All posts by David Pavelich

Please join the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture for:
‘Particularly Remarkable for her Crime:’ Scholars’ Tea with Robin Robinson
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
2:00-3:00pm
Breedlove Room, Perkins Library, Duke University:

Image of Landing certificate for Mary Holmes — Landing certificate for Mary Holmes, 1749, at Port Oxford, MD, convicted in Denbighshire, Wales, 1748, for theft of a shirt

Robin Robinson, Associate Professor of Sociology/Crime and Justice Studies, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, will give a presentation about her research for her book ‘Particularly Remarkable for her Crime:’ Transportation and Transformation of Female Convicts as Unfree Labor in Colonial America, 1674-1776. Dr. Robinson is a recipient of a Mary Lily Research Grant from the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Do Your Research, From Our Collections, History of Medicine, RL Scholars

Representing Bodies: Ivory Manikins

February 23, 2012 David Pavelich 1 Comment

In researching changes in the representation of female bodies in Northern Europe, I noticed that ivory manikins (meaning “little men,” though usually female) portray a changing trend away from the easily available prints of the female anatomy in the sixteenth century toward more formal depictions, displayed only for demonstration. Little is known about the manikins themselves in terms of their origins, but stylistic and material differences may provide much needed information in terms of who made these models and the ways in which they were used by others.

In my travels, I found that the History of Medicine Trent Collection’s set of anatomical ivories is one of Duke’s—and America’s—great treasures. Normally they are stored in a glass viewing case in the Trent Room, but looking closely at them, they hold much more than one might expect.

An ivory anatomical model carved into the lid of a hinged box

One object in particular caught me by surprise. It is a manikin carved meticulously into the lid of an ivory box. It is not a unique example, as it is quite similar to other objects—one in the Trent Collection and the other in Dusseldorf. Opening the box is precarious because, as with the other manikins, the torso is easily removed (though, luckily, the individually carved organs have been glued down).

The model open, showing individually carved ivory pieces inside.

The manikin itself, however, is only one of the object’s curious features. When the lid is lifted, an exquisitely small painting is revealed on its underside.

The underside of the box’s lid, showing an image. The paint is chipped in the corner and around two wooden pieces that act as sockets for the ivory pegs securing the torso.

In this strange scene a nude woman and a well-clothed gentleman dine unabashedly before an open plaza where others go about their normal errands. The presumed courtesan shares many similarities with her counterpart on the box, who is likewise unclothed and recumbent, clutching a sheet with her left hand. Figures of this kind are often seen in artisanal ivory works, but this particular object invokes intriguing questions as to how the fine arts relate to the anatomical sciences and historical representations of women.

Post contributed by Cali Buckley, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Art History, Penn State University

From Our Collections, Just for Fun

The Presidential Hatchet Job

February 20, 2012 David Pavelich

Now a celebration to honor the office of the president of the United States, President’s Day was originally a celebration of George Washington’s birthday; Washington, the hero of the War for Independence and our nascent republic’s first president. An equally familiar image of Washington is the boy who could not tell his father a lie. Familiar to all, but what are the origins of this universally known presidential anecdote?

In the Early American Republic no public figure was more universally revered than George Washington. Shortly after his death in 1799 M.L.(Parson) Weems wrote a small, single-volume biography of Washington, The Life of George Washington: with curious anecdotes, equally honorable to himself, and exemplary to his young countryman. Focused primarily on the young Washington, the book was an effort to humanize a public man for mass consumption and provide an instructive model of virtuous behavior.

Portrait from Weems' Life of George Washington

Among the many colorful vignettes from Weems’s Life is the story of a young Washington, hatchet in hand, unable to lie when confronted by his father over a felled cherry tree. Weems attributed the story to an “aged lady” who spent time on the Washington family farm.

Despite criticism from contemporary gentlemen such as John Adams and Chief Justice John Marshall (who, perhaps not coincidentally, wrote his own 5-volume biography of Washington) the book was immensely popular. A New York Times best-seller of its day, it went through 29 editions in its first 25 years of publication.

Live virtuously this President’s Day!

Post contributed by Joshua Larkin Rowley, Research Services Coordinator.

From Our Collections

On the Move!

January 27, 2012 David Pavelich 1 Comment

In November, I was hired by the Rubenstein Library as the Collections Move Coordinator. My job is to ensure that all the unique and inspiring Rubenstein Library collections transfer safely to our temporary space or the Library Service Center during the Rubenstein Library renovation.

