Item of the Week: "Loose Change" by Suzanne Opton

Opton's photographs portray aging women in a positive light.

New to the Chrysler this week is photographer Suzanne Opton’s book “Loose Change.” It showcases photos from her 2001 exhibition by the same name. All the pieces feature middle aged women posing nude with household items.


Opton, perhaps best known for her “Soldier” portraits, ensures her subject’s anonymity by focusing solely on the body. She stresses her feminist perspective by pairing the women with sponges and toasters, commenting on society’s expectations of women. Many of the women also pose with vases, traditional symbols of femininity.

Few artists have dealt with the aging body with such a positive perspective. Rodin famously portrayed an aging courtesan that had once been beautiful in his sculpture “The Kiss.” In response, Erwin Blumenfeld photographed the model for “The Kiss” as an old woman defeated by her body. Only in recent years have artists like Anne Noggle and Joyce Tennyson portrayed the aging body in a positive light.

The book includes interviews with the models, which provide fascinating insight into the way women see themselves.

“What struck me was the universality of the photos, of the bodies,” says one of the anonymous models. “It felt like we all look like that: we bulge a little here, we sag a little there, and there’s beauty, too. That was nice, seeing that realized as art.”

“Loose change is what’s left over at the end of the day,” author Vicki Goldberg writes in the afterword. “It makes a pretty jingle but hasn’t much power and doesn’t go far.” The women featured, she points out, are so much more.

Ultimately, the project celebrates the beauty of all women, regardless of their age or shape.

Want to learn more about Suzanne Opton’s work? Two of her “Soldier” portraits are included in our collection at the Chrysler, or visit her website for more information.

Farewell from the 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye. Like the old cliché, time flew and, though I feel like I’m just getting started here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, the 2010 Cataloging Fellowship is coming to a close. I hope my time here has served the library as well as it has served me. In the spring, I looked forward to the diverse material and formats I would encounter here at the Chrysler and, in the end, underestimated just how rich an opportunity this fellowship is. Over the summer I’ve cataloged in the neighborhood of 650 items: monographs, periodicals, pamphlets, archival collections, and videos. Many presented time-consuming challenges and I hope to have met those challenges with the result of ever-improving access to this valuable collection.

Open coffee container = place in the empty bottom drawer

But now I have to say goodbye to my desk chair, my caffeine drawer (pictured), white archival gloves, volume of Pearl Jam photographs (pictured), and Library of Congress Classification System reference books.

It’s been a summer of professional growth (applying classroom lessons in a professional setting) and personal milestones (my fiance's engagement ring was mailed to the Chrysler!) and I cannot thank the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library enough. Finally, thanks are due to Dickson Librarian Laura Christiansen and Library Assistant Sara Mason who created an environment of collaboration and put up with my stream of questions. Best wishes, all around!

--John Curtis, Cataloging Fellow

Mixed Media

In the course of a single day’s work here at the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, I may process and catalog anything from Victorian travelogues to independent films starring heroes of the American counter-culture movement. Such diversity speaks volumes about the library’s commitment to building a truly comprehensive collection and also makes my job a lot of fun!
One of my priorities this week was reviewing and cataloging audiovisual materials. Whether in VHS, DVD, or even CD-ROM form, these materials will soon find a new home in the A. Kempton d'Ossche Art Video Collection. While adding an officially released and professionally produced biography of Pablo Picasso to the collection is fairly straightforward, the library also offers footage of past museum events, artist interviews, and taped art-related segments from news programs such as CBS Sunday Morning. A substantial portion of the un-cataloged audiovisual material has come to us with limited or non-existent documentation and the first step is often popping in a tape to see what’s actually on it. Once the suspense has passed, the detective work begins again and (hopefully) a catalog record takes shape as the tape plays. It’s safe to say that, when it comes to audiovisual material, the Jean Outland Chrysler Library offers researchers the chance to go off the beaten path.

In the midst of my work with tapes and videodiscs, I was able to describe and catalog three photo albums from more than a century before families could document a trip to Europe on a camcorder. Found together in a box in the library stacks, the three leather-bound albums date from 1875 and 1878 and, in early forms of photography, document a tour of Western Europe. I found it fascinating that a contemporary tourist would take or buy many of the same photos as those in the album and felt a tangible link to the past while exploring this fantastic resource. The albums reside in the rare books room and now have individual catalog records; I also created an archival finding aid to describe the three albums as one collection. Unfortunately, there are few immediate clues as to the origin and custodial history of the collection, but the albums can certainly stand on their own as valuable primary sources.
--John Curtis, Jean Outland Chrysler Library Cataloging Fellow

Hello and Getting Started

Many thanks to the Jean Outland Chrysler Library staff for their welcome in the stacks and blogosphere! It may be cold in the stacks (for good reason) but my reception here at the Chrysler couldn’t have been warmer. Now that I’m settling in, it’s down to business. In my first two weeks I’m starting to tackle the backlog of unsorted and/or un-cataloged material, focusing on traditional art-related monographs. I’m sorting and identifying duplicates in the un-cataloged material and adding catalog records for those books we don’t have. In the coming weeks I’ll start working with smaller exhibition catalogs and pamphlets. Armed with coffee (tightly controlled and un-spilled) I’ll be getting as much material as possible to the shelves and into the catalog where it can searched, researched, and browsed.

