The drawings, which appear in an installment of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel Haworth’s are, alas, unsigned, and whether they were made by a member of the Dickinson family or not remains a mystery. While many volumes in the Dickinson family library have marks of use, no other volume (of which we are aware) contains drawings such as these.

The Dickinsons subscribed to Scribner’s from its first issue in 1870. Its first editor, Josiah Gilbert Holland, was a family friend (a finding aid for the collection of correspondence between Emily Dickinson and the Hollands is available here).

EDR 545. Part of the Dickinson Family Library, purchased from Alfred Leete Hampson with funds given by Gilbert H. Montague, class of 1901, in happy memory of Amy Angell Collier Montague.

Houghton Library has recently acquired an exciting collection of Parisian ephemera from the end of the 19^th century to the 20^th. The materials range from playbills for the Folies Bergère Music Hall to hotel-provided monument maps to exhibition handbooks. Among the many interesting items in the collection are guides to Paris specifically written for foreign soldiers, reflecting Paris’s history of occupation, both by allies and enemies.

The first guide for foreign soldiers in the collection is “The Story of Paris”, written by John H. Dennison in 1918 for U.S. soldiers (see image, right). The English-language pamphlets disappeared when the Germans took the city in the summer of 1940, and by December of that year German-language guides had emerged, like the “Deutscher Soldaten-Führer durch Paris” (see image, below).

However, it is the sole German guide in this collection, and by 1944 the “British Army Welfare Services Map of Paris” was printed on the back of a reclaimed German map, and the U.S. War Department published “The Pocket Guide to Paris and the Cities of Northern France” (see image, below).  Governments were not the only ones publishing for soldiers; shops soon caught on as well. In 1944 the department store Galeries Lafayette printed “Paris for Englishmen and Americans”.

A useful guidebook to the city, listing hotels, restaurants, and phrases, it is nothing like the pamphlet published in 1918 by Les Grands Magasins du Louvre, another department store, which dubs Englishmen and Americans “our brothers-in-arms” and begs them to “take good care not to forget the pleasant hours spent in the capital”.

b FC8.A100.873p. Printed ephemera concerning Paris (France), 1873-1973. Purchased with funds from the Anne E.P. Sever Bequest. A finding aid for the collection can be viewed here.

Images:

Top left: (96) War Department, Washington, D.C. Pocket Guide to Paris and the Cities of Northern France: pamphlet; maps, 1944.

Top right: (36) John H. Dennison. The Story of Paris: pamphlet; maps, 1918. A brief descriptive guide to points of interest in the city prepared by John H. Dennison [1870-1936] for the Use of the American Young Men’s Christian Assn. A E. F. and published for the use of American Soldiers and Sailors.

Middle: (94) Paris 1940: pamphlet; maps, 1940. German guide book, printed with the authorization of the Paris commandant, October 1940.

Bottom: (95) Deutscher Soldaten-Führer durch Paris: pamphlet; maps, 1940 December.

The website includes information on how to locate and access materials within the collection, as well as a history of the collection.

Please contact the Modern department (houghton_modern AT harvard.edu) with any questions about the collection.

Image at left: Nathan Schachner, Space Lawyer (New York: Gnome Press, 1953), SF-1988.

The guide explains each character (Captain Kirk is described as “a space-age Horatio Hornblower”) and aspects of the show’s mythology, reviews available set and costume limitations:

…details the standard episode format:

… gives guidance on what situations would be inappropriate for the show:

(the answer is the fourth option: Concept weak)

…and offers fascinating insight into aspects such as budgets, inspiration and research for stories (call your local NASA office!), and recreational drug use:

f AC95.A100.967s. The Star Trek Guide. 1967. Purchased with the Roger Eliot Stoddard Book Fund, 2011.

This month focuses on George Eliot and the Brownings, authors whose work Emily Dickinson particularly enjoyed and admired, and whose influence on Dickinson is the subject of much current enquiry.  Additionally, we offer two books on the more “domestic” side: an almanac the poet mined for pictures, and a book on “practical subjects” given by a perhaps frustrated Edward Dickinson to his non-domestic daughter when she was 32.

Eliot, George, 1819-1880. Adam Bede. New York: Harper, 1860. EDR 512.  A Christmas gift from Susan to Emily.

Eliot, George, 1819-1880. The mill on the floss. New York: Harper, 1860. EDR 149. Emily Dickinson’s copy.

Eliot, George, 1819-1880. The Spanish gypsy: a poem.  Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1868. EDR 150.  Emily Dickinson’s copy.

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861. Aurora Leigh. New York; Boston: C. S. Francis & Co., 1857.  EDR 197. Susan Dickinson’s copy. (See one of the pages with pencilled marks in the margin, below)

Browning, Robert, 1812-1889. Dramatis personœ. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1864. EDR 239.  Susan Dickinson’s copy.

