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

Guess who visited the Library today?

Curious George stopped by this afternoon to learn a bit more about this history of Children's book illustration. Books from the 19th, 20th  and 21st centuries are all on view. Curious? Stop by and take look.

A View From the Stacks - A Hairy Situation in the Archives

Sarah continues her work with the Myers Collection. Two interesting excerpts from her daily journal are below, but you can read full entries at http://saosorio.wordpress.com/ .


Day 9: Week 3
"I think I am making improvements from the folders where name abbreviations were used. It is difficult to look up someone named Thomas when the abbreviation is “Thos.” I think many researchers would know the abbreviation, but spelling out is probably useful during searching. There are several other names where abbreviations have been used, such as “Corn” for Cornelius. I made a fairly nice dent into getting the box list done at the folder level, but it will still take a few more days until completion. I am also using the newer way to express materials that are not dated (undated, rather than n.d.) because it follows DACS and I am a proponent of not using abbreviations and sticking to conformity so that searching will be easier on researchers and any future librarians/archivists. I am starting to think about how best to utilize my time with what time I have remaining. It is difficult to believe that I am almost halfway through this internship!"

Day 10: Week 3

"...One interesting tidbit from the end of yesterday was going through the letterbooks. I came across a clump of hair randomly stuck in a letterbook (I think the letterbook belonged to Samuel Myers). I told the librarian about it today, and she went with me to have another look. The librarian said that back in the day it was fairly normal to cut off hair, particularly of deceased persons in order to make jewelry… ??? Anyway, the hair will be kept, and after the location of the hair is properly documented, it will be stored separately. I thought it was gross, and really wild! I am sure that continuing in archival work, there will be stranger things I come across in the future."

Lock of hair found in the Myers Collection

A View From the Stacks: Walter Chrysler Jr. Was Not the Only Collector in the Family…

After leafing through Jean Outland Chrysler’s records in our library last week, this week I turned to four heavy folders sitting next to her files. These folders were chalk-full of documentation on Edgar and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Bernice was Walter’s older sister, and like Walter, made a significant impact on the art world. She and her husband, Colonel Edgar Garbisch, compiled a very impressive naïve art collection, a personal collection which is still considered to be one of the most extensive in the United States.

As an inseparable duo, Ed and Bernice were known for doing everything as a team. They gained the reputation for being generous and friendly, taking an active interest in collecting art together. In one interview, Ed stated, “We pick our art as we do everything else – together” (Palm Beacher, 1975).

The couple became very passionate about collecting art, maintaining much of it in their beautiful Cambridge home, Pokety Farms. Although they had an impressive Impressionist collection, they were particular charmed by American naïve paintings.

As an art history major, I admit that before this week I did not have much knowledge of naïve art. But as I read more about it, I quickly began to understand why it greatly charmed Ed and Bernice. Colonel and Mrs. Garbisch were inspired by the paintings’ ability to capture early-American daily life in a genuine way. Thought to generally be done by self-taught artists, naïve art typically takes on the form of genre-painting, implementing a strong use of color and flat detail.

Regarding their introduction to American naïve paintings, Colonel Garbisch remembered, “we saw in these works of art those unique qualities of simplicity, forthright directness, and creative vitality in color and design which set them apart as being indigenous to our country” (Palm Beach Life, 3/1967). They found much pride in collecting this type of art, which they saw as a celebration of our past as a nation.

So, while Walter may have been the largest art collector in the Chrysler family, Bernice was not far behind. Currently at the Chrysler, over ten works from the Garbisch collection of naïve painting are on display. These include Edward Hicks’s famousWashington at the Delaware (oil on canvas, 1849) and Joshua Johnson’s Mrs. Abraham White & Daughter Rose (oil on canvas, c. 1808-09). Make sure you stop by to take a look at these charming examples of American folk painting!

