Smithsonian Libraries

Mark Twain's birthday

On this day in 1835 the author, inventor, investor, steamboat captain, social rights advocate and adventurer Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. Better known by his pen name Mark Twain he is still famous today for his wit, boldness and mustache. He has become an American icon and the inspiration for countless documentaries, impersonators, and works of fiction.

In his twenties Twain worked as a river boat captain along the Mississippi and in doing so made a good living. However, with the coming of the Civil War travel along the river slowed and Twain headed west with a brother. He traveled in a stage coach for weeks seeing the Rockies, Great Plains and surrounding area. Both his experience of the untamed west and the time spent on the river had an undeniable influence on his writings and his vision of and for America.

An unusually prolific author he published over 60 works between 1867 and his death in 1910. Some of the most famous include:

• Roughing It (1872)
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
• The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
• Life on the Mississippi (1883)
• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)

Twain was especially gifted in the blending of humor and social commentary into the same work creating something that was both entertaining and enlightening. He believed “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” Always outspoken he was a staunch supporter of the abolition, emancipation, and Women’s Suffrage. Moving within the liberal circles of 19th century American Twain came into contract with other activists and philanthropists of the time including Henry H. Rogers and Helen Keller.

Mark Twain was a gifted and free-thinking American who believed in justice and honesty. Often called “the father of American literature” his pioneering interest in the American identity has undoubtedly shaped how we see ourselves today. Through some of his most famous works, such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (December 1884), Twain explored what are today considered quintessentially American concepts such as freedom, adventure and the great outdoors.

A longtime supporter of parapsychology research, there are those who believe Twain predicted his own death. In 1909 he wrote:

    I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.

On April 20, 1910 one day after Halley’s Comet brushed Earth Samuel Langhorne Clemens died in Redding, Connecticut of a heart attack.

Mark Twain Quotes:

“A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.”

 “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.”

“All generalizations are false, including this one.”

 “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

“It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

”Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

—Miranda Metcalf, American Art Museum/National Portrait Gallery Library Fall intern

Image source: McClure's Magazine, June 1896, from AA/PG Library Vertical File Collection

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• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Simple English) by Mark Twain (slideshare.net)

Mickey Mouse debuts in sound in 1928

After losing the rights to his original animated character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney created a new character named Mortimer Mouse who was quickly renamed Mickey Mouse. Mickey first starred in two silent cartoons in 1928: Plane Crazy and Gallopin' Gaucho.  However, Mickey's third animated appearance, in Steamboat Willie, released on November 18, 1928 had sound—and the rest is history. 

Steamboat Willie propelled Mickey Mouse to stardom, becoming Walt Disney's most popular character and one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world.  Initially he was drawn by Ub Iwerks with Walt himself providing Mickey's voice. By 1932 Walt Disney had received a special Oscar for the creation of Mickey Mouse.

Mickey would go on to star in more than one hundred shorts, appear in the 1940 movie Fantasia as the Sorcerer's Apprentice, and serve as the mascot of The Mickey Mouse Club, one of the most popular children's shows of 1950s. Mickey continues to be one of the most recognizable cartoon characters to this day, with his popularity never seeming to wane.

The two books above are just two examples from the Smithsonian American Art / National Portrait Gallery Library's pop up book collection featuring Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse and the Martian Mix Up and Mickey Mouse Waddle Book. Other libraries, including the Cooper Hewitt Library and the National Museum of American History Library also have material featuring this famous fellow.—Doug Litts

New notable additions to AA/PG library in November

O'Connor, Mallory M. and Gary Monroe. Florida's American Heritage River: Images from the St. Johns Region. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2009.

Once called the "Nile of the Americas" because of its exotic locale and northward flow, the St. Johns River has been an integral part of the history of Florida. Stretching for 310 miles up the length of Florida before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, the waterway has served as a lifeline for the peninsula. This book explores how the river and its watershed has been viewed over the centuries by the many different ways mankind has interacted with it. The book is illustrated with hundreds of images that reflect the various views of the river from prehistoric times through modern day. The authors use images, artifacts, and objects in order to be led to narratives about the waterway resulting in a vivid picture of a vital river.

Updegrove, Mark K.  Baptism by Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis.  New York, NY: Thomas Dunne, 2009.