The New England primer improved: for the more easy attaining the true reading of English: to which is added The Assembly of Divines, and Mr. Cotton’s Catechism. Boston, printed by Edward Draper, at his Printing-office, in Newbury-Street, and sold by John Boyle in Marlborough-Street, 1777. Hartford, Conn.: Published and sold by Ira Webster, 1843 [i.e. 1850?] EDR 225  Another instance of Emily taking her scissors to one of her father’s books. (See the image above)

Sprague, William Buell, 1795-1876. Letters on practical subjects, to a daughter.  Albany: E.H. Pease, 1851. EDR 528.  Given by Edward Dickinson to his daughter in April 1862.

Shaw was killed in the second battle of Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. He and the 54th Massachusetts soldiers are memorialized in a monument on Boston Common, and in the 1989 film “Glory,” which starred Matthew Broderick as Col. Shaw.

At some point in their history, Shaw’s letters were removed from the albums in which his family had mounted them.  This left scabs of mounting paper on most, which often obscured text; and the popularity of Shaw as a research topic over the years meant there were also numerous tears to be mended. Vicki Denby, Curatorial Assistant, assisted by Susi Barbarossa, Conservation Technician for Houghton Library; and Christopher Sokolowski, Project Paper Conservator, and Karen Walter, Senior Paper Conservation Technician of the Weissman Preservation Center, spent more than 90 days repairing the fragile documents.

Houghton’s large collection of Shaw’s letters to his family and other papers has now been fully digitized with funding provided by the Ruth Miller Memorial Philanthropic Fund, and is available to view through the collection’s finding aid.

Below: MS Am 1910 (14). [Notice of the death of Robert Gould Shaw]. MS. (unidentified author); Beaufort, 31 Jul 1863.

Below: Shaw to his father from St Helena, 4 July 1863.

MS Am 1910. Gift of Mrs. Lloyd K. Garrison, Mrs. Alexander D. Harvey, Frances Jay, and Mrs. Lawrence Fox, 1975.

Image at top left: Portrait file.

Pull the tab at the bottom, and Davis’s expression changes:

There is also an amusing one of a “Buchaneer,” a supporter of James Buchanan:

Too much fiddling with these and you might be presented with this pleasant expression:

bMS Am 1608 (92). David Claypoole Johnston collection. Purchase, C.M. Parker Fund, 1960.

Pauline Garcia Viardot (1821-1910) was one of the 19^th century’s most versatile and influential opera stars.  Born into an operatic family (her father Manuel Garcia created the role of Almaviva in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, later becoming a renowned voice teacher; her sister Maria Malibran created the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda among others, and was famous for her temperament on and off the stage; her brother Manuel taught singing at the Paris Conservatory and went on to found his own school of singing based on his father’s, producing such pupils as Jenny Lind, Charles Santley, and Mathilde Marchesi) Viardot herself became a celebrated mezzo-soprano, composer, and voice teacher. Fervently admired by many composers including Meyerbeer and Gounod, Berlioz described her as one of the greatest artists in the history of music.  Viardot’s collaboration with Berlioz in revising Gluck’s Orphée for her voice was only one of many milestones in her singing career.  She was also a gifted composer, producing songs, chamber music, and operettas throughout her life.  Like her brother, Viardot also taught singing to great success.

Cover of Viardot’s manuscript for “Les filles de Cadise”

Viardot was particularly interested in Russian music and from 1843 she sang regularly in St. Petersburg, where she met the writer Ivan Turgenev.  Turgenev fell in love with her and followed her to Paris, remaining close to her for the rest of his life.  Viardot’s long friendship with Turgenev had a profound influence on his literary development, and he in turn wrote the librettos for and collaborated on many of her vocal works.

Combining funds from the Amy Lowell Trust, the Bayard Livingston Kilgour and Kate Gray Kilgour Fund, the Frank E. Chase Bequest, and the John M. Kasden Fund, and with a major gift from  John Milton Ward, William Powell Mason Professor of Music emeritus at Harvard University, the Modern Books and Manuscripts department at Houghton has purchased a spectacular collection of Viardot and Turgenev materials.  Highlights include manuscripts of Turgenev/Viardot collaborations, many of which are unknown to scholars today; correspondence; notebooks of Viardot’s early study with her father; manuscripts of her own compositions; journals; many pencil sketches, watercolors, and elaborate costume designs; cadenzas from Viardot’s most famous roles; autograph manuscripts of works by her father, her sister Maria, and Gounod; a scrapbook of fan letters regarding her characterization of Orphée, and more.  In the context of the Turgenev and Viardot collections already held at Houghton (see bMS Mus 264, bMS Mus 232, bMS Mus 265, and fMS Mus 266 for Viardot collections, and see HOLLIS for a list Turgenev manuscript material)  this new purchase provides additional breadth to already rich holdings, and should not be missed by devotees of either artist.

