Smithsonian Libraries

Edgar Allen Poe, Master of the...Mollusk?

In 1839 Haswell Barrington And Haswell of Philadelphia published The conchologist's first book: a system of testaceous malacology, arranged expressly for the use of schools, in which the animals, according to Cuvier, are given with the shells, a great number of new species added, and the whole brought up, as accurately as possible, to the present condition of the science. by E. A. Poe.  Was Edgar Allen Poe really an amateur naturalist and mollusk enthusiast, or merely an impoverished novelist willing to do anything (even plagiarism!) for a buck? 

In fact, Poe was hired to write the preface and introduction, and to translate from the French Georges Cuvier's descriptions of the animals, but it was Thomas Wyatt who originally wrote the textbook on conchology. In later years, Poe was accused of plagiarism (by his biographer and literary executor R. W. Griswold) but it seems that attributing the authorship to Poe was likely done to increase interest in the title and to avoid copyright issues with Wyatt's original publisher, Harper & Brothers.

To confuse the issue of authorship further, Wyatt's book was largely based on that of Scottish naturalist Thomas Brown, who published his The Conchologist's Textbook... in Glasgow in 1833. 

2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allen Poe.  The conchologist's first book... is the only volume "by" Poe that went to a second edition in his lifetime. The Biodiversity Heritage Library has select editions of all the titles above available in full-text if you'd like to compare for yourself!

For more information on Poe's work on conchology (the study of mollusks) Cornell University has an online exhibition Nevermore: the Edgar Allen Poe colleciton of Susan Jaffe Tane which includes images from Poe's own copy of the first edition; and The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore has bibliographic notes on the work and much more.—Keri Thompson

Chauncey Bradley Ives carte-de-visite - AA/PG Library

recto: Chauncey B. Ives (born Hamden, CT, 1810; died Rome, Italy,1894)
verso: Carte-de-visite photography studio: Ferrando Photographic Studio, Rome, Italy

Chauncey Ives was one of the most popular American sculptors in the last half of the 19th century who worked in the neoclassical style (a style based on the classical works of ancient Greece and Rome). Ives began his career by first sculpting portrait busts and by age thirty he moved to Boston where he was a notable portrait sculptor. After moving to New York where he exhibited at the National Academy of Design, he fell ill and traveled to Florence, Italy for his health. There he met other American sculptors such as Horatio Greenough and Hiram Powers, arguably the most famous American neoclassical sculptor. Exposure to Florence's art treasures encouraged Ives to experiment with classical subjects while continuing to produce portraits. In 1851, Ives moved to Rome where the classical influences of the city were reflected in the idealism of his sculpture.  His works continued to be popular in the United States and often he would make several copies of the same work. For instance, Undine, a work held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, was one of his more popular works and over ten copies were made. 

Later in his career, Ives was commissioned by Connecticut for two of the state's submissions to the United States Capitol National Statuary Hall Collection: Jonathan Trumbull and Roger Sherman.  Through the latter part of his career his studio continued to create replicas while he sculpted portrait busts. He died in Rome in 1894. 

Although no longer as famous as some of his peers, Ives's works can be found in many art museums, the U.S. Capitol, parks, and college campuses.—Doug Litts

New notable additions to AA/PG library in April

Moran, Michael F.  Striking Change: The Great Artistic Collaboration of Theodore Roosevelt and Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Atlanta: Whitman, 2008.  432 p. 

N40.1.S13 M67 2008

Instrumental in creation of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, President Theodore Roosevelt was also a strong supporter of American artists.  This interest in art was also key in his decision to redesign all United States coins in 1905 after meeting with the great American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Saint-Gaudens’s commission resulted in some of the most collectible coins from the United States: the $10 Miss Liberty in an Indian headdress and the $20 gold double eagle. This book provides new look at the life of Saint-Gaudens and the partnership he created with Theodore Roosevelt to reinvigorate the coinage of the United States.

Cozzolino, Robert, Marshall N. Price, and M. Melissa Wolfe.  George Tooker.  London: Merrell, 2008.  191 p.

N40.1.T669 N38 2008

The works of George Tooker (born 1920) are both beautiful and haunting. Associated with the American Magic Realism style which bucked the increasing popularity of abstraction in the mid-twentieth century, Tooker works in egg tempera, a medium that requires meticulous application.  Drawing on Surrealism, Tooker examines modern life with still images that have an unsettling air.  His works are mysterious, complex and often full of tension, suggesting far more than what is simply depicted on the canvas. This catalog coincides with the first major retrospective of Tooker’s work in 30 years.

 Eliasoph, Philip.  Robert Vickrey: The Magic of Realism.  New York: Hudson Hills, 2008.  227 p.

N40.1.V64 E4r 2008

Includes foreword by SAAM Senior Curator Virginia Mecklenburg.

Another artist that works in the exacting medium of tempera, Robert Vickrey also emerged in the American art scene when abstract expressionism was rising to predominance.  Although a realist, Vickrey incorporates surrealist elements into his work, often creating a sense of mystery. This is especially true in his depictions of nuns. Additionally, beginning in 1957, TIME magazine commissioned Vickrey to paint portraits for many of its covers (many of which are now part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection). This book covers the entire career of the artist reproducing many of his works in full color.—Doug Litts

Heralds of Science

The Libraries would like to showcase a few images from its Heralds of Science collection today. Many of the titles can be found in this online show or by searching through Galaxy of Images.