The office of the President of the United States is never an easy ride.  However, whereas some Presidents get a "honeymoon" period where they are able to ride on the goodwill offered to a new leader, some coming into the office were not afforded the luxury of easing into the position. Many have had to hit the ground running facing crises in their first day of office. The author examines eight presidents who immediately started their term in times of adversity: Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Tyler, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Ford. By examining their actions and words the author strives to inspire hope and confidence in the the future of the United States.

Schoonover, John R., Louise Schoonover Smith, and LeeAnn Dean.  Frank E. Schoonover Catalogue Raisonné.  New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press, 2009.

Frank Schoonover (1877-1972) was born in New Jersey and studied under Howard Pyle at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia. Although settling in Delaware, Schoonover became famous for his outdoor illustrations and especially western scenes. Living what he drew and painted, Schoonover traveled to Canada and Alaska in 1903 through great stretches of wilderness. He also traveled out to the West of the United States and he began long-term relationships with such authors as Zane Grey, Jack London, and James Willard Schultz, whose articles and books Schoonover later illustrated. Over his lifetime he illustrated over 200 books and created illustrations for many magazines. Living in Wilmington, Schoonover helped organize the creation of the Delaware Art Museum. For the first time the entire artistic output of this prolific illustrator has been gathered and reproduced in this two-volume set.

Barra, Allen. Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee.  New York: W. W. Norton, 2009.

Three-time American League MVP and ten-time World Series champion, Yogi Berra is one of the most famous (and quoted) former athletes in the United States. Born to Italian immigrants during the Great Depression, he rose to fame playing for the New York Yankees after World War II. After his playing career, he coached and managed pennant-winning teams in both leagues. Throughout his career he never lost his popularity, buoyed by his continuing ability to win as player or manager as well as his sharp wit (and stream of commercial endorsements). This book is a comprehensive look at the lifetime of this great ballplayer and is illustrated with close to one hundred illustrations. It offers a new in-depth look at an American icon.—Doug Litts

Vertical File Collection at the AA/PG Library

Vertical files in art museums and libraries are repositories of “ephemera” -- things that are not intended to last a long time. Among other things, the ephemera collected in the artist files may be: announcements of exhibitions, small catalogs, press releases, clippings from various print sources, and correspondences.

The vertical file collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum / National Portrait Gallery Library (AA/PG) supports the mission of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery. The mission for all of the Smithsonian is for ‘The increase and diffusion of knowledge’. In this particular case the knowledge relates to the understanding of the American Experience especially in the visual arts.

The vertical file collection is extremely valuable to researchers not only because of its age and depth but because of the "ephemeral" nature of material in the files.  Since these objects were not meant to be retained, a lot of them are very rare.  Additionally their historical value is very high. The AA/PG Library’s Vertical File Collection, housed in a climate controlled room, is heavily used by curators, historians, interns, fellows, and outside researchers who may travel quite a distance to view the contents of particular vertical file. The artist files that are available can be searched in an online database.

 
 

Future blog postings will highlight examples of some of the material housed in the AA/PG Library’s Vertical Files. Today we feature objects from the file of the American artist John Sloan.

Born in 1871, John Sloan started his artistic career as a newspaper illustrator for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Press. In 1904, he moved from Philadelphian to New York. In 1908, he exhibited at the Macbeth Gallery with  Arthur Davies, William Glackens, Robert Henri, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, Maurice Prendergast, and Everett Shinn. Eventually, this group of artists became known as “The Eight”.  Although their artistic styles were different their philosophy was basically the same: a sympathetic study of all of human existence. Later, this interest in everyday life, especially in poor neighborhoods, led to their work to be labeled “The Ashcan School”. Although he loved the city life, Sloan spent most summers in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  During these sojourns he came in contact with the aesthetic traditions of American Indian Art which he decided to promote. At the Grand Central Galleries in New York City, in November 1931, as president of the Society of Independent Artists, Sloan attempted to present the first comprehensive exhibition of all Indian tribes that were living in the United States.—Alice Clarke

Top image (left to right):

• Checklist of an "Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings by John Sloan at the C.M. Kraushaar Art Galleries, March 19th to April 7 1917"
• Bulletin from the Delaware Art Museum, spring 1978 describing the donation of the Sloan archives by his wife Helen Farr Sloan