 - Jamie Sawyer, 2011 Library Archives Intern






Washington at the Delaware (oil on canvas, 1849)











Mrs. Abraham White & Daughter Rose (oil on canvas, c. 1808-09





 

 

 

 

A View from the Stacks: Getting Started with the Myers Papers

The Myers Papers

This summer, Library Archives intern Sarah Osorio,  a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Chaple Hill, is doing some in-depth work with the Myers collection. Over the course of the summer, Sarah will be working to compile a overall finding aid for the collection, creating box lists and topical guides, and incorporating recent additions.  Her work will make the more accessible and will help researchers use the amazing historical documents in the collection.  Sarah is keeping a detailed journal of her work. Below you will find a few excerpts from her first week in the Library. If you'd like to keep up with her daily archival adventures, however, you can read a more in-depth journal of her experiences here:  http://saosorio.wordpress.com/



"Day 1: Week 1

Today was my first day interning at the Chrysler Museum of Art! I will be working there for the next seven weeks from 10am-4pm Tuesdays through Fridays. I left early from my home because I didn’t know how traffic was going to be in the morning, and before today I had never physically visited the museum. I gave myself over an hour to get to the museum, but it only took 25 minutes, so I sat in my car for awhile re-reading the syllabus that my site supervisor wrote for me several weeks ago .
...
After touring the museum and eating some lunch, the interns met with their supervisors. My supervisor gave the three interns a tour of the library, and I got a small glimpse of what I will be working on for the next several weeks. I am looking forward to tomorrow, when hopefully I will be delving more into the manuscripts and conversing with my supervisor on ways to enhance accessibility to the collection."

"Day 2: Week 1



Most of today was dedicated to reading a transcript about Moses Myers. The transcription that I read is given to docents training to give tours for the Myers House, which is located about half a mile from the Chrysler Museum. I thought the reading was very informative and insightful, and I really enjoyed reading about the city of Norfolk from the 1790s through the 1820s; it gives me a very different perspective from what I have seen of Norfolk in the past few years. For example, I have been down Church Street several times before, but I never knew that the origins of Church Street began during the years of the early American republic. In addition, I came across Bank Street in the reading, which as the name suggests, is home to a number of banks. I feel that I have a better background about the time period in which Moses Myers lived, and I think this background is an important basis for future decision-making about the collection that I will be making."
 
"Day 3: Week 1

I have lots of information about the collection to go through still in order to try to piece together how the collection has been processed, arranged, and described over the years. It seems that several individuals have gone through the collection to create order, but altogether there is not a one, central finding aid that can help individuals coming in to look at the collection find what they need. Right now I believe my task is very large, but I think when I sit down and work on it more closely, it will become easier and less daunting. "
 
"Day 4: Week 1
Today I continued to go through some of the administrative documents for the collection, trying to figure out the context of the Myers papers from the 1950s to the present. I looked at an itemized list in bound volumes created by ODU, and I determined that the list was not in any particular order. The list did not correspond with any of the other notebooks, so I am interested to see how the logic behind how the items were arranged in those books. I think it will be quite a challenge compiling a finding aid that includes the papers, music collection (approximately 900 pieces), and library of about 1,000 books. Still, I think going through the documentation has been helpful, and I will still need to go through more things when I get back on Monday. I know that I will need to look at the Access database, some administrative history from the library’s network drive, and perhaps other final documentation.


One thing that I thought was particularly interesting about the documentation I found is that there was a transcript of a master’s paper written by a UNC-Chapel Hill student in library science. The paper was submitted in April 1970, and the paper was about the Myers’ collection of books. The library science student created an inventory of books, creating an arrangement system where she organized the books in alphabetical order (I think it was organized by author’s last name). As the books are today, they are actually arranged by publication date. Still, it was interesting to see that a library science student from 40 years ago was able to make use of the collection for her master’s paper."

 - Sarah Osorio, 2011 Summer Libary Archives Intern

Sarah's doing great work, and we look forward to seeing how her project unfolds throughout the summer!

A View From the Stacks: Jean Outland Chrysler- The Woman Behind the Man?

 During my first week in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, I have been sorting through old newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, pamphlets and magazine articles relating to the Chrysler family. As an archival intern this summer, I am working to improve and enable better access to records relating to Walter P. Chrysler’s Life and Collections.



