Technical Services John Jeffries (1745-1819) A Narrative of Two Aerial Voyages of Dr. Jeffries with Monsieur Blanchard autograph manuscript (signed); London, 1785 This manuscript diary covers pioneering aeronaut John Jeffries’ two balloon flights during which he performed meteorological experiments (the second flight was the first aerial crossing of the English

Technical Services Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) Theatrum Orbis Terrarium (Antwerp, 1574) First published in 1570, Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarium (Theatre of the World) is considered the first modern atlas, a cultural watershed and commercial success reprinted in twenty-five editions in the author’s lifetime. Buyers could choose either an ordinary version with

Technical Services William Blake (1757-1827) Illustrations of the Book of Job (London, 1825, i.e., 1826) At the age of fifteen, the English painter and portraitist George Richmond (1809-1896) met William Blake, who made a deep impression on him. Richmond became a member of The Ancients, a group of Blake’s artistic

Collections Boston Bijou Theatre Company Edison Light Bulb, ca. 1882 No technical innovation spurred the development of modern scenic design more than the incandescent bulb. We owe to it the thrill of anticipation before a performance as the house lights fade to black—an effect gas lamps had never been able

Collections Leaf from the Tarleton Book of Hours Paris, ca. 1430 This leaf illuminated with an initial of St. Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read contains the Suffrage of St. Anne from the Tarleton Book of Hours. Houghton acquired the leaf at auction as an example of the work

Harvard Review John B. Stetson Hat Company T.S. Eliot’s Panama Straw Hat Among the more curious items in Houghton Library’s storied Z-Closet of non-book objects is this hat once owned by the Modernist writer T. S. Eliot. Purchased at the Harvard Cooperative Society, the hat bears Eliot’s gilt-stamped initials –

Public Services Kalendario Manual, y Guia de Forasteros en Madrid (Madrid, 1781) Les Veillées de la Chaumière (Paris, 1807) Etrennes Mignones, Curieuses et Utiles (Paris, 1750) In centuries past pocket-calendars or almanacs were popular etrennes, or New Year’s gifts, and elaborately decorated bindings would have made these gifts distinctive, particularly

Technical Services Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) Justine, ou, Les Malheurs de la Vertu (Paris, 1791) This first edition of the Marquis de Sade’s Justine bears an unusual mark – it’s been punctured clean through. A bookseller’s description pasted inside explains: shortly after its publication, this copy was nailed to a

Technical Services Madeline Karr (life dates unknown) Letter to Freda Kirchwey, 4 August 1948 In August of 1948, Freda Kirchwey was fifty-five years old and owner-editor of the Nation, the often militantly liberal and oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. She was known for sketching faces on

Collections McCandlish Lithographic Corporation The Greatest Show on Earth Presents 50 Famous Elephants with Beautiful Girls, 1942 By the 1940s many regarded the circus as old fashioned, prompting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to bring in a bevy of talented artists and designers to modernize the show.…