THE SHELF

Robert Fitzroy is mostly remembered as  the captain of the HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin’s famous voyages of 1828-1836. His complex role in those landmark voyages and his turbulent relationship with Darwin are well documented by scholars. What is often overlooked about Fitzroy’s life, though, are his significant contributions to weather forecasting and modern meteorology. He was a true a pioneer in the field, developing and applying available technology to predict weather more accurately. He is even credited with coining the term “forecasting the weather”. By 1860, through telegraph reports, barometers, time checks, recorded patterns, and using his own set of  nautical charts, Fitzroy was able to make more accurate and advanced predictions than his contemporaries on the daily weather. Beginning  in 1861, his forecasts were printed daily in the “Times” of London, and not unlike today, he was held to unrealistic expectations by the public. Furthermore, Britain’s fishing fleet owners were concerned about losing their business as  fishermen refused to head out without a favorable Fitzroy weather prediction. Constant ridicule and criticism over his forecasts would soon dampen his reputation and overshadow his achievements. Unfortunately, Robert Fitzroy passed into obscurity during his own time, tragically taking his life in 1865. However, with the 150th anniversary of the “first forecast” in the London Times, celebrated just last year, Fitzroy’s legacy as the “father of forecasting”  is finally being recognized.

In 1862, he published his seminal work,”The weather book : a manual of practical meteorology“, which is considered to be well ahead of its time….

Under so plain a title neither abstruse problems nor
intricate difficulties should be found. This popular
Work is intended for many, rather than for few,
with an earnest hope of its utility in daily life. The
means actually requisite to enable any person of fair
abilities and average education to become practically
‘ weather-wise ‘ are much more readily attainable than
has been often supposed. With a barometer, two or
three thermometers, some brief instructions, and an
attentive observation, not of instruments only, but the
sky and atmosphere, one may utilise Meteorology.

Cloud Formations

Meeting of the polar and tropical currents

Description:

Fitzroy, Robert. The weather book :a manual of practical meteorology. London : Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1863.

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:1193557

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

Established in 1924, the No-Nicotine Alliance sought the unequivocal elimination of smoking and tobacco products within the United States.  The organization believed that its objective “could” and “would” be ultimately achieved through a U.S. Constitutional amendment.  In order to gains support for their cause, the organization published a short pamphlet entitled “The burning shame of America :an outline against nicotine” to educate the public on the evils of tobacco.  Delving much deeper  into the tobacco issue than individual health consequences, the pamphlet points out larger national implications for tobacco usage, such as the adverse effects on the environment, agricultural  economy, and morality .  The  rhetoric is  over-the-top and sensational!  The pamphlet also contains  striking modern graphics by the artist/illustrator George Illian.

The rallying cry for the No-Nicotine Alliance:

Their vile smoke may make our eyes water, but it shall not
blind us to our Ideal. It may seep into our lungs, but it shall not
choke our noble cry to “Stomp out Nicotine forever!”

No shortage of hyperbole:

“Lucius Cooper, chief military expert of the No-
Nicotine Alliance, —says “I am convinced that the war would
have ended a year sooner if our troops had not used tobacco.
Only the fact that the Germans were also tobacco-drugged, it
being well-known that they smoke huge pipes with china bowls,
prevented them from victory over us.”

“But that any girl or lady, in the flush of health, should deliberately
put to her red lips the Judas kiss of Nicotine, gives us
pause.”

“The smoker is a bad citizen. He is a public nuisance, offending
his fellow-men. He should be sent to Coventry, or jail. This is
a “job” for our gallant blue-coated police everywhere.”

“But the worst of it is the smoky air that hangs about a house
where a habitual smoker hangs about. It gets into the lungs of
the whole family, prejudicing them to all kinds of diseases. It
makes it impossible for them to enjoy the pure air, the smells of
fair flowers, rubber plants, and ferns, the dainty perfumes that
mother sprays about her boudoir, the tantalising taste of good
cooking in the kitchen. In many smoking homes it becomes the
custom to open the windows at night to let out the vapors of
tobacco, thus exposing the whole family to the dangers of drafts
and the risky night air.”

"The butt by wanton smoker tossed has kindled many a holocaust."

"In one depraved New York cafe even the women smoke, they say."

Description:

Walsh, Richard J. The burning shame of America :an outline against nicotine. Mount Vernon, N.Y. : Printing House of W.E. Rudge, c1924.

