#Newberry Library

[digitalnewberry]

Ok we give up

Of the many weird items in the Newberry's collection of valentine postcards, this set -- featuring boot-faces pursuing romance and also money -- might be the weirdest? If you have any clue as to what's going on here, we'd love to hear it in the comments...

Anthropomorphic boot valentines, ca. 1900s. John Monroe collection of artist-signed postcards

[uwmspeccoll]

Typography Tuesday

GIOVANNI BAPTISTA VERINI

Sometime between 1526 and 1527, Italian calligrapher and writer Giovanni Baptista Verini published his noted 4-part handwriting manual, Liber Elementorum Litterarum, probably at Toscolano on Lake Garda. This very rare book stands between the great manuals of Albrecht Dürer's Four Books on Measurement (1525) and Geoffroy Tory's Champfleury (1529).

The images shown here are from a 1947 printing of the third part of Varini's manual, published as Luminario or the Third Chapter of the Liber Elementorum Litterarum on the Construction of Roman Capitals, with an English translation by English librarian and typography expert Alfred F. Johnson (1884-1972) and an introduction by the master type historian and designer Stanley Morison (1889-1967). It was published in Cambridge by Harvard College Library and in Chicago by the Newberry Library, and printed in London by the Office of The Times in an edition of 510 copies.

Next to nothing is known about Verini himself. In his introduction, Morison writes:

The meagre details concerning the career of Giovanni Baptista Verini provide material for few positive statements. He was young, he was a citizen of Florence, . . . and a bookseller there. . . . If Verini's "Luminario" . . . was not reprinted, if was a disappointment he was prepared for, as witness the text he chose to place on the title page of part three, here reprinted after four hundred and score years: OMNIA LABUNTUR SED VIRTUS SOLA VIRESCIT [Everything slips away, but only virtue remains verdant].

View a post on Albrecht Dürer's manual.

View a post on Geoffroy Tory's Champfleury.

View more Typography Tuesday posts.

[gradling]

Anyway, for those who will be in Chicago at any point between September 8 and December 30, 2023, check out the Newberry Library's upcoming exhibit, Seeing Race Before Race! It's going to be a very insightful look at premodern race as it appears in the Newberry Library's collection. There are also going to be accompanying events open to the public throughout the exhibit's run, so please take advantage of those if you can! It's going to be a fantastic learning opportunity.

[digitalnewberry]

Lots more like that at our Bill Lende collection of tall-tale postcards 🍑

exaggerated fruit postcards ca. 1909-10

[strawberryteabunny]

visited the local library 📚📖

coord rundown:

OP: BTSSB Gingham Rose Ribbon

Headdress: BTSSB

Bloomers: Meta

Socks/Shoes: Offbrand/Cotton Candy Feet

[my-deer-friend]

There's a common headcanon for the Hamilton-Laurens relationship that Hamilton is the big, loud talker and Laurens is stoic and quiet.

Counterpoint – Laurens is a gentleman: eloquent, charming, well-educated and raised in polite society, where the art of conversation is highly prized. While Hamilton has some of these traits, he's less refined, and he's the stronger writer between them. Laurens is the one who goes to Congress to champion his projects in person; Hamilton is the scribe who challenges and defeats with his pen. Laurens is taken seriously as a speaker because of his background and family connections; Hamilton is taken seriously when he is writing under a pseudonym.

Some supporting evidence off the top of my head:

I have collected some hints for an answer [to Charles Lee]; but I do not think, either that I can rely upon my own knowledge of facts and style to answer him fully, or that it would be prudent to undertake it without counsel. An affair of this kind ought to be passed over in total silence, or answered in a masterly manner. [...] The pen of Junius is in your hand; and I think you will, without difficulty, expose [...] such a tissue of falsehood and inconsistency, as will satisfy the world, and put him for ever to silence.

John Laurens to Alexander Hamilton, 5 December 1778

[Laurens'] polite and easy behaviour, insured distinction in every polished society.

Garden, A. (with The Library of Congress). (1822). Anecdotes of the revolutionary war in America: With sketches of character of persons the most distinguished, in the Southern states, for civil and military services. Charleston [S.C.], Printed for the author, by A. E. Miller. http://archive.org/details/anecdotesofrevol00gar

[Laurens'] insinuating address won the hearts of all his acquaintances; his sincerity and virtue secured their lasting esteem. Acting from the most honorable principles – uniting the bravery and other talents of a great officer with the knowledge of a complete scholar, and the engaging manners of a well bred gentleman, he was the idol of his country, the glory of the army, and an ornament of human nature. His abilities shone in the legislature and in the cabinet as well as in the field, and were equal to the highest stations.