Bottom image (left to right):

• Exhibition announcement for "Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts", Grand Central At Galleries, November 1931 (found in the Institutional file for Grand Central Art Galleries), Winter 1956
• Philadelphia Museum Bulletin featuring the exhibition "John Sloan Memorial: His Complete Graphic Work"
• Checklist of an exhibition in 1963 for "Drawings and Prints by John Sloan 1871-1951" at the Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, NY

This is Why You Should Never Judge a Book by its Cover

In my work as a rare materials cataloger, some very remarkable books cross my desk. And although I've learned that even the most plain-looking books can hold surprises, I was taken completely unaware by this unassuming, even drab, volume with its crumbling leather spine and torn paper label on the front cover.

Hmm, what does the label say? 'Sales Book', maybe?

So it's probably an old account book full of crabbed handwriting and calculations, but surely it has something of interest for a researcher, or it wouldn't have wound up here. Let's see what it is.

Here is the front cover of fNK8805.P38 1912 CHMRB:

Carefully, I open the volume, trying not to make the binding crumble even further.

Oh my!! 

THIS IS AMAZING!!! 

You've GOT to SEE THIS!! 

WOW!!! 

 The other catalogers, alerted by my gasps, crowd around to admire the contents.

The book is filled with amazing swatches of colorful silk fabrics; see below for some examples.

So, what on earth is this lovely book?!

Recently acquired by the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library (CHM) branch of the Libraries, this volume is indeed an old account book, with manuscript ink annotations from an unidentified early 20th century printing company from the New York City area. But the pages are unexpectedly filled with nearly 600 glorious swatches of beautiful silk fabrics featuring the most gorgeous, brightly-colored patterns. The Art-Deco era designs and the fine woven textures are absolutely stunning. Looking at the album, various questions cross my mind. Where did these fabric swatches come from, and why were they pasted in this account book? And if I only have a vague idea of the answers, how can I describe this book so that anyone who would be interested in it will even know that it exists?

Well, fortunately there are a few clues to help narrow down the possibilities. The handwritten notes on the pages are dated from 1911 and 1912. The fabric swatches are probably later than that, although they could have been created in an earlier time and simply inserted in the book by a collector after 1912. Since the book contains the business records of a New York City-area firm, and New York has long been a center of the fashion industry, it's likely that the person who pasted in the swatches was also from that region. This hunch is confirmed by CHM librarian Stephen van Dyk, who bought the volume at auction in Boonton, New Jersey. The auction house described the fabrics as originating from Paterson, New Jersey (Mr. van Dyk's hometown!), the main center of the silk textile manufacturing industry in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Following a prolonged strike in 1913 of Paterson's dye workers and silk workers who wanted eight-hour workdays, higher wages, and better working conditions, many of the textile factories closed down or moved elsewhere. If the fabric samples pasted in this volume were created in the mills of Paterson, then it's likely that they date to approximately this period.

Some of the tougher questions raised by this book of fabric swatches remain unanswered for now. Who carefully collected and mounted these lovely samples in the account book, and what connection might there be between the unidentified printing company whose records are written in the pages of this volume and the collector and producer of the textiles? Was it a sample book to show to potential customers? Did a dressmaker adapt the cast-off manuscript ledger as a scrapbook to keep souvenirs of the beautiful fabrics that he or she had used? Perhaps the samples were kept by the child of someone who worked with the fabrics? Although the purpose, the source, and the collector remain unknown, this amazing scrapbook is now available at the Cooper-Hewitt Library for consultation by researchers and anyone interested in the history and design of American textiles.—Diane Shaw

[Patterned silk textiles sample book] fNK8805 .P38 1912 CHMRB

 

Charles Caryl Coleman carte-de-visite - AA/PG Library

Recto: Charles Caryl Coleman  (born Buffalo, NY, 1840; died Capri, Italy, 1928)

Verso: Carte-de-visite photographer: Lorenzo Suscipj (1802-1885), Rome, Italy

A native of Buffalo New York and nephew of an auctioneer and gallery owner, Charles Caryl Coleman began his artistic training from William H. Beard, a local painter. However, in 1856 he traveled to Paris and after three years then went to Florence where for two years he studied at the Accadèmia Galli.  While in Florence he became close friends with Elihu Vedder, another American artist.  When the American Civil War broke out, he returned to the United States in September 1862 to serve in the 100th Regiment of the New York Volunteers. However, in 1863 he was shot in the jaw in South Carolina and was discharged honorably. He briefly set up a studio in New York City, but by 1866 he was back in France with his friend Vedder.  By December 1866 Coleman was in Rome where he established a studio for ten years during which he traveled widely in Italy and several times back to the United States.

