Recently in Exhibitions Category

A new exhibition at the Princeton University Art Museum features items borrowed from the Princeton University Archives.  Princeton and the Gothic Revival: 1870-1930 is a look into "Americans' changing attitudes to the art, architecture, and style of the Middle Ages through the lens of Princeton University around the turn of the twentieth century" and opens to the public this Saturday, February 25, 2012.

Alexander Hoyle for Cram and Ferguson, architects

The exhibit includes 10 items loaned from the Princeton University Archives, including the signature image for the exhibition, a watercolor of the University Chapel (above). Other items include architectural drawings of the Marquand Chapel, Holder Hall, Madison Hall and the South Court Tower, and some suggested additions for the university library from 1898, which at that time was housed in Chancellor Green.

One piece needed some intricate and delicate conservation efforts from University Paper Conservator Ted Stanley. A watercolor of the proposed exterior of the A. Page Brown, Class of 1877 Biological Laboratory had split in half. Stanley was able to restore the watercolor and the board it was mounted on to its original form to hide the separation.  We challenge you to find the seam!

This is the first time that any of the archives material has been loaned and displayed at the Princeton Art Museum. The exhibit will run from February 25th to June 24, 2012

For more about Princeton and the Gothic Revival: 1870-1930 or the Princeton Art Museum, visit their website.

The Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University invites visitors to view the new exhibit, "She Flourishes: Chapters in the History of Princeton Women," which documents the struggles and accomplishments of women scholars, students, staff and other women associated with the institution. The exhibit is open now through the end of August, 2012.

The exhibit title is derived from the University's official motto, Dei Sub Numine Viget, which translates to "Under God's Power, She Flourishes." Drawing from the library's rich holdings, the exhibit showcases various accounts of women throughout Princeton's history and explores the ways in which these women have redefined what was once considered an "old-boys' school." 

As a continuation of our series on our 2011 Annual Report, please see a description of our work in exhibitions, public relations, and outreach:

• The John F. Kennedy exhibition assembled by Nicole Milano in August 2010 was very well-received, so much that we extended its run through the end of August 2011. In addition, in March Mudd co-hosted a panel with the Woodrow Wilson School entitled “JFK and Civil Rights: 50 Years After” that filled Dodds auditorium. John Doar ’44 and Nicolas Katzenbach ’45 were the highlights of the panel that reminisced about their service in US Justice Department in the first half of the 1960s. A dinner in the Garden Room at Prospect followed where over 50 people dined with the speakers, including President Shirley Tilghman.

• Mudd hosted an Open House on Saturday, October 23, featuring the exhibit and stacks tours that attracted 17 people.

• The Mudd blog continues to be a source of information on new collections, interesting reference inquiries, digital collections, staff, accessions and finding aids, and other library news. We created 25 new entries last year. Mudd continued to expand its embrace of social media this year by adding a new blog, The Reel Mudd, devoted to providing access to our audiovisual media, with 58 entries featuring over 85 films. We also launched Facebook and Twitter sites. At the conclusion of the fiscal year, our Facebook page had over 200 monthly active users and we had more than 200 wall posts, a significant number of those originating from our Twitter account where we deliver the “This Day in Princeton History” facts.

• In conjunction with Alumni Day, Mudd Library assisted Theatre Intime’s 90^th anniversary dinner in February. Student members assembled an exhibition in the Harlan Room that was viewed prior to the dinner which was served in the reading room.

• Dan Linke continues to serve on the Princetoniana Committee and assists the group with its Oral History project.

Primarily known as a Major League catcher and coach, Morris “Moe” Berg was also a spy for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II, as well as a lawyer, linguist, and Princeton graduate. As a member of the class of 1923, Berg excelled scholastically and athletically by graduating with honors in Modern Languages (he studied Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Sanskirt), and playing first base and shortstop for the Princeton Tigers. While his batting average was low- Berg inspired a Major League scout to utter the phrase, “Good field, no hit”- he was known at Princeton for his strong arm and sound baseball instincts.[i]