Ramsay, D. (with Cornell University Library). (1858). Ramsay’s History of South Carolina, from its first settlement in 1670 to the year 1808. Newberry, S.C. : W.J. Duffie. http://archive.org/details/cu31924028789737

[digitalnewberry]

What, that's just a loaf of French bread, nothing to see here 😳

Find these and many more vintage cat postcards at Newberry Digital Collections

Happy National Black Cat Day! 🐈‍⬛

This occasion brings together cat lovers from all over to express their love and admiration for these enigmatic feline friends. 🖤 These beautiful black cats have long been the subject of myths and superstitions, but today we aim to debunk those misconceptions and celebrate them for the unique and lovable companions they are.

Throughout history, black cats have been associated with various cultural beliefs. In ancient Egypt, they were revered and seen as symbols of good luck, often associated with the goddess Bastet, who represented home, fertility, and childbirth. However, in medieval Europe, black cats were linked to superstitions and often feared, with many believing they were witches' familiars. These superstitions led to the persecution and even mass killings of black cats during the witch hunt era. Fortunately, society has come a long way, and black cats are now cherished as pets in many households.

National Black Cat Day serves as a reminder that these animals, like any other, deserve love, care, and respect. It's an opportunity for cat enthusiasts to show their affection for these elegant and mysterious felines and to dispel any lingering prejudices against them. Whether you already have a black cat as a beloved companion or are considering adopting one, today is the day to celebrate and share the love.

For more black cat content, take a look at JSTOR Daily's "Nine Black Cat Stickers."

📷 : Clarice Green. Toy Kitten. Circa 2000. Overall: 30mm (width), 40mm (height), 30mm (depth). Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa.

[willigula]

Sea creatures and other delightful details on a map of Scandinavia by Olaus Magnus, 1532

(photos from a 1572 reprint at the Newberry Library)

[chefkids]

The Bear Season 4 (Four Seasons) resumes filming next week!

Here are some of the locations posted.

Alpana - A stylish wine bistro from Master Sommelier Alpana Singh featuring wine country cuisine in a chic setting. Italian food, wine, sommelier? Maybe Sweeps is finally getting more than 5 minutes of screen time! There were some casting calls for kitchen staff, so possibly for this scene?

Bella Bianca Bridal Couture - Filming for Tiff's wedding dress? or Sydney's. (what? who said that?)

McCormick Fountain/Washington Square Park/Bughouse Square

This was a popular place across from the Newberry Library where people yapped about whatever it is they were passionate about. The question is who will be the yapper?

and last but not least, Carmy's apartment. Maybe they'll finally let him get a cat? or a shelf? maybe Sydney is breaking in to get back her scrunchie?

[digitalnewberry]

How's your cursive?

William Ellen Wallace whaling logbook, 1841-1844 (view | transcribe)

Newberry Transcribe -- our crowdsourcing site where you can help with historical research by transcribing handwritten letters and diaries -- is back in action!

From screenwriters to socialists to soldiers, the subjects of our collections left behind a wealth of primary source materials -- such as the above 1840s whaling logbook that includes what some of us thought were whimsical doodles, but turned out to be a much less fun industry convention indicating "how many gallons of oil were procured from each [whale] body."

Libraries lack sufficient staff to transcribe the millions of manuscript pages in our collections, so it used to be up to the user to painstakingly decipher every page, with each individual replicating this work from scratch. Thanks to the magic of crowdsourcing, the public can volunteer to help out by transcribing the page once and for all, allowing researchers to easily find, search, and browse the material.

Plus, figuring out the handwriting can be a fun challenge. Wordle, shmordle -- come solve puzzles while also learning about history and contributing to humanities research!

Visit Newberry Transcribe

Read our project newsletter

Jack Conroy correspondence at Newberry Transcribe

[digitalnewberry]

i will make an exception because he looks very polite

Hello there.

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

The King's Hares, from Norway

The Princess with the Twelve Pair of Golden Shoes, from Denmark

Queen Crane, from Sweden

The Rooster, the Hand Mill and the Swarm of Hornets, from Sweden

Ti-Tirit-Ti, from Italy

The Adventures of Bona and Nello, from Italy

The Hedgehog Who Became a Prince, from Poland

The Flight, from Poland

April 1st is the birthday of American librarian and storyteller Augusta Braxton Baker (1911-1998). Born to two schoolteachers in Baltimore, Baker was a voracious student who read at a young age and careened through elementary and high school. With advocacy support from Eleanor Roosevelt, Baker was admitted to the Albany Teacher’s College and in 1934 earned a B. A. in Education and a B. S. in Library Science making her the first African American to earn a librarianship degree from the college.  