In 1886 he moved to the island of Capri where he had bought the famous Villa Narcissus.  At Capri, Coleman joined a community of expatriates and later acted as a leader of a colony of American and British painters that were on the island (including Vedder). Coleman also transformed a part of his Villa Narcissus into a "palace of art" filled with antiquities of various ages and his own artwork.

Coleman worked in a realist style, but over time decorative elements progressively entered into his work. His surroundings also naturally influenced him and he incorporated many classical elements and motifs in both his paintings and his hand-crafted frames. Although he focused on portraiture initially, he later turned to still lifes and figural works. He is most known for architectural depictions infused with classical and Italian elements. Coleman was also known for his landscapes—especially of Italian vistas. One notable landscape series featured many views of Mt. Vesuvius and effects of smoke and light on the volcano and the Bay of Naples. He also painted a few murals including one for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

He lived in Capri throughout the rest of his life, but Coleman still kept strong ties to the United States, receiving several commissions from American patrons. Although lesser-known nowadays, his works are held in several museum collections and are prized for their "decorative elegance."—Doug Litts

Sources: Dearinger, David B., ed. Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design.  New York: Hudson Hills, 2004.

Greer, Gina and Andrea Smith.  American Paintings 1860-1940.  New York: Vance Jordan Fine Art, 2000.

Stebbins, Theodore E., Jr. The Lure of Italy: American Artists and the Italian Experience 1760-1914.  New York: Abrams, 1992.

New notable additions to AA/PG library in October

Balkan, Debra Bricker.  After Many Springs: Regionalism, Modernism & the Midwest. Des Moines, IA: Des Moines Art Center, 2009.

The decades after the stock market crash of 1929 were critical in the development of American art in the 20th century. These decades were marked by a debate within artistic circles between modernists who were influenced by the art being created in Europe and the artists who sought to revive traditional "American" art.  While the modernists populated the circles of Alfred Stieglietz and Marcel Duchamp in New York City, the more traditional Regionalists looked to Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood led by the critic Thomas Craven. Although these two trends are often seen as opposites, this book seeks to highlight correlations between the two by analyzing forms and themes of the artwork produced during this formative period.

Asim, Jabari.  What Obama Means...for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future.  New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009.

With the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, a new step was taken in the African American struggle to achieve civil rights and equality. This book places the election of Obama within a evolutionary political history of African American focusing on such figures as Martin Luther King Jr. and Shirley Chisholm and such oratory luminaries as Barbara Jordan. However, the author positions Obama within trends of popular culture such as entertainment and sports and looks at him in relation to other famous black Americans who broke boundaries and challenged traditions. As a cultural critic, Asim provides a look at the President both within the pantheon of African American leadership and as a development in continuing evolution of the black American experience.

Kraskin, Sandra, et al.  Rediscovering Slobodkina: A Pioneer of American Abstraction.  New York, NY: Hudson Hills, 2009.

Esphyr Slobodkina was born in 1908 in Chelyabinsk, Siberia and in 1928 traveled to New York City to study at the National Academy of Design.  In 1937 she was one of the founders of American Abstract Artists and became a pioneer of American abstract art. During the 1930s and 1940s she helped interpret European modernism for American artists and viewers and worked to achieve appreciation for abstract art in the United States. Slobodkina also did not limit herself to painting. She first illustrated children's books in a collage style and then went on to write and illustrate her own books, including Caps for Sale a perennial favorite of children over the year. She also designed buildings, murals, clothing, and textiles. Although she faded in importance with the rise of Abstract Expressionism in the 1950s (which she rejected) she has since been reestablished as an important pioneer of American Abstract Art.