So, when faced with boxes of material, where did I choose to start? Wondering why this library was dedicated to Jean, I set forth immersing myself in archival materials pertaining to her. After reading numerous thank-you letters addressed to Jean, along with articles praising her for her active role in the museum world, I began to understand just how important Jean was to the Chrysler Museum. In fact, if it wasn’t for Jean, Walter P. Chrysler Jr. may have never come to Norfolk.

Jean grew up in Norfolk, later serving there as a physical education teacher. In 1944 she met Walter, who at the time was in the navy. The couple married in 1945. As Walter’s art collection grew, Jean and Walter threw their energy into maintaining a small but impressive museum in Provincetown, MA. They remained there until the late ‘60s, when Walter began looking to move his large collection to a different location.



Jean Outland Chrysler unpacking library books



With just under 150 cities interested in Walter’s collection, Jean asked about moving it to her hometown, Norfolk. When Walter told her that he hadn’t heard from that city yet, Jean was immediately on the phone with Roy Martin, a former classmate of hers. After talking with Martin, who stood as the current mayor of Norfolk, Jean pulled Walter onto the line in order for Martin to formally invite Chrysler down for a visit. And in 1971 a large portion of Walter’s collection was moved to Norfolk, laying down the foundations for the Chrysler Museum we know so well today.

So, just from week one, I have begun to understand the magnitude of Jean’s role in her husband’s success as an art collector. In weeks to come, I will continue to look through the archives, hoping to find more Chrysler family treasures, much like the story of Jean Outland Chrysler. Stay tuned!

 - Jamie Sawyer, 2011 Summer Archives Intern

A View from the Stacks - Intern Journal Kersti's Week One

Greetings from the Jean Outland Chrysler Library! I'm Kersti, the Summer 2011 Library Services intern, and I- along with my fellow library interns- will be blogging my experiences here every week! When I'm not spending time here in the stacks, I'm a rising junior at Bryn Mawr College, where I double-major in English and Medieval/Renaissance Studies and work in Bryn Mawr Special Collections.

I didn't know what to expect coming into this internship; although I grew up in the area, my last visit to the Chrysler was on a high school field trip over five years ago, and I'd never visited the library before! So far, it's been great- even though it's only been a week, I've learned so much about the special challenges and opportunities faced by a library centered around a museum. There are a ton of unique collections housed here, from the Myers Collection (on which Sarah, one of the library archive interns, will share more soon) to the seemingly endless assortment of auction catalogues-detailing sales of everything from major Old Masters works to civil war photography to surprisingly expensive paperweights- that spans centuries. 

The fun part about my internship is that each week focuses on a different aspect of librarianship, like preservation or outreach. This first week served as a general overview of the JOC Library and its functions. I spent the first few days getting my bearings (although I still get lost almost daily), observing the reference desk and cross-checking library donations with the online catalogue to check for any duplicates (Laura outlined the library's acquisition policy for me- the library only houses books that are relevant to objects owned by the museum-for example, because there are illuminated manuscripts either on display or in the archives, the library has shelves of books about manuscripts and illumination in general as well as any texts about the manuscripts owned by the Chrysler), shelving the books we had on display about the objects in the Tiffany Lamps and Life of Christ exhibits that just finished their run, and began working on a summer-long research project of my choice, which I'll write more about as I figure it out (I think I'll work on some aspect of illumination). Thursday introduced me to some of the most important traits required for a librarian- patience and organization. Organization because I spent the day sorting auction catalogues, some of which were a hundred years old; patience because even after several hours of categorizing and shelving, the job is still a work-in-progress.

Friday was, I think, my favorite experience so far. The library hosts its own exhibit in the reading room, and on Friday we changed it from the existing Civil War exhibit to Chelsea's planned rare children's books display. I got to work with documents that included a letter by Robert E. Lee, a flag fragment from the USS Cumberland, which sank in battle with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack), personal letters from both Union and Confederate soldiers, and government documents.  