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:8634540

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

Though his life was tragically short, Charles Henry Bennett, is considered one of the pioneers of  comic illustration.  One can find his witty illustrations and caricatures peppered throughout Punch, The Comic Times,  and other popular periodicals of the 1850s and 1860s.  In addition to periodicals,  he also authored and illustrated several children’s books.  In 1856, Bennett published a book titled, Shadows, based on 24 of his humorous color prints portraying assorted characters in Victorian society.   Each print depicts an individual silently stalked by an amusing shadow revealing his/her “true” or underlying character.   These comic illustrations were very popular and reprinted repeatedly over time in various publications.  Though widely respected in the profession for his inventiveness and technique,  Bennett died in complete poverty at the early age of 37.  Shortly after his death, John Tenniel, noted “Alice in Wonderland”  illustrator, and several other of Charles Bennett’s admirers held a benefit to aid his widow and children.

The Commentary

The Old Goose

Beer

Description:

Bennett, Charles H. Shadows. London : W. Kent & Co. (late D. Bogue), [185-?].

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:8043268

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

Pierre Jacques Benoit was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1782.  Initially trained as a jeweler and goldsmith, he eventually became a globetrotter and artist.  In 1830, he visited the Dutch colony of Suriname,  one of the centers of the slave trade.  During his time in Suriname,  Benoit explored the coastal city of  Paramaribo as well as the tropical interior, including the the Jewish independent town of Savanna.  Along the way, he produced dozens of drawings and paintings depicting architecture,  plantations, slaves, and local rites, rituals, and customs.  Upon his return, he published an extravagantly illustrated book on Suriname, offering a multifaceted perspective of colonist and slave culture that existed during that time.  Benoit somewhat contradicts Suriname’s notorious reputation, even by the standards of the time period, for being a particularly harsh territory for slaves,  by portraying the colonists as humane and respectful toward their slaves and also portraying free Africans, Jews,  and indigenous people in daily activities.

Funeral Procession for Slave Owner

Three free black artisans converse while a wigmaker and his boy slave pass by.

"Dou" or Great Slave Dance on New Year's Day

Sale of a slave

Out on the hunt

Jewish Savanna along the river

Description:

Benoit, P. J. Voyage à Surinam :description des possessions néerlandaises dans la Guyane. Bruxelles : Société des beaux-arts (De Wasme et Laurent), 1839. 

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:8156578

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

James Caulfield (1764-1826) was a printmaker noted for his illustrated books on bizarre and unusual characters in English society. He began publishing his prints around 1788, routinely reprinting them until his death in 1826. His work was picked up after his death by Henry Wilson, who republished the stories and prints for contemporary audiences. In this edition from 1869, Wilson theorizes that our persistent interest in these wonderful curiosities is a reaction to the eroding individuality caused by modern civilization. With conformity comes a yearning for idiosyncrasy. Today, Ricky Jay, magician, actor, writer, and collector has taken the baton from Henry Wilson, publishing examples of the wonderfully strange and peculiar from his own print archives in such books as Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, Extraordinary Exhibitions, and Celebrations of Curious Character.

In Wilson’s introduction to The Book of Wonderful Characters he elaborates:

“…men who have essentially differed from the rest of the human race, either
by their having been born with some peculiar congenital defect, or
possessing an eccentricity of character, which inevitably impels them to
overleap and trespass from the boundaries of the beaten highway of
conventional life, have been in all times eagerly sought after by the curious
inquirer into human nature…We have nearly lost all, and are daily losing
what little remains of, our individuality ; all people and all places seem now
to be alike ; and the railways are, no doubt, the principal cause of this change.
Indeed,the tendency of the present day, in England, is directly opposed to
the spirit of individual exclusiveness which, as the great encourager of eccentricity of character, once prevailed over all the country.

Illustrated with sixty-one full page engravings.  You may find yourself bemused, disturbed, or both.

OLD BOOTS

He was blessed with such a plenitude of nose and chin,
and so tenderly endearing were they, that they used
to embrace each other ; and by habit, he could hold
a piece of money between them.

THE ASTONISHING PEDESTRIAN

Foster Powell undertook, in the year 1764, not for any wager,
to walk fifty miles on the Bath road in seven hours,
which he accomplished in the time, having gone the
first ten miles in one hour, although encumbered with
a great coat and leather breeches.

THE WATER SPOUTER

Floram  Marchand was brought over from Tours to London,
who professed to be able to ” turn water into wine, and at
his vomitrender not only the tincture, but the strength and
smell of several wines, and several waters.”

THE POSTURE MASTER

He dislocated the vertebra of his back,
and other parts of the body, such a manner 
that Molins, the famous surgeon, before
whom he appeared as a patient, was shocked 
at the sight, and would not even attempt his cure.

EVE FLEIGEN

She was a native of the Duchy of Cleve, 
in Germany. She is said to have lived long upon
no other nourishment than the smell of flowers.

