Getting the Rabbit Hole Ready

It’s been a busy week here at the Rosenbach, prepping for the exhibitions that will make up “Down the Rabbit Hole: Celebrating 150 Years of Alice in Wonderland.” The exhibits won’t open until October 14, but here are a few behind-the-scenes shots of the installation process and your favorite Rosenbach staff, hard at work.

Ever the mathematician, Lewis Carroll invented and published rules for a
variation of billiards to be played on a circular table. It’s not clear
if he ever had a full size version of the table built, but as part of
“Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk: Lewis Carroll’s Puzzles and Games,”
we figured we’d go ahead and create a playable version.  In this photo, Christina Doe, our fabulous facilities manager, is trying to make a level playing surface while the table is perched on our decidedly un-level floor.

Here Christina and our registrar, Jobi Zink, are testing out the table with a sample game.

Here’s another shot of part of the puzzles and games gallery. We’re making progress, but there’s still much work to be done.

We’ve also starting work on the gallery that will house “Wonderland Rules: Alice at 150.” We’ve patched and painted (hence the protective wrapping on the fireplace, chandelier and sconces) and gotten most of the cases into the room. Now we’re ready to start transforming a bare room into an awesome exhibit.

We have a wide variety of exhibit cases at the Rosenbach, but the glass one present their own special challenges in moving. Here Patrick Rodgers and Christina show their skills.

So that’s some of what we’ve been up to here at the Rosenbach. Just a reminder that we will be CLOSED this weekend because of the papal events, but we will reopen as usual on Tuesday.