That afternoon, Chelsea and I began work on the new exhibit, themed "The Golden Age of Illustration: 1880-1914", which includes one of the first pop-up books published in America, several books by prominent children's illustrator Edmund Dulac, and the first book in the popular "Brownies" series, the popularity of which was so wide-spread that the Kodak "Brownie" camera took inspiration from it.

Here we're in the process of preparing the books,

creating book supports and securing them with mylar. 

The exhibit will be up for the rest of the month, so be sure to stop by!

The final exhibit!

The upcoming week's theme: preservation (I promise this week's blog post won't be so long, haha)! 

 - Kersti Francis, 2011 Summer Library Intern

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!

Update - What's New at the Library



Garden Bulbs In Color SB425 .M25 1938

 Spring has sprung at the Chrysler! Lovely tulips have blossomed in both the Memorial Garden and Mary’s Garden. The galleries are also blooming with color – whether it’s the amazing watercolors of James Tissot: The Life of Christ or the brilliant flowers of Tiffany Lamps:Articles of Utility, Objects of Art. In the Library, too, all sorts of new things are springing up. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Library update, so here are a few of the many things that are new:

New look –
You may have noticed - the blog looks a little different. After a brief hiatus we’re back with an updated look and some new features. You may enjoy checking out a changing selection of recently researched items, or linking our posts to your Facebook or Twitter page. You can also sign up to receive an email whenever the blog is updated.    We hope you like the changes – please tell us what you think.


New faces –
On April 6 we welcomed Special Project Librarian Chelsea DeAngio to the Library Staff. Chelsea is already hard at work making new materials available to Library patrons and helping with reference requests. She’s great! If you haven’t already, stop by and say hello.

The Museum also welcomed a new curator, Amy Brandt, in March. Amy is the new McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and has been hard a work researching the collection. She’s already helped us build the Library’s collection of books about contemporary art with some much needed additions. You can read more about Amy here. We’re glad to be working with her.

New information -
Everywhere you look in the galleries, there something new and different to look at - new exhibitions, new collections, and new works of art. We’ve been keeping pace in the Library. You’ll find information about all of the current exhibitions on hand in the reading room, along with a number of newly acquired books.

Old and interesting –
If you’ve already visited the James Tissot: The Life of Christ exhibition you may be interested in taking a look at our 1903 New York edition of the completed illustrated Bible for which the watercolors were produced. The three volume set is on view in the reading room.

We’re also featuring new items from the Library’s “hidden” collections in the reading room display case. Along with The Civil War: Visual Perspectives, Then and Now exhibition on view in the Waitzer Community Gallery – a challenging look at the meaning and impact of the War on American history and culture from a variety of perspectives - you can see some intriguing archival materials relating to the Civil War in Hampton Roads from the Library’s collection and start a conversation with voices from the past.

I hope to see you in the Library again soon!

 - L.C.

On View in the Library: John Taylor Arms: Tells How He Makes an Etching

Have you visited the exhibition An Eye for Architecture: The Etchings of John Taylor Arms currently on view in the Kaufman Theatre Lobby?

We've had a lot of visitors to the Library lately who are interested in learning more about printmaker John Taylor Arms and his work. While looking for more information about Arms' process we stumbled on a wonderful series of articles by him that ran in American Artist magazine in 1940-1941. Entitled "John Taylor Arms Tells How He Makes An Etching", the three part series walks the reader through entire process of making an etching in  Arms words. Illustrated with photographs of the artist at work, this is a great way to learn more about how he approached printmaking.  If you'd like to take a look, the whole series is on view in the Library reading room.  The exhibition An Eye for Architecture will be on view in the Kaufmann Theatre Lobby through July 24, 2011.