In 1939, Baker went on to work as the children’s librarian at New York Public Library’s Harlem branch, founding the James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of Children’s Books to showcase representation of Black children and life in books, and beginning a lifelong career with children’s literature and the New York Public Library (NYPL). In 1953, she was appointed Storytelling Specialist and Assistant Coordinator of Children’s Services, quickly moving into the Coordinator of Children’s Services position years later and becoming the first African American to hold an administrative position with NYPL. Throughout her career, Baker was active with the American Library Association, and chaired committees for the Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal recognizing excellence in children’s literature. 

In celebration of Baker’s birthday, we’re sharing The Golden Lynx and Other Tales, a collection of international folk tales compiled by Baker and illustrated by Austrian artist Johannes Troyer (1902-1969). This is the first edition of the book published in 1960 by J. B. Lippincott and is signed by Baker, who writes in the introduction, “No story has been included in this collection that has not stood the supreme test of the children’s interest and approval”. 

Read other Milestone Monday posts here! 

View more posts on children's books here.

– Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

[clonerightsagenda]

It's a shame my boss is a library director and not the proprietor of one of those jampacked used book shops where nobody ever buys anything because she clearly just wants to accumulate things en masse but doesn't really want anyone to use them and doesn't take care of them. This includes telling us we can't circulate the juvenile fiction collection because the titles are "priceless" and "irreplaceable" (they are not. they're Newberry award winner paperbacks) but she doesn't care that the shelf is pointed straight toward a bank of huge windows and the books have been cooked to the point their covers are disintegrating. Also I spent several weeks this year explaining vinegar syndrome to her and getting it through her head that the microfilm she hoards in the warmest rooms in the building is actively self-destructing, and when I finally convinced her to let me weed the most damaged acetate and reassured her that other institutions like the historical societies do a better job of preserving newspapers anyway, a community college does not need thousands of reels our students are not using, she very earnestly asked me if I thought the historical societies knew about this "dangerous problem". Yes I promise the historical societies know about vinegar syndrome.

[notbecauseofvictories]

also, I can't wait until I'm old enough to wander around Chicagoland with a Newberry Library tote bag, and a slightly squashed sandwich in aluminium foil.

I mean, I do that already, but still. Someday, young women will look at me (with my ebooks and my opera going) and think, "wow!!! I too could be self indulgent in the best way."

[mybeingthere]

Raven Girl, 2013 by Audrey Niffenegger (American, b. 1963, South Haven, MI, USA), who tells us about this story:

"Once there was a Postman who fell in love with a Raven. So begins the tale of a postman who encounters a fledgling raven on his route and decides to bring her home. The unlikely couple falls in love and conceives a child—a raven girl trapped in a human body. The raven girl feels imprisoned by her arms and legs and covets wings and the ability to fly. Betwixt and between, she reluctantly grows into a young woman, until one day she meets an unorthodox doctor who is willing to change her.

Raven Girl was created as part of a collaboration with Wayne McGregor for the Royal Opera House Ballet in London. I wrote the story and made aquatints to illustrate it. Wayne then used the story and images as the basis for his ballet, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in June, 2013."

Audrey talks about herself:

"I was born in South Haven, Michigan, grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and now live in Chicago with frequent visits to London. I am married to the artist and writer Eddie Campbell.

I began making prints in 1978 under the tutelage of William Wimmer. I trained as a visual artist at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and received my MFA from Northwestern University’s Department of Art Theory and Practice in 1991. I have exhibited my artist’s books, prints, paintings, drawings and comics at Printworks Gallery in Chicago since 1987. In 2013, a major mid-career retrospective of my prints, paintings and artist’s bookworks opened at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.

My first books were printed and bound by hand in editions of ten. Two of these have since been commercially published by Harry N. Abrams: The Adventuress and The Three Incestuous Sisters.

In 1997 I had an idea for a book about a time traveler and his wife. I originally imagined making it as a graphic novel, but eventually realized that it is very difficult to represent sudden time shifts with still images. I began to work on the project as a novel, and published The Time Traveler’s Wife in 2003 with the independent publisher MacAdam/Cage. It was an international best seller, and has been made into a movie.

In 1994 a group of book artists, papermakers and designers came together to found a new book arts center, the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts. I was part of this group and taught book arts for many years as an Associate Professor in Columbia College’s MFA program in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts. Until May, 2015 I was a Professor on the faculty of the Columbia College Creative Writing Department. I’ve also taught for the Newberry Library, Penland School of Craft, Haystack, the University of Illinois at Chicago and other institutions of higher learning. I am currently on hiatus from teaching in order to get my own work done."

[wild-oats-and-cornflowers]

Guess who presented a paper at the Newberry Library's Multidisciplinary Conference on Graduate Studies today :D

14th century Aeneid and 13th century sacral. illuminated manuscripts my beloved