Like many archivists and librarians, I face the continuing temptation to fully explore every book I catalog, sort, or work to preserve. In the interest of ever getting anything done, I can only occasionally indulge that urge. Each shelf or stack of un-cataloged material is a treasure trove of interesting material and, as in the case of a book I cataloged this week, that material can sometimes produce personal connections. I discovered and cataloged a book of photography by Joel-Peter Witkin (appropriately titled Joel-Peter Witkin), to whom I’m very distantly related through marriage. The book is dedicated to my second cousin, his wife at the time of printing. I’ve never met either my cousin or Mr. Witkin, but vividly recall a family gathering at which his work was discussed and uniformly criticized as being bizarre, disturbing, and in poor taste. My discovery of the book has not only sparked a shared memory, but also highlighted a challenge often faced by catalogers and the acquisitions staff of a library. Librarians often confront material fully within a collection’s scope which they find personally uninteresting, misguided, false, or even offensive. I don’t share my family’s sense of outrage at Witkin’s art, but personally think his work relies too much on staged grotesqueness as manifestation of his themes. Individual value judgments are unimportant, however, when wearing my cataloger’s cap and Joel-Peter Witkin will take its place beside Joel-Peter Witkin: Forty Photographs on our shelf. His books fall within the library’s collecting policy and, as a cataloger, I’m happily bound to the loftier Chrysler Library missions of fostering research and supporting the Museum’s collections.

Come back for more updates on my cataloging efforts. I’m looking forward to a successful summer!

--John Curtis, 2010 Jean Outland Chrysler Cataloging Fellow

Picture this...

Have you seen Dawoud Bey’s Class Pictures? Bey’s provocative exhibition got us thinking about the history and many types of portraiture. This extremely personal style, often used as commentary on identity, has interested artists and art lovers alike throughout history. Interested? Please stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at a sampling of our volumes about portraiture and portrait artists.

In the Galleries....

Wow! The museum has been so busy lately! Of course, there are a number of exciting new exhibitions to take in. Here in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, we have a few areas in our reading room dedicated to keeping up with current exhibitions - like the galleries these are constantly changing and are always available for browsing. I thought we’d let you know what is currently on display. Of course, the hot topic of interest in the Museum this fall is Egypt. Come by and take a look at the exhibition catalog To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum to get the inside scoop about the objects in the show, or take a look at some of our other Egyptian resources. Also featured in the reading room right now are books about Dutch Golden Age paintings to compliment a group of works on display in the Kaufman Furniture Gallery. We have a number of books on view about art inspired by war in honor of “At the Front,” which is currently showing in the Frank Photography Gallery. There is a section devoted to the photographic works of Eliot Porter, as well a selection of our many books on African art in celebration of the newly-reinstalled African gallery. Our newest display features Action painting; specifically books about the artists currently hung in the small changing gallery. (Outside of the café.) “Action painting” is a dynamic form of creation and free expression that involves the spontaneous splattering, dripping, scraping, etc. of paint onto canvas and occasionally mixing in other elements such as sand or strips of tape. This show is a great conversation starter, and will have a lot of visitors wanting more. We have several great books that are worth taking a peek at. One such book is The Gesture: Movement in Painting and Sculpture, which analyzes the ways in which the advent of Action painting affected the art world in the long-term. If you have a moment, please stop by the Library and learn a little bit more about your favorite exhibition.


- Library Assistant Sara Mason

Item of the Week: Emma's Favorite

Portraits of the Fifties by Sanford Roth

While wandering through the stacks of the library, I came across a plain black book that for no particular reason I pulled from its place on the shelf. I had no expectations and was therefore hugely surprised to find striking photographs of familiar faces looking back at me. This book Portraits of the Fifties is a collection of images featuring people who, now remembered as icons of their generation, were at the height of their celebrity. The talented photographer Sanford Roth humanized these artists, actors, scientists, and composers in his work by catching them at their most natural and relaxed state. Many of them were or became his close friends. The most interesting thing about the book is the diversity of the people featured. From a handsome James Dean wearing a cowboy hat to an aged Henri Matisse opening his mail to a brooding Aldous Huxley staring into the camera, Roth’s varied pictures remain both beautiful and haunting.

 - By Emma Tisdale, Library Intern Summer 2009

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! 

Item of the Week: Gabrielle's Favorite

Moscow in a Different Light

Although wedged between a picture book on Spain and an illustrated anthology about Saudi Arabia, William Klein’s Moscow beckoned me to open its pages. It is not the fanciest volume, the most insightful work, or even the strangest piece in the collection, but its bright red title encouraged me to take a look. Klein explains the complexity of this age-old city in his forward which is represented in the series of photographs. The author chose pictures of everyday people engaging in common activities such as shopping, dancing, doing gymnastics, and cleaning chicken. Nevertheless, there is also an austerity to all the photographs, which author believes to stem from the harsh Soviet government. Behind state symbols, famous portraits, and institutionalized settings, the viewer is still able to catch a glimpse at the people of Moscow’s inner being whether it be a shot of women laughing over their coffee or a father balancing his son on his arm. My favorite photograph captures a crowd looking at St. Basil’s Cathedral at night. The crowd is blurred into the sky as fluorescent light illuminates the church and the Kremlin.

