After I published last week’s musings on our copy of the Declaration I heard this story on NPR about the Library of Congress’s use of hyperspectral imaging to determine word changes in Jefferson’s rough draft. Apparently Jefferson changed the word “subjects” to “citizens,” no small matter. Here’s the official LC news release on the topic.
Upcoming Events
Declaration of Independence
Time is running out to see the Friend or Faux exhibit; its last day is July 11. In honor of the 4th, I thought I’d highlight one of the objects in the “Local Legends” section of the exhibit: the Rosenbach’s “manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence” which shows Thomas Jefferson’s original wording and indicates …
Taking a Fork
Several of the “today in history” websites list an interesting tidbit for June 25: “Fork introduced to American dining by Governor Winthrop” in 1630. As someone fascinated by culinary history, this caught my interest. Sadly, none of the sites gave citations, except to other websites , so I started digging. The June 25, 1630 date …
Bloomsday Bloomed!
Unsurprisingly, the focus around here for the past week was Bloomsday. Everything went really well; thank you to all of you who packed the house for Ulysses 101 on Monday, Declan Kiberd’s talk on Tuesday, and for the readings themselves yesterday. The fact that we moved to our Bloomsday rain location spared the city from …
Finding Your Way Around
First off, a very Happy Birthday to Maurice Sendak, who turns 82 today. Perhaps we can all celebrate by reading a Sendak book–there are scores to choose from. My son’s favorite is Pierre, from the Nutshell Library, while my daughter likes the Little Bear series. Or for the visual among us, check out this clip …
Memorial Day Recap
I hope everyone enjoyed the lovely weather over Memorial Day weekend. As you probably know, the holiday was originally known as Decoration Day and it originated as a way of honoring the Civil War dead. Although most of us no longer visit cemeteries on Memorial Day, the parades and speeches that many of us attend …
Two Terrific Tours
First of all, I think Smithsonian magazine must be stalking the Rosenbach. I noted in a previous blog post that the April issue features a look at Lewis Carroll and then what should I find in the May issue–a story on William Henry Ireland , whose Shakespeare forgeries are currently on display in Friend or …
Bloomsday on the Horizon, Part II: Guest Post by Trustee Steven Rolfe
Great minds think alike! No sooner had I posted my Bloomsday heads-up, when I received a guest blog post about Ulysses from Rosenbach trustee Steven Rolfe, MD. He has some very helpful and practical suggestions on how to survive and enjoy reading Ulysses, so read on for his post: “I came to Ulysses relatively late …
Bloomsday on the Horizon
Amazingly enough, it is almost the end of May, which means that Bloomsday is just around the corner. If you haven’t already marked your calendar for Wednesday, June 16, get out your red pencil now and circle it! On that glorious day the readings will run from noon to 7 PM, so you can stop …
Paige M. Gutenborg
It’s been a quiet week at the Rosenbach. Most of the collections staff has been away, either on vacation or out in Wyoming, installing a traveling Sendak exhibition at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. I have spent the week hunched over my computer, learning the intricacies of Chenhall Nomenclature and editing object information in …