We have gotten off to a running start in December and January by moving approximately 1,875 linear feet of manuscript material (or 2,260 boxes) to the Library Service Center. We also moved approximately 10,000 pamphlets. This seems like a lot, but we still have plenty to move, as there are 32,500 linear feet of space in our stacks.

As we moved our collections, we also removed the shelving from our stacks. The empty space has been transformed into a production area for move related prep work.

Stacks shelving cleared during a recent move

The Rubenstein Library’s goal is to have all collections moved either to our temporary space in Perkins Library or to the Library Service Center by the end of December 2012. Our staff is currently hard at work prepping our manuscript and archives collections for the move. We are also starting to turn our attention to print materials such as pamphlets and rare books and this work will increase in the coming months.

We are not planning any further large-scale moves of materials until Fall 2012. We are, however, shipping regular batches of pamphlets to the Library Service Center this spring and through the summer.

So what does all this mean to our researchers and the Duke Community that we serve? I’m glad you asked. We just published some information about how the public might be impacted by the move: http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/about/renovationfaq.html. The important thing to remember is to let us know when you are coming and what you are researching. Contact us now! We will be happy to assist you and we will do our best to have your materials waiting.

Post contributed by Molly Bragg, Rubenstein Library Move Coordinator!

From Our Collections, In the Conservation Lab, Rare Books

Robert Burns, Unglued

January 26, 2012 David Pavelich

The Rubenstein Library owns a well-worn copy of Robert Burns’ Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect that was selected for conservation treatment in October of 2010. The full sheepskin binding was in fair condition and broken at the board hinges. A previous spine repair attempt with what appeared to be Elmer’s glue left the leather on the spine looking, shall we say,… shiny? The glue coating also resulted in irreparable damage to the fragile sheepskin covering and caused the outer layer of the leather to separate and peel.

Spine of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect , before treatment

In addition, the pages were fairly dirty and, at the front of the text, were tipped to one another in ways that made it difficult to turn them safely.

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect before treatment

In consultation with curators, conservators from the Conservation Services Department decided on a treatment that involved surface cleaning the text; removing damaging previous repairs; page mending and hinging in loose pages; reinforcing the board attachments; and recovering the spine with leather dyed to match the original sheepskin covering. The treatment resulted in a binding that retains the character and evidence of use of the original but is much more stable and functional.

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect after treatment

Post contributed by Erin Hammeke, Conservator for Special Collections. Thanks Erin! Visit the Conservation blog, Preservation Underground, for more from our friends in the lab!

From Our Collections, Just for Fun, Rare Books

Stinking for Skinking

January 25, 2012 David Pavelich

Happy Robert Burns Day!

Perchance you’ll be supping on “warm-reekin, rich” haggis in yer luggies this wonderful Burns nicht, in celebration of the Scottish poet’s birth 253 years ago.

If so, or even if not, consider the story of the “Stinking Edition.”

The first volume of poems by Robert Burns, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, was published on July 31, 1786, in Kilmarnok. On the strength of this edition, a second, enlarged edition was planned and published on April 17, 1787 in Edinburgh.

This edition featured an unfortunate misprint in the excellent poem “To a Haggis.” In the last stanza of the sausagey poem, the adjective “skinking,” which means “watery,” was printed as “stinking,” which obviously means “stinking.”

Ye pow’rs, wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o’ fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae stinking [skinking] ware,

That jaups in luggies;

But if ye wish her gratfu’ prayer,

Gie her a Haggis!

Trans.:

You powers, who make mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill of fare,

Old Scotland wants no stinking {watery} ware,

That splashes in small wooden dishes;

But if you wish her grateful prayer,

Give her a Haggis!

The Rubenstein’s copy of this so-called Stinking Edition was purchased by the Duke Library in 1951. It was first owned, however, by one of the original subscribers (or financial supporters) of the edition, a Mr. John Grant, who signed the title page.

Interestingly enough, a keyword search for “stinking” in the Rubenstein library holdings retrieves this book and only this book. No doubt this is a positive thing for our collections.

From Our Collections, Just for Fun, News and Features

Happy New Year from the Rubenstein Library!

December 31, 2011 David Pavelich

As we say good-bye to 2011 and welcome 2012, the staff of the Rubenstein Library would like to thank its researchers, fans, and supporters. This has been an incredibly busy and exciting year!

New Year's Eve Card, Postcard Collection

Highlights were the generous gifts from David M. Rubenstein and Merle Hoffman. The library formerly known as the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library is now the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Bingham Center Director Laura Micham is now the Merle Hoffman Director.