Description:

Wilson, Henry. The book of wonderful characters :memoirs and anecdotes of remarkable and eccentric persons in all ages and countries. London : J.C. Hotten, [1869].

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:1276382

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

During the Guilded Age, the New York firm of Howe and Hummel played a prominent role in the evolution of the criminal law profession.  In fact, you might say that Howe and Hummel were ahead of their time or that they were most responsible for developing the modern day persona and image of the high-profile criminal attorney.  Howe was an audacious self-promoter,  manipulating the press at every opportunity, determined to get  acquittals either through corrupt  influence or by professional skill, or perhaps more often the case– a bit of both.  By the time that the firm dissolved in 1907,  not long after Howe’s death,  Howe and Hummel  had defended more than a thousand people charged with murder or manslaughter and many more NYC residents for lesser crimes.  Their clients ran from socialites to shoplifters and their influence around New York City was widespread.  In one story, 74 arrested brothel “madams” all named Howe and Hummel as their attorneys.  Always controversial, provocative, and daring, Howe and Hummel routinely pushed the boundaries of ethics and professionalism.  While some admired their pluck , others damned them for tainting the reputations of criminal lawyers forever.

William F Howe, a robust corpulent showman, handled the lion’s share of the firm’s criminal trials work.  He was noted for his extravagantly bright outfits and opulent jeweled rings.  Abraham Hummel, on the other hand, was nearly his exact opposite , thin and reserved, and often worked behind the scenes  spotting loopholes in the law.

In the 1886 publication, Danger! :a true history of a great city’s wiles and temptations : the veil lifted, and light thrown on crime and its causes, and criminals and their haunts : facts and disclosures, Howe provides his personal take on a number of the city’s social ills and illicit activities, including gambling, shoplifting, blackmail, and a rather troubling chapter on abortion.  Actual criminal cases are sprinkled throughout and some of their more “interesting” cases are summarized at the end.

Description:

Howe, William F. Danger! :a true history of a great city’s wiles and temptations : the veil lifted, and light thrown on crime and its causes, and criminals and their haunts : facts and disclosures. Buffalo : Courier Co., Printers, 1886

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:5059661

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

The rising popularity of skiing at the start of the 20th century is  often  credited to the  Austrian ski pioneer and founder of the modern Alpine downhill skiing technque, Mathias Zdarsky.  Willi Rickmer Rickmers (1873-1965), who was one of Zdarsky’s disciples and a rugged mountaineer in his own right, helped to further publicize and spread the sport of skiing beyond Austria through various books and publications.  Along with his wife, Mabel, who was also a trained mountaineer, Rickmers published this 1910 book, Ski-ing for Beginners & Mountaineers, to popularize the sport of skiing and mountaineering together.  The book is certainly interesting for it’s early photographic illustrations, graphics, and descriptions on the latest skiing techniques and equipment, but it also contains a fascinating chapter on women and skiing. This chapter, contributed by his wife, makes a clear claim for women’s participation in the sport and questions whether any disadvantages exist.

“Ski-running is one of the sports to which
women have been admitted without controversy.
There may be differences of opinion as to
whether women should jump, but their right to
tour on ski has never been questioned. …

Her right to ski being thus unchallenged, there
remains the question as to how far her sex
handicaps a woman or modifies her success in
ski-running. All the arguments in favour of touring for
men apply equally to women. As a healthful,
invigorating sport, strengthening nerve and
muscle, it is hard to beat. Nor is woman physically
at so great a disadvantage compared with man
in this sport as in many others, for here
pre-eminently it is knack and skill rather than
muscular effort that eventually go to the making
of a proficient ski-runner.”

The ladies prepare for the downhill

the latest fashion

Description:

Rickmers, Willi Rickmer. Ski-ing for beginners and mountaineers.

New York : C. Scribner’s Sons ; London : T. Fisher Unwin, [1910].

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:1989736

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

In the 1680s, King Narai of Siam, (1633-1688) sent several envoys  to France  with the hopes of  establishing  strong political and economic relations with France.  King Narai’s motivation for this alliance was to deflect the growing Dutch trade and military  influence in and around Siam.  King Louis XIV reciprocated the honor of these special visits by sending his own embassy to Siam in 1685.   King Louis XIV’s objective  was to not only further commercial relations with  Siam and encourage Chrisitian conversion in the East, but also to engage in a scientific expedition of Africa, the Indies, and China.  Three members of the  1685 voyage published their version of the events, with the Jesuit mathematician GuyTachard’s being the most influential and lasting account, eventually translated into English by 1688.  This version is from an original French edition, published in 1687, and contains several fascinating prints depicting geography, culture, customs,  flora and fauna from the journey.

