Author: Holly Mengel
-
Ghostly hints of lives lived
Stephan Loewentheil and William H. Miller, III, recently gifted the Kislak Center one of the most amazing collections on which I have had the privilege to work … the Edward S. Curtis collection of interpositive glass plates and papers, 1899-1929. While the bulk of the gift consists of 168 interpositive glass plates used in the…
-
PennRare and Unique at Penn … better together!
I am delighted to announce that Unique at Penn has a new look and new-ish content! And we are super excited to think that future content will show the full spectrum of our special collections community … from those who acquire, to those who make available, to those who teach with and use the material.…
-
The World through Ursula Sternberg’s Eyes
One of my favorite parts of my job as an archivist is to be able to step into the shoes of someone long gone and see the world through their eyes. This probably stems from my girlhood (and if I am honest, adulthood) crush on Atticus Finch, who told Scout, “you never really understand a…
-
The World of Nadar … at your fingertips
Research collections are not usually my favorite collections to process … I recognize their usefulness; but I miss the personal components that allow me to get to know the creator and the worlds in which they lived. The Thomas Waldman research collection on Nadar, however, is amazing … it is a French intellectual history class…
-
Lemons or Lemonade? Thomas H. Jones picks Lemonade
It will probably come as no surprise to faithful readers of this blog that I have fallen in love again. My newest historical boyfriend is Thomas H. Jones, a Black soldier in the 4407th Quartermasters Service Company who served in Europe during World War II. We know, from plenty of evidence, that Blacks were not…
-
Joseph Castaldo’s Graphic Score
Joseph Castaldo (1927-2000) was a composer of classical music and a teacher of music theory and composition. He was a talented musician, but at the very early age of 11, he had begun to compose his own pieces and after he returned to the United States after a stint in the United States Army Band…
Unique at Penn 