Jan van der Straet, Nova reperta. Speculum diuersarum imaginum speculatiuarum., 1638

Stephen Hales, Vegetable Staticks: or, An Account of Some Statistical Experiments on the Sap in Vegetables, 1727

Staff Notes: Stephen Van Dyk

Librarian Stephen Van Dyk, from the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Library in New York, worked with photographer and design historian Andrew Garn on a new book, Exit to Tomorrow: History of the Future, World's Fair Architecture, Design, Fashion 1933-2005. Stephen wrote a short chapter in this book on how world’s fairs from the 1930s to 1980s  were venues for projecting future trends in architecture, technology, city planning, and international relations. —Susan Frampton

Happy Cuckoo Day

He was but as the cuckoo is in June,
Heard, not regarded.
—William Shakespeare

"Plate 165: Le Coucou de Mindenao," François-Nicolas Martinet, Ornithologie [Histoire des Oiseaux Peints dans Tous Leurs Aspects Apparents et Sensibles] [Ornithology], 1773-1792

The cuckoo who is on to himself is halfway out of the clock.
—Wilson Mizner

"Black-billed Cuckoo," Howard Jones, Illustrations of the nests and eggs of birds of Ohio, 1879-1886

This is the weather the cuckoo likes
And so do I.
—Thomas Hardy

"Plate 54: Le Coucou," François-Nicolas Martinet, Ornithologie [Histoire des Oiseaux Peints dans Tous Leurs Aspects Apparents et Sensibles] [Ornithology], 1773-1792

—Elizabeth Periale

Arbor Day

Happy Arbor Day from Smithsonian Libraries.

Hieronymus Bock, Kreütterbuch darin unterscheidt Nammen und Würckung der Kreütter [Herbal], 1587.

Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition..., 1845.

Oscar H. Will & Co., Thirty Fourth Annual 1917, 1917.

—Elizabeth Periale

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work

Today the Smithsonian Institution is celebrating “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work,” an opportunity for staff to bring their children into the museums and research centers for hands-on learning.  I remember thinking as a child, “What do my mom and dad do all day at work?” This day combines education with fun to give children a glimpse into the mysterious working world.

Organized by Library technicians Richard Naples and Phu Pham, the Libraries participated in this event by hosting “Make Your Own Book with the Libraries.” Young boys and girls created natural history-themed books using felt paper, twigs, crayons, and an array of stickers and other materials. Not only were the children interested in making the colorful twig-bound books, but the parents seemed to get into the project as well, assembling their own book creations and asking questions about the Libraries book conservation techniques. A great time was had by the children, parents, and Smithsonian Libraries staff!—Liz O'Brien

Straw bale building: an old technology in a new environment

Reading Art Molella’s entry on the Museum of American History’s blog, Oh Say Can You See, on Earth Day themes such as sustainable “eco-cities” and souvenirs of Earth Days in the past (from the exhibit Science in American Life) reminded me that the book he mentions, Inventing for the Environment, published by MIT Press in association with the Lemelson Center, included an essay that used the Trade Literature Collection at Smithsonian Libraries.

The book discusses how technology, sometimes considered the villain in the quest for a “greener” world, can be used appropriately and innovatively, potentially enhancing sustainable environments. Kathryn Henderson, Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at Texas A&M University, wrote an essay entitled, “Straw-Bale Building: Using an Old Technology to Preserve the Environment,” which focused on the renewed interest in a technology—constructing buildings with hay or straw bales—that began in the 19th century.

Straw (or hay) bale building is an example of adapting and reusing technology in an environmentally friendly way: one that employs some 20th century technological innovations to help meet today’s more stringent building codes, while embracing the spirit of yesterday's ecologically sound technique. Straw bale houses started in Nebraska in the mid-1800’s as an inexpensive but surprisingly durable method of dwelling construction that has emerged recently as a “green” alternative for shelter construction. Dr. Henderson used some of the library trade catalogs to trace the history of straw-baling equipment. Once the hay balers could produce uniform brick-like bales, the homesteaders and farmers could effectively use the bales to build houses.

One of the catalogs she used is from the Dederick Agricultural and Machine Works (P.K. Dederick’s Sons) in Albany, New York. P.K. Dederick was in inventor and patented several improvements in hay-baling equipment (see image above, left). Another company making hay presses (or hay balers) was Kansas City Hay Press Company in Kansas City, Missouri (see image above, right). Virtually all of the early straw-bale-built homes were constructed in the Midwest and the popular Lightning Press was likely used in Nebraska by straw bale builders, according to Henderson. Though the process is now mechanized, the straw bales themselves are basically still the same. Contemporary straw bale home builders must now comply with building codes that require fire-testing and load-bearing refinements that Nebraska pioneers did not have to contend with. But, as a glance at a search of Google Books for “straw bale building” will show, this seemingly old-fashioned method has been embraced by those who like the tradition and simplicity of the style with its thick walls while the favorable insulation values also attract those looking for more sustainable and energy-saving construction methods.—Jim Roan   

Staff Appreciation

On April 9, the Libraries Staff Progress and Relations Committe (SPARC) hosted its annual Staff Appreciation Party. Libraries staff, armed with goodies, trekked across the National Mall to the National Museum of American Indian’s Patron’s Lounge, which boasts amazing views of the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Botanic Garden. Amidst platters towering with breakfast goodies, lively conversations could be heard at each table.  SPARC members assembled the perfect holiday centerpiece for the tables. After all, what can say “spring” better than a Peep?

Four staff members were recognized for their exceptional service to the Libraries: Freer/Sackler Librarian Kathryn Phillips won the Keystone Award, Administrative Officer Kathy Hill took home the Lifesaver Award, Sheila Riley from Catalog Management swept up the Heart of Gold Award and Sharon Layne from Preservation scored the Superwoman Award. All of these ladies were nominated by co-workers who realized their special dedication to the Libraries over the past year.

The Staff Appreciation Party was a wonderful time for staff to relax, get away from the office and get to know each other better. Thanks to SPARC for organizing this great event! —Liz O'Brien