Houghton Library Blog

Collections Now Available for Research: May 2018

15 May 2018 John Overholt Collections in Focus Now Available for Research

Houghton Library is pleased to announce that the following collections now have descriptive finding aids and are available for research in the library’s reading room.

José María Castañé Collection of German Wartime Propaganda Flyers in Russian, 1942-1944 (MS Russ 144) – processed by Irina Klyagin

Angna Enters Collection, 1929-1962, and undated (MS Thr 1784) – processed by Betts Coup

T.T. Gill Scene Designs, circa 1900-1930 (MS Thr 1779) – processed by Betts Coup

Father Michael J. Gillgannon Collection of Missionary Writings on Bolivia, circa 1976-2002 (MS Am 3172) – processed by Magdaline Lawhorn

David Hilberman “The Mother Of Us All” Designs, 1947-1965 (MS Thr 1781) – processed by Betts Coup

George Holland Papers, circa 1817-1869 (MS Thr 1786) – processed by Melanie Wisner

Joan Personette Costume Designs, circa 1940s (MS Thr 1782) – processed by Betts Coup

Daniel Rabel ballet drawings, 1625-1626 (MS Thr 1775) – processed by Betts Coup

Alekseĭ Remizov Letters to Boris Ungebaun with Related Papers, 1920-1963 (MS Russ 143) – processed by Magdaline Lawhorn

Theatrical Portrait Photographs (TCS 28) – processed by Betts Coup

Theatrical Scene Photographs (TCS 29) – processed by Betts Coup

Jo Ellis Tracy ballet drawings, circa 1990-1999 (MS Thr 1776) – processed by Betts Coup

Wulkan Family Theatrical Cabinet Cards, circa 1880-1900 (MS Thr 1773) – processed by Magdaline Lawhorn

Born-Digital Blog Post #4: Digital Forensic Workstation

3 May 2018 2 responses 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, Administrative Fellow & Project Archivist, for contributing this post.

A functional workstation is pivotal to every archivist’s work, especially when dealing with the born-digital environment that always appears to be in flux. Initially Houghton’s digital forensic workstation (DFW) was based on preliminary findings that reflected a small set of materials from a select number of collections. Presently the DFW toolkit is comprised of basic hardware and software with a few more advanced elements.

The first things every DFW needs are fundamental tools: computer, keyboard, mouse, and a suitable desk. Our workstation is outfitted with two tools that allow us to capture, store, and process our born-digital materials, the Mac Mini 2.3 and the G-Raid Mini. The Mac Mini 2.3 is an asset because it is a portable computer that has the capacity to run a virtual machine (an operating system or application environment that is installed with software, which imitates dedicated hardware). Likewise the G Raid mini is a portable device with a dual-drive storage system that acts as immediate but temporary storage.

Digital Forensics Workstation (DFW)

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Langdon Warner through his Archive

30 April 2018 ameze Research

Langdon Warner, 1908, during his first trip to Japan as a Harvard Sheldon Travelling Fellow.

In 2016, I stumbled across a surprising body of materials at Houghton Library while conducting research for my dissertation project on the establishment of East Asian art history as a discipline in the United States, circa 1900-1960. I had been aware for some time of the life and legacy of Langdon Warner (1881-1955)—the first curator of Asian art at the Harvard Fogg Museum. Like many others, I was cognizant of Warner’s involvement with two expeditions taken on behalf of the Fogg Museum in the 1920s to western China. Warner’s actions on these trips have long overshadowed a lifetime of study, teaching, and travel. However, my research concerned his role as an early American educator in the field of East Asian art history. Having already examined the Warner materials at other repositories across campus, I expected to find only a small body of letters and journals related to Warner’s expeditions in the Houghton collections.

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Announcing Houghton Library Visiting Fellows 2018-2019

23 April 2018 ameze Houghton Fellows News

Each year, Houghton Library awards visiting fellowships to support scholars whose research requires extensive use of the library’s collections. We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018-2019 awards, including two inaugural fellowships: the Maryette Charlton Fellowship for the Performing Arts, and Donald and Mary Hyde Fellowship for Research in Early Modern Black Lives, including Africa and the African Diaspora, 1500-1800. For an insight into the projects and experiences of former Houghton fellows, please read blog posts here.

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More Mystery Film Stills

17 April 2018 12 responses John Overholt Collections in Focus

We received an enthusiastic response to our first post on uncaptioned film stills in our Ludlow-Santo Domingo Collection, including a very nice writeup in the Boston Globe. Thanks to all who posted comments to help us identify those mystery movies. It seemed like readers had fun with the process, so we’ve asked the cataloger of the collection, Elise Ramsey, to provide us with another batch. As last time, please post a comment if you know what movie or performer is shown, and be sure to include the number of the photo.

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