 

Film Showing this Weekend: Waste Land

This Sunday, January 23 at 3 p.m. I'm planning to head to the Norfolk premier of
Waste Land  in the Kaufmann Theatre.  Here's a description of the film:


"Vik Muniz’s "Orestes Pursued by the Furies (Pictures of
Junk)" is among the most popular works of art in our galleries.
Learn the inspirational story behind the photograph in this
award-winning documentary (Arthouse Films, 98 minutes,
http://www.wastelandmovie.com/). In his native Brazil and the world’s largest
garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, Muniz proves that garbage can be art and that art can transform lives.
Stay after the screening for a discussion of the film in our Kaufman Theatre.
Cost: Free, with advance seating for Museum Members"

If you can't make it to the film, stop by the Library and take a look at Reflex: A Vik Muniz Primer  - it's on display in the reading room - to see more of Muniz's work.

Top Shelf Books From the Age of Queen Victoria - Last Week

This Fall we've enjoyed showing off some of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library collection's 19th Century books along the top shelves of the reading room.  Our Fall intern Whitney Frazier selected one of the books on display to write about for the blog. You can read about her selection below, but if you'd like to see the books for yourself, stop by the Library before they return to the stacks on January 28, 2011.

Caricature and Other Comic Art

In the Reading Room of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, lining the top of the shelves is a collection of Victorian books. After looking into each of the interesting collection, I chose Caricature and Other Comic Art by James Parton. This book was published in 1878 by Harper & Brothers, Publishers. This publishing company is now known as HarperCollins. On the cover is a comic called Pigmy Pugilists—from Pompeii. It shows two men one on the ground reaching for help while the other is still ready to fight. This book offers a range of caricatures from the Romans through America 1875. The author, James Parton was a well known biographer, writer and historian of his time. His books were widely published and admired of his time. He was author of many presidents’ biographies, among other historical topics. This book is an interesting composition of cartoons poking fun at everything and everyone who was a popular topic at the time. The book explores political, religious, literary, social, and economic avenues. Caricature and Other Comic Art is greatly interesting as a social view of the times and what was historically critical at the time. I enjoyed reading into the Reformation and Roman and Greek historical caricatures and how they applied socially. This book is a fascinating resource into social and historical values.

 - Whitney Frazier, Library Intern Fall 2010

The Greening of the Art World

It seems as if you can’t go anywhere these days without being told how to “Go Green.” Once a trend, green living has quickly become a way of life all over the world. In need of inspiration and materials, artists have always run to constructing works with natural materials or reclaiming one man’s trash as artists’ treasure. The Chrysler Museum is the proud owner of many Earth-conscious pieces of art including Vik Muniz’s 2006 creation “Orestes Pursed by the Furies (Pictures of Junk)” and David Smith’s 1961 construction “Gondola.” If your visiting the museum before July 2011, please be sure to stop by the Frank Photography Galleries and see the installation “Contrast: Interactive Works by Daniel Rozin,” an artist who works in reclaimed materials and electronic parts.

Care to learn more about green art and artists? Looking for some inspiration of your own? Stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and spend a moment with our exhibit about eco-art. We are currently displaying recent craft and art education magazines focusing on making art with reclaimed, as well as books about green artists such as Rodney A. Greenblat (whose 1990 work "Confrontation in the North" is pictured above), Alexander Calder, David Smith, Vik Muniz, Andy Goldsworthy, Robert Smithson and more. Special thanks to the Chrysler Museum Facilities Department for feeling the green-spiration and lending us publications about sustainable facilities. We hope to see you soon!

- SMR

Is there a Detective in the House?

Do you love a puzzle? The people in the Victorian era – both in England the United States certainly did. While preparing for the London Calling exhibition we came across three Victorian era puzzles that have us scratching our heads. Are you as clever as 19th century readers? Give these three a try:

A rebus is a word puzzle with where pictures and symbols are used to represent words or parts of words to spell out a message. In the 19th Century they often appeared in monthly magazines - with the answer in the next month’s edition. We imagine this particularly difficult (at least to us!) rebus from the December 1879 issue of Demorest’s Magazine encourages more than a few readers to order the next issue:



Click on the image for a closer view.