 - Gabrielle Barr, Library Intern Summer 2009

The Body as Art

During the summer, we asked Interns Emma, Gabrielle, Brendan and Jessica 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. On July 31, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented. This week we're posting the last collection from this summer. Thanks to our Summer interns for all of their hard work!

This week’s collection comes from Jessica Dame who is a student at Christopher Newport University. Jessica described her collection “The Body as Art” as follows:

"Since the beginning of time, the human body has been an important part of art and has been expressed in endless ways. From early cave paintings of stick-like figures, to complex life-like sculpture and paintings that capture veins, muscles, curves and angles. The body is crucial to art. For many artists the human body, in all its conditions, is the focus of their work.

After spending time in the Jean Outland Library, I began to find great examples of masquerade, fashion and costume; from runways in metropolitan cities to the lesser know parts of the world where the body has always been used in expression.

I came across images of masquerade dancers in the Congo, the Dance of Tumbu in Guinea, and the Mancrab dancer of the Caribbean. Masquerades blend art and symbolism to make magnificent costumes for performance. In the world of fashion, as with masquerades, there are no limits but the catwalk or photo shoot becomes the canvas which designers and photographers show off their art. Examples are the elegant and sometimes controversial designs of Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, Gaultier and other designers.

Across cultures, through art work of the body, one can see what is considered beautiful, acceptable in a society at that time period. Statements can be made about life, spirituality, sexuality, and society.

So what happens when the body is no longer limited to a flat surface or stiff marble and rock? What if it could walk, run or dance? Then that would be art brought to life. "

You can view all of the images in Jessica's collection here.

New York Through My Eyes

During the summer, we asked Interns Emma, Gabrielle, Brendan and Jessica 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. On July 31, at the Library Open House, each collection was presented. In the coming weeks, we’ll be posting each intern’s collection along with a few other posts they created during their time in the Library.



This week’s collection comes from Emma Tisdale who is a student at New York University. Emma described her collection “New York Through My Eyes” as follows:


"The beautiful thing about New York City is that it is the kind of place that can be seen through many different perspectives. A tourist may only see the crowded streets of Times Square while a businessman sees the opportunity for success on Wall Street. A high school drama student may see the city as a place where her dreams of fame could come true. A boy who is misunderstood or ashamed in his own skin could see New York as a place of acceptance. My personal view of New York, which is reflected through the images in my collection, is that of a college student living in Lower Manhattan. I searched for scenes with which I am familiar, such as the marketplace in Union Square, the wildly painted buildings in the Village, and the pedestrians relaxing in Washington Square Park. I also included some older photographs of the New York City’s older architecture, paintings of a green Central Park, and an image of my favorite bookstore. These are the things that I see not only throughout my daily life at school but in my mind as I daydream of New York. My perspective is not one of glamour or crowds. It is just my personal view of the diverse city that has become my home. "


You can view all of the images in Emma's Collection here.

Item of the Week: Bausch and Lomb AT WAR

If you are one of the 125 million people in the world who wear contact lenses, you may recognize the brand name “Bausch and Lomb” from your bottle of contact solution. However, in the 1940s you were more likely to see the company’s logo plastered on pamphlets highlighting their vast contributions to the war effort. The Jean Outland Chrysler Library is delighted to possess one of these pamphlets entitled: “Bausch and Lomb AT WAR.”
Long before contacts were invented, Bausch and Lomb specialized in such military wonders as searchlight mirrors, telescopes, and aviator goggles. They even built a new Glass Plant to provide desperately needed optical glass to American troops. In order to advertise these and many other achievements, they created pamphlets that not only captured the spirit of a nation at war, but emphasized the value of the American worker. Through vivid colors, photography and highly evocative language,
the pamphlet portrays Bausch and Lomb
as a corporate hero, ready to do whatever is necessary to protect the American way. The cover of the pamphlet features a hand-drawn Bausch and Lomb logo, jabbed into a star-spangled sky by a silver dagger. Underneath the logo is a shadowy clock tower. The symbols of the clock and the dagger emphasize the timeliness of the war and the company’s involvement. They also allude to Bausch and Lomb’s elaborate history of military service; a crucial part of the company’s hero narrative. Despite such obvious sentimentality and tendency toward propaganda, the Bausch and Lomb pamphlet presents a truly unique view of American history. It is sobering to think about where we would be without the clarity of site. Perhaps it is fitting then to look back at our nation’s “Greatest War” through the lens of an eye-wear corporation. In an era of contact lenses and multipurpose saline solution, maybe it is better to dust off our binoculars and take a deep look into our past. Maybe then we can get a better glimpse of the future.

- Library volunteer Jessica Ritchie