Claudie Viardot's portrait of Ivan Turgenev on his deathbed. Pencil, 1883.

*2011M-3. Pauline Garcia Viardot and Ivan Turgenev papers. Purchased with funds from the Ruth N. and John M. Ward Fund, the Amy Lowell Trust, the Frank E. Chase Bequest, the John M. Kasdan Fund, and the Bayard Livingston and Kate Gray Kilgour Fund, 2011.

Images:

Top: Undated self-portrait.

Middle: Viardot’s manuscript of “Les filles de Cadise.” (sic)

Bottom: Portrait of Ivan Turgenev on his deathbed by Claudie Viardot, Pauline Viardot’s daughter. Pencil, 1883.

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863). To honor Thackeray’s birth, Houghton Library is hosting the exhibition The Adventures of Thackeray in His Way Through the World: His Fortunes and Misfortunes, His Friends and His Family, on display from July 18 through October 15, 2011.

The exhibition includes manuscripts of Thackeray’s works and correspondence, sketches he drew of family and friends and for his publications, objects belonging to and associated with him, and many examples of his published works. Highlights include a manuscript portion of Vanity Fair, Thackeray’s favorite gold pen, Thackeray’s Horace from his schooldays at Charterhouse School, and many more.

On October 6, 2011, Houghton Library will host a one-day symposium on Thackeray and his life and work. Details and registration information can be found on the symposium website, http://hrvd.me/thackeray.

For more information on the exhibition or symposium, contact Heather Cole at  hgcole at fas.harvard.edu or 617.495.2449.

Christoph Irmscher, professor of English at Indiana University, and the guest curator of Houghton Library’s 2007 exhibition “Public Poet, Private Man: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at 200,” has contributed a post to the Library of America’s Reader’s Almanac blog on the tragic death of Longfellow’s wife Fanny Appleton Longfellow.

Image: *2001M-8. Houghton Library, Harvard University. Purchased with the Bayard Livingston Kilgour and Kate Gray Kilgour fund, the James Duncan Phillips Endowment fund, Books for Houghton fund, and unrestricted acquisitions funds.

Was Emily Dickinson a religious person? She attended church services as a child, and the Dickinsons held daily religious observation in their home.  But she rejected the religious revivalism that was so prominent a feature of her adolescence, and at some point ceased to attend church services altogether: “Some keep the Sabbath going to church / I keep it staying at home” (Fr 236).

She did of course own a Bible—her father gave her one in 1844, when she was 13, and it is in the Dickinson Collection at Houghton Library (EDR 8).  Her poetry and her letters abound with direct and indirect references from the Bible.  She did not, however, consider her own Bible at all “sacred”–she cut verses out of its pages, folded down corners, and used it to press flowers. Pictured below is a page from Psalms, with the vivid blue flower that was originally pressed there:

Dickinson’s Bible is now available online, part of a larger project to make the Dickinson Collection more easily available to those not physically here in Cambridge, as well as protecting this and other fragile volumes from the damaging effects of frequent consultation.  New digitized volumes are added on an irregular basis—keep an eye on this blog for information on new additions.  Next to appear with be the Dickinson family’s eight-volume set of Shakespeare.

For a complete list of the contents of the Dickinson family library, see the finding aid here. For more information on the Dickinson collection at Houghton Library, visit our website.

Processing of the 2009 purchase continues apace.  The time has come to integrate the early material into the larger archive.  As of June 1, access to all of John Updike’s papers is closed until the entire collection has been processed. We anticipate processing to be completed in the summer of 2012.

Readers may access books from John Updike’s library in the Houghton Library reading room. For information on access, please visit Houghton Library’s website.

Continue to check our blog for announcements relating to the collection. Please feel free to contact the Modern Books and Manuscripts department with any questions by email, houghton_modern@harvard.edu, or by phone at 617.495.2449.

And be sure to join our weekly Houghton Library tour, Fridays at 2 PM, to view the Emily Dickinson Room and a small exhibition of Dickinson’s manuscripts relating to Professor Vendler’s talk.

Emily Dickinson and the Sublime

A talk by Helen Vendler, Arthur Kingsley Porter University Professor, Harvard University; and author of Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries (2010)

31 March 2011

5.30 P.M.

Edison and Newman Room

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Admission is free, and open to the public.

Space is limited.

Sponsored by

Houghton Library, Harvard College Library

The Woodberry Poetry Room;

and Harvard University Press

While unprocessed, the materials in the Solidarity Collection, including the digitized audio files, may be accessed in the Houghton Library reading room with the call number *2009M-97r.