Victorian Ladies were also fond of a good puzzle. This riddle in the form of a poem was intended to entertain ladies while also helping them to learn the name and meaning of various types of flowers – can you name the blooms in the" Enigmatical Bouquet" from the Lady’s Almanac 1855?



Click on the image for a closer look!



Finally, this last item offers a puzzle on more than one level. Found in the archives of the Norfolk Museum, this pamphlet appears to be the catalog of an art exhibition held in Norfolk in 1887 on Granby St. . A closer look at the artists who created these works of art raises a few questions.

Click on the image for a closer look!

Unfortunately, this last puzzle remains unsolved – but who knows, perhaps with a little research you can be the one to discover the truth behind these less than believable nom de guerres.

All three of these puzzling items can be found in the Library….







When was the last time you read a scary story - a truly spine-tingling yarn?

It’s Halloween – time for a frightening tale ! We’re giving you one courtesy of the Library’s Rare Book collections. We hope you’ll enjoy Washington Irving’s classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. First published in 1820, this tale of terror in early America has inspired countless artists and illustrators to depict the hapless Ichabod Crane in his flight from the Headless Horseman. Between now and November 5,  2010 you’ll find rare illustrated copies of this timeless story from 1849, 1860 and 1888 as well as some related works on view in the reading room. After taking a look, please feel free to sit down a read the story for yourself from the more recent copy provided… that is read it if you dare.

Happy Halloween!



Chrysler Museum Collection 52.18.140.48



- L.C.



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!

Top Shelf Books from the Age of Queen Victoria

The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893

As an ode to the beauty of Victorian book and their ornate bindings, we’ve filled the top shelves of the reading room with volumes most fitting of attention. One such is The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893. The pale blue, gold and black volume is lavishly decorated with scenes of innovation and antiquity. The inside is even more impressive than the binding. The book is filled with photographs and sketches of the exhibits and participants, architecture and inventions. The account of artwork and technology in each building was painstakingly compiled by Trumbull White, World’ Fair Correspondent and William Igleheart, World’s Fair Editor of “Chicago Record.” Others contributed introductions and commentary. Such a large exposition could not possibly be reported by just two journalists. With a full list of illustrations, a department by department introduction, and further commentary by luminaries of the time, this book would have been a must-have for anyone attending the exposition as well as those too far away to enjoy its wonders. Please stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at this marvel of decorative binding and all of the other books on display.

-SCM

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

Intern Collections

During the summer, we asked Interns Chelsea and Casey to create a virtual collection by collecting digital images of some aspect of the library collection to be decided by them. For example, they could collect images of bookplates in the collection, of details on binding, books with funny titles, or books on a particular subject – the possibilities were endless. In July, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented.  You can see both collections scrolling below, or click on them to take a closer look. Thanks to our Summer interns for all of their hard work!


Casey’s Collection



Chelsea’s Collection

A View From the Stacks: Intern's Journal Week 7

Our wonderful interns Casey and Chelsea have completed their internships and are headed back to school, but they left us with a vivid journal recounting their summer adventures in the Library. This is the last edition of "A View from the Stacks", but I'll be posting the wonderful collections Casey and Chelsea created next week!  

Week 7 - End of the Summer
I’ve reached the last week of my internship and I have one more task and a few more loose-ends to attend to. While we also got to finish the Docent Library and dismantle our book cart, the most exciting portion of the week (so far) was our rare book project, and the hardest is this blog, as it is sadly my last project!

Our final library task involved investigating the value of one of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library’s rare books, and writing a label describing what we found. I chose to research a signed copy of Margaret Bourke-White’s Shooting the Russian War for my interest in the subject and the opportunity to see the famous photographer’s signature up close—it was awesome.

Overall, this project—to me—felt like saving the best for last. It was a thrill to handle a book that is certainly a piece of history in its own right, but also a treasure for its signature. But of the many great opportunities I have had this summer to get acquainted with the museum and its staff, my work in the library has been the most educational and rewarding. I am so grateful to Laura and Sara for their time and guidance, and so sad to be leaving such a great institution!

- Chelsea Reinhardt 2010 Summer Library Intern