At the Cape of Good Hope

Encountering Zeebras

King Narai on his elephant

Description:

Tachard, Guy. Voyage de Siam des pères Jesuites, envoyés par le roy,

aux Indes & à la Chine :avec leurs observations astronomiques, & leurs

remarques de physique, de géographie, d’hydrographie, & d’histoire.

A Amsterdam : Chez P. Mortier, 1687.

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:5119535

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

Isaac Jenkins, a husband and father of three children, was arrested on July 13th, 1893 by an officer in Nansemond County, Virginia, and charged with selling whiskey without a license. Before he could be formally charged and placed in jail, a lynch mob arrived on the seen.  The mob dragged Isaac Jenkins away where he was viciously beaten, lynched, shot twice, and left for dead.  Remarkably, after the mob dispersed the rope gave way and Jenkins found himself on the ground, alive but severely injured, with abrasions to the neck, head wounds, and, of course, the two bullets in his body.  He somehow staggered 13 miles into Norfolk, but was soon discovered and placed in jail with additional charges. Newspaper editor and social activist, John Mitchell Jr., took up Jenkins cause and found him legal representation.  Although he was acquitted in February 1894, it still took a Governor’s pardon to release Jenkins form jail on May 24, 1894.

Description:

Lynched in Nansemond :not guilty, beaten hanged, and shot yet lives : Isaac Jenkins’ simple narrative, charged with selling whiskey unlawfully : the only case on record. Richmond, Va ; Planet Print, [1893?].

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:5156127

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University

Charles Melville Scammon, was an unconventional man for the 19th century, being both a naturalist and a whaling captain.   Scammon was born in Maine, where he skippered a number of merchant vessels across the Atlantic.  Like many other Americans in 1849, he turned his attention westward with  the Gold Rush in hopes of gaining a better living.  In California, he commanded a number of whaling vessels during the 1860s and 1870s,  becoming the first to hunt the gray whales off the California/Baha coastline and eventually contributing to the near extinction of the species.   Ironically, he was not just an accomplished hunter, but also a careful and passionate observer of marine life and behavior, filling up numerous journals and sketchbooks during his voyages, as well as,  finding opportunities to engage with prominent scientists and naturalists,  such as William Healy Dall.  After decades of hunting voyages,  he  wrote the book The Marine Mammals of the North-western Coast of North America, which covered not only whales, but dolphins, porpoises, seals, walrus, and otters.   Though unsuccessful from a financial standpoint, the work is now considered one of the great volumes on marine life along the Pacific Ocean from this time period.  The work also remains a valuable resource on various aspects of the whaling industry during the 19th century, often foreshadowing the precipitous decline in marine mammals due to hunting and the economic factors driving the industry.   Early on,  Scammon explains his motivation for writing and illustrating the book.

“The objects of our pursuit were found in great numbers, and the opportunities for studying their habits were so good, that I became greatly interested in collecting facts bearing upon the natural history of these animals….I was the more encouraged to pursue these investigations, because, among the great number of intelligent men in command of whaling-ships, there was no one who had contributed anything of importance to the natural history of the Cetaceans …When one of these animals is first captured, but a small part of its colossal form can be seen, as, usually, only a small portion of the middle section of the body is above the water; and when the process of decomposition has caused the animal to rise, so that the whole form is  visible, it is swollen and quite distorted in shape. Again : these animals change their appearance in the most remarkable manner with every change of position, so that it is only from repeated measurements and sketches, and as the result of many comparisons, that I have been able to produce satisfactory illustrations of these monsters of the deep. “

 In another passage he speaks with sensitivity to the plight of the Walrus and the Native Americans who depend upon the animal for survival.

“Among the numerous enemies of the Walrus, it is to be regretted that the whalers are included, they having been driven to the necessity of pursuing them on account of the scarcity of Cetaceans. Already the animals have suffered so great a slaughter at their hands that their numbers have been materially diminished, and they have become wild and shy, making it difficult for the Esquimaux to successfully hunt them, in order to obtain a necessary supply of food. It is stated that there has been much suffering among those harmless people of the far north, on account of this source for supplying themselves with an indispensable article of sustenance being to an alarming extent cut off. “

whales captured in the lagoon

the eye of the whale

humpback with her young

Description:

Scammon, Charles Melville. The marine mammals of the north-western coast of North America :described and illustrated : together with an account of the American whale-fishery. San Francisco : J. H. Carmany ; New York : G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1874.

Persistent Link:

http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:5310164

Repository:

Widener Library

Institution:

Harvard University