Houghton Library Blog

An Intimate and Symbolic Bond: Quentin Roosevelt, the Great War, and American-French Relations

By Vincent Harmsen, 2017–2018 Houghton Library Visiting Fellow and recipient of the William Dearborn Fellowship in American History. Mr. Harmsen holds a master’s degree in history from the Sorbonne University, Paris.

Quentin Roosevelt in France, 1918. Sagamore Hill National Historic Site.

November 19, 1918 would have been the twenty-first birthday of Quentin Roosevelt, son of Theodore Roosevelt. However, Quentin had died in France a few months before while serving as a fighter pilot against the Germans during World War One. His mother, Edith Roosevelt, remained silent in her private diary until October 31, stunned by the news of her son’s death. The birthday celebration his family had planned became a ceremony of remembrance and sorrow.

(more…)

Born-Digital Blog Post #7: Accessioning Workflow part 2

15 November 2018 lawhorn In Practice

This post continues the series, “Behind the Scenes at Houghton,” giving a glimpse into the inner workings of the library’s mission to support teaching and research. Thanks to Magdaline Lawhorn, Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Resident & Project Archivist, for contributing this post.

In Born-Digital Blog Post #6 we began to discuss the five basic elements we capture during our born-digital accessioning process: identification; media type; storage size; visual representation of the physical media; and removal/segregation of materials. This blog post will continue the discussion, focusing on the last two elements: visual representation and removal/segregation of materials.

To capture the visual representation of the materials we photograph the media. We mainly use the Solo8 HoverCam to take photographs from above. Within the born-digital community taking photographs is often debated; some consider it a useless step because the physical item is not as important as the content. Photographing is certainly an optional step, and its importance needs to be determined by the individual repository. For Houghton these images allow us to document any information written on the physical media (by the creator), adding another layer of authenticity. What appears on the media is informative and might prove useful when it comes to describing the materials in a future resource record such as a finding aid, the document that broadly describes what is in a collection. (more…)

What’s in a Photograph? A Photograph by Any Other Name is Still a Photograph

6 November 2018 Posted by HL Blog Staff Collections in Focus In Practice

By Lillianne Keaney, Horblit Project Cataloger, Houghton Library

The term “photograph” is actually quite broad. It encompasses black and white photographs (gelatin silver prints), chromogenic color prints, albumen prints, carbon prints, collodion prints, salted paper prints, digital photographs, palladium prints, daguerreotypes, and many others that are produced using different photographic processes (check out Graphics Atlas for more information on processes).

Just how important are the distinctions between the types of images? After all, a photograph is a photograph, right? While subjects can span the different processes, the proper identification of the type of photograph is important in the care and description of these images.

(more…)

Collections Now Available for Research: September & October, 2018

31 October 2018 Posted by HL Blog Staff Collections in Focus Now Available for Research

Houghton Library is pleased to announce the following collections are now described online and accessible in the reading room.

Ruthanna Boris Papers, 1929-2003 (MS Thr 1850) – processed by Adrien Hilton

Collection of French Booksellers’ Catalogs and Prospectuses circa 1769-1799 (MS Fr 693) – processed by Magee Lawhorn

Harvard Theatre Collection Photographic Postcards of Groups and Scenes (TCS 15) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

Harvard Theatre Collection Photographic Postcards of Theaters in the United States (TCS 16) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

Harvard Theatre Collection Photographic Postcards of Foreign Theaters (TCS 17) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

Harvard Theatre Collection Cartes-de-visite Photographs of Men in Popular Entertainment (TCS 20) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

Harvard Theatre Collection Cartes-de-visite Photographs of Women in Popular Entertainment (TCS 21) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

Harvard Theatre Collection French and Italian Cartes-de-visite Theatrical Portrait Photographs (TCS 22) – processed by Sarah Mirseyedi

(more…)

r.ed in residence

27 October 2018 Dale Stinchcomb Collections in Focus Events and Exhibitions

By Dale Stinchcomb, Assistant Curator of the Harvard Theatre Collection

Frankenweek is in full swing and Houghton is participating in a Harvard-wide celebration of all things Franken-Shelley. A film series, an exhibition, and a marathon reading are just a few of the activities planned to mark the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley’s influence is felt in other corners of the library as well. A recently acquired graphic novel by visual artist Angela Lorenz, currently on exhibit in the Keats Room, follows r.ed monde, an amorphous humanoid with a pointy head, on a journey of self-discovery.

r.ed engender.ed: a conical chronicle by Angela Lorenz, 2016. 2018H-64. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

(more…)

Tags: Angela Lorenz, Frankenstein, r.ed