We also welcomed wonderful new colleagues! The History of Medicine Collections and their curator, Rachel Ingold, joined us in July. We are thrilled to add these rich materials, which beautifully complement our existing collections, and such a knowledgeable colleague. We were delighted to welcome Valerie Gillispie as our new Duke University Archivist and Kat Stefko as Head of Technical Services. Finally, Molly Bragg, former Drill Intern, has returned to work as our move coordinator, assisting us in preparing for renovation.

The excitement will continue in 2012 as plans for the Rubenstein renovation are finalized.

We wish you all health, happiness, and plenty of good books (and manuscripts!) in the New Year!

Post contributed by Elizabeth Dunn

From Our Collections, Rare Books

Season’s Greetings from Robert Frost

December 27, 2011 David Pavelich

The Academy of American Poets recently published an article about Robert Frost’s annual winter holiday poems, which were printed as small chapbooks and sent through the mails as holiday greetings.

Published for more than 30 years from Joseph Blumenthal’s Spiral Press, the poems were often written specifically for this purpose.

The Rubenstein Library has an excellent collection of Frost’s books, chapbooks, broadsides, and other ephemera. Part of the important Trent family collections, the Frost collection is kept in the Trent Room, fittingly with the Walt Whitman collection.

Rubenstein’s Frost collection sometimes includes multiple copies of particular winter poems. Occasionally, a copy will come with an inscription from the poet or a comic or personal remark.

Note from Robert Frost — Note included with Robert Frost's Does no one but me at all ever feel this way in the least

For more information about Rubenstein’s literature collections, visit our literature library guide.

Happy holidays!

Archive of Documentary Arts, Bingham Center, Events, Franklin Research Center, Hartman Center, History of Medicine

Instruction Round-Up!

December 9, 2011 David Pavelich

Dr. Ara Tourian and students — Dr. Ara Tourian presenting at Anatomy Day

This was another busy semester for Rubenstein librarians, who taught or co-taught more than 70 classes between September and early December! The classes ranged widely in subject, from feminist comics to medical history.

One exciting event, nicknamed “Anatomy Day,” brought 100 medical students to the Gothic Reading Room to investigate historical anatomical atlases and other books and manuscripts from the History of Medicine Collections. Rachel Ingold, Curator of the History of Medicine Collections, led a team of Rubenstein librarians in presenting these treasures to the students.

Rachel Ingold and students — Rachel Ingold, Curator of the History of Medicine Collections

A few of the Duke classes that met in the Rubenstein Library this past semester are:

Beyond Wonder Women: Comic and Graphic Novel Feminisms
History of Photography, 1839 to the Present
Documentary Photography and the Southern Culture Landscape
Early Soviet Culture 1917-1934
American Slavery/Emancipation
Accelerated Intermediate Italian
On the Boundaries of Medicine
The Physician in History
Hidden Children
Dante and the Afterlife of the Book

We also hosted classes from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

The Rubenstein staff offers a vast array of class instruction and support options. Please contact us to learn more about what the Rubenstein staff can do for your class!

Events, From Our Collections, History of Medicine, Readings and Talks

Neelon to Speak on Parry’s Disease

November 29, 2011 David Pavelich

Dr. Frances A. Neelon will speak on Caleb Parry and Parry's Disease

Please join us on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, in Room 102 of the Duke Medical Center Library for the next lecture of the Trent History of Medicine Society Speaker Series. Dr. Francis A. Neelon, Medical Director of the Rice Diet Program and Associate Professor, Emeritus will be discussing Dr. Caleb Parry and the brief life of Parry’s disease.

Caleb Hillier Parry was a polymathic physician and natural scientist of late 18th-century and early 19th-century England. A graduate of the medical school at Edinburgh, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, not for his doctoring but for his work on breeding Merino sheep.

Parry made a number of important observations on the nature of angina and recognized that it reflected an inability of the heart to respond to physiological demand. He was the first to record an accurate description of exophthalmic goiter, and recognized the connection between thyroid gland enlargement and cardiac abnormalities (although he did not realize which was cart and which horse). His plans to include his case notes in a magnum opus on disease went awry when he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1816, but his physician-son, Charles, published his unfinished works in 1925.

Parry’s observations clearly antedated the descriptions of toxic goiter by Graves and Basedow, but their names remain associated with this disorder to the present (which you choose depends on where you live) while Parry’s does not. William Osler briefly championed Parry’s case, but eventually abandoned his attempts to immortalize the “fine old Bath physician.” Dr. Neelon will try again to rescue Parry’s name from obscurity.

There will be a light buffet supper at 5:30 pm, and the lecture will begin at 6 pm. The event is open to the public. Please contact Rachel Ingold at (919)684-8549 or rachel.ingold@duke.edu for more information.