Solomon, Burt.  FDR v. The Constitution: The Court-Packing Fight and the Triumph of Democracy.  New York: Walker & Co., 2009.

During his first term, Franklin Roosevelt worked to enact his New Deal to help bring the United States out of the Great Depression. However, many of his initiatives were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. After winning a sizable majority in the next election, Roosevelt initiated a plan to enlarge the Supreme Court from nine justices to as many as fifteen. This book examines ensuing fight between the President and Congress including those from his own party. The author focuses both on the machinations of a popular president and the key figures that opposed him and ultimately succeeded in preventing a change in the make up of the court.—Doug Litts

New notable additions to AA/PG library in September

Bobrick, Benson.  Master of War: The Life of General George H. Thomas.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.

Although during his time he was considered by some to be the greatest Civil War Union general, George H. Thomas' reputation faded in contrast to those of Ulysses S. Grant and William Sherman and as a result, Thomas is much less famous than the other two today. The author tries to correct this. Among his many accomplishments, Thomas gave the Union its first major victory at Mill Springs, Tennessee, helped secure Middle Tennesee, saved the day at Chickamauga, destroyed Hood's army in Nashville to end the war in the West, and used his spy network to help capture Jefferson Davis in Georgia. He was also the only Union general to destroy two Confederate armies. Bobrick's book traces the life of Thomas and his many accomplishments in order to reestablish the fame and distinction of the general.

Chana, Leonard F., Susan Lobo, and Barbara Chana.  The Sweet Smell of Home: The Life and Art of Leonard F. Chana.  Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 2009.

Leonard F. Chana (1950-2004) was a self-taught artist from the Tohono O'odham Nation in southern Arizona. In the 1980s Chana began creating art often depicting life in the Tohono O'odham community. He also used his art to address struggles confronted by indigenous peoples and many of his works were used for posters and logos for community-based Native American organizations. His artwork provides a view into Native worlds and also serves as a means of recovery both personally and for his community. Through the artwork and interviews with the artist, this book depicts and celebrates the life of the Tohono O'odham people and this artist's unique vision.

Ferling, John.  The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon.  New York: Bloomsbury, 2009.

George Washington played one of the most important roles in the creation of the United States, by serving as the leader of the Virginia army in the French and Indian War, commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, president of the Constitutional Congress, and the first president of the United States. Portrayed as the American version of the ancient Roman Cincinnatus, Washington has been portrayed as a self-effacing patriot unsullied by politics. While Washington's character has been analyzed by biographers, Ferling focuses on Washington's political activities. This book reveals that far from being above the fray of politics, Washington was a highly political individual as a young man until the last years of his life. The author presents the father of the country as a real-life person with political ambitions and who cannily used politics to further his interests.

Gambone, Robert L.  Life on the Press: The Popular Art and Illustrations of George Benjamin Luks.  Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2009.

George Benjamin Luks (1866-1933) was a member of a group of realist artists known as "the Eight" or the "Ashcan school" which depicted the grittier side of life in American cities, especially New York City and Philadelphia. Although well-known for his paintings, Luks first established a career as a newspaper artist-reporter. His sketches for books, newspapers, and journals span four decades and provide a revealing look at urban America. Although his painting became more well-known, Luks continued to draw and publish his sketches. This book reviews his graphic work spanning his career and provides new insights into an artist looking closely at the urban American condition.—Doug Litts

Charles F. Blauvelt carte-de-visite - AA/PG Library

Recto: Charles F. Blauvelt  (born New York, NY, 1824; died Greenwich, CT,1900)

Verso: Carte-de-visite photographer: H. G. DeBurlo, Philadelphia, PA

Charles Blauvelt was a notable portrait and genre painter in the United States during the mid-to-late nineteenth century.  Born in New York City, Blauvelt came of age during the time when around 4 million immigrants came to the United States through the city during 1840-1860.  As a result many of his genre paintings depict immigrants.

Living in New York, Blauvelt began training as an artist in 1844 at the National Academy of Design.  He studied to be a portraitist and set up shop in New York City.  However, by the mid-1850s he began focusing on painting genre scenes, especially those that depicted immigrants.  The arrival of so many immigrants into the New York City ports provided Blauvelt with ample subject material.  For instance, his The German Immigrant Inquiring His Way (1855) in the North Carolina Museum of Art depicts an old German soldier asking directions from an African-American woodchopper.  Blauvelt first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1847 and participated regularly in its annual exhibitions until 1868.  In fact, a critic for the New York Herald in 1855 noted The German Immigrant in a review of the show and his genre scenes were quite popular and continued to bring the artist success.

