K. Cook’s Hair Dressing Saloon where particular attention, as this advertising card notes, was paid not only to the dressing of Women and Children’s hair, but also to “cupping and leeching. ”

As for me, I think I’ll stick to the rhubarb…

Celebrating Archives Month: Hampton Roads Stories from Our Collections

October is American Archives Month. To celebrate,we thought we would share some of the stories told by items in the archival collections of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library. Each week in October we'll be featuring a story from our archives that reveals part of Hampton Roads history.  This week it's the story of a well known (at the time) visitor to our area.

Born in 1868 into infamous wealth as the eldest daughter of New York financier and railroad magnate Jay Gould, Helen Miller Gould (later Helen Miller Shepard) spent her life in philanthropic efforts. Though “Miss Gould” focused on the education of children and the lifting of the less fortunate on the grounds of her home, Lyndhurst, her real love was the Young Men’s Christian Association. She traveled almost yearly on inspection tours of Y.M.C.A.s all over the country. Known for her patriotism and war-relief efforts which began during the Spanish-American War, she gave freely of her time. Miss Gould gave talks, joined in Bible studies and was a general inspiration. She also gave of herself financially, spending millions of dollars to build new facilities and libraries for soldiers and railway men who made use of the organization for social and academic enrichment.

Miss Gould made several visits to Norfolk. She presented a building to troops at Old Point Comfort in the early 1900s and returned for visits and Y.M.C.A. inspections over the years. She gave talks, participated in Bible studies, and encouraged the servicemen in any way possible. In the archives, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library holds images from one of these visits [pictured below].The young men in uniform listen respectfully, presumably to Miss Gould, on one of her visits to the Norfolk Naval Y.M.C.A. The local ladies pause in their conversation with Miss Gould for a photo with the lady of the hour. Want to learn more about Miss Gould's visit to Norfok or other Hampton Roads Stories?  Stop by the Library! 

Intern Projects - Walter Chrysler Jr. Research

This summer, we asked the Library interns to write a short paragraph about their favorite assignment this summer. In a post on September 4, we told you about Emma, Gabrielle and Jessica's favorite task. This week it's Brendan Higgin's turn. Here's what Brendan said he enjoyed the most:

"Our second to last week here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, the other interns and I assisted with an ongoing project to trace Walter P. Chrysler Jr.’s life as an art collector and key figure in the Museum’s history. Ultimately the research will be compiled into a database that contains detailed information on Chrysler’s possessions and purchases/sales/donations at different points in his life. Each of chose a decade and, after poring over the Library’s collection of biographies, scrapbooks, and files of newspaper clippings pertaining to Chrysler, constructed a timeline of everything relevant we could find about that period. I researched the 1930s, a period in history and the arts that I find particularly interesting, and became immediately absorbed in the work. The name Walter Chrysler had been somewhat of an enigma to me all summer, and it was fascinating finally to learn some of the details of his life—sometimes controversial, often inscrutable, but always active and aware. His tastes in the '30s were ahead of his time, and thanks to a keen business sense, he built up one of the finest collections of modern art in the world, containing supposedly hundreds of Picassos, as well as pieces by Matisse, Cezanne, Braque, Leger, and Gris (among many other big names of the 20th century). This task, probably more than anything else I did this summer, really deepened my understanding and appreciation of the Chrysler Museum and its art; specifically, I realized the impact Walter Chrysler’s voracious buying during this period has had on the wonderfully varied collections housed in the Museum today."