In 1862 Blauvelt moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he exhibited in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he was elected as a member in 1864.  However, by 1867 the artist moved back to New York City and then to Yonkers, New York.  In 1872 he became a drawing instructor at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland where he remained on the faculty until 1898.  In 1900 he died in Greenwich, Connecticut. 

Blauvelt's portraits and genre paintings are held in collections all over the United States.  His genre paintings that specialized in immigrants, poor people, and modest settings continue to be appreciated for the artist's skill in capturing atmosphere and environmental details.

Sources:

Dearinger, David B., ed.  Paintings and Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design.  New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2004.

Henning, William T., Jr.  Catalogue of the American Collection : Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga, TN: Hunter Museum of Art, 1985.

Koke, Richard J., ed.  American Landscape and Genre Paintings in the New-York Historical Society : A Catalog of the Collection, Including Historical, Narrative, and Marine Art.  New York: New York Historical Society, 1982.

New notable additions to AA/PG library in August

 Monroe, Gary.  The Highwaymen Murals: Al Black's Concrete Dreams.  Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2009.

In 1960, a group of African American artists in Florida with no formal training began painting depictions of the Sunshine State's landscape.  These artists worked quickly and produced iconic images of the state which quickly became popular so that by the end of the decade twenty six artists were creating charming and vibrant works of art.  Among them was Al Black who excelled in marketing the group's works.  During the 1980s the popularity of the group's work subsided and the market for their work disappeared.  In 1997, Black was convicted of fraud and was incarcerated in the Central Florida Reception Center where Black continued his work by creating murals in the facility.  This book documents his life story and the more than one hundred murals that liven up the walls in the correctional facility.

Nielsen, Kim E.  Beyond the Miracle Worker: The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller.  Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.

Overshadowed by her famous student Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan Macy's life was also inspirational.  The child of Irish immigrants, Macy suffered from severely diminished eyesight and was without parents by the age of eight.  Raised first in an orphan asylum she eventually managed to attend the Perkin's Institution for blind children.  When she graduated the school's director advocated her becoming the six-year-old Helen Keller's teacher and governess.  Although other educators eventually attempted to take over Keller's education, Macy fought to keep control of her work with Keller.  The two eventually developed a friendship that lasted over fifty years during which Keller became increasingly famous.  The two lived together and traveled the lecture circuit, despite Macy's struggle with illness and depression throughout her life.  This book examines their lives of the two women by examining primary sources to get behind their public image and to address questions about childhood trauma, the meanings of dependency and friendship, and the complexities of disability.

Hudson, Suzanne P.  Robert Ryman: Used Paint.  Cambridge: MIT Press, 2009.

Robert Ryman (b. 1930) started painting in the 1950s when he was a guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  By the middle of the decade Ryman was creating monochrome paintings, including his white-on-white works.  Although seemingly minimal in nature, Ryman's work shows a primacy of painted surface and brushwork.  In this work, Suzanne Hudson follows the artist's oeuvre from his first paintings in the early 1950s to to his more recent gallery shows. Through close readings of the work, Hudson depicts Ryman as a painter for whom painting was a means of his own personal investigation. Through her study of the artist Hudson also explores how people learn and examines Ryman's experimental learning through the process of painting.

Norrell, Robert J.  Up from History: The LIfe of Booker T. Washington.  Cambridge: Belknap Press, 2009.

History's view of Booker T. Washington has not been kind to the African American innovator, whose avoidance of confrontation and protest politics is seen as accommodating and weak in light of the great strides made during the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Often he has been accused of accepting disfranchisement and segregation in order to maintain peace.  In this book Robert J. Norrell looks at Washington within the influences and pressures of the era of his time.  Placing Washington with the context of working within the strictures of late nineteenth-century Alabama, the author looks at the man working against all odds constantly facing hostility at almost every turn.  By focusing on the realities that Washington had to face in his time, Norrell reinstates him as an important and prominent figure in African American history.