Peep Shows as Promised!

This post should come as no surprise to our Stacks & Tracks listeners, as our theme for the first episode of the semester was our newly acquired peep shows!

Peep shows burst onto the European scene in the early 19th century with Austrian printer Heinrich Friedrich Müller’s first “Teleorama” in 1825. These tunnel viewers became immensely popular in Germany, Austria, France, and England, and we are now the proud custodians of examples from the latter two countries. 

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The first, “A view of the tunnel under the Thames as it will appear when completed,” depicts a projected view of the first tunnel under a river ever constructed. This peep show offered a glimpse into the future as it was printed in 1829, and the tunnel was not completed and opened to the public until 1843.

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The accordion structures unfold to display perspective views to captivate and entertain audiences.

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The second, a French peep show from around 1836 with the Les Tuileries Palace on the front features three viewing options.

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Through the center square we see pedestrians, carriages, and equestrians on the streets of Paris, with monuments and churches, fountains and buildings, representing the best of the city.

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The left and right cutouts complete the picture with views of gardens.

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If you missed today’s show, be sure to listen to WRMC Wednesdays from noon to 1pm. And come peep these peep shows yourself in our reading room from 1-5 Monday through Friday.

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RBMS TF238. T47 V54 1829

RBMS DC782. T9 O68 1836

Ancient clay artifact meets the Future

Today in Special Collections, our oldest text faced the library’s newest technology.

Our cuneiform tablet, a beer token from 2,000 BCE, took a new form when DLA postdoctoral fellow Kristy Golubiewski-Davis captured it in a 3D scan.

Mounted on a tripod, a small camera photographs the tablet, on a turntable, while a small projector shines different light patterns onto its surface. In the background, a laptop shows the 3D scan as it materializes.

To see 3D scanning in action – along with the tablet and other important Special Collections objects – come to Davis Family Library this Friday! Kristy will by demonstrating 3D scanning in the library atrium from 10am-2pm, and Special Collections will host our annual Fall Family Weekend Open House from 1pm-4pm.

And stay tuned for a 3D printout made from the scan coming soon, a plastic facsimile students and researchers can inspect in their own hands!

Update 10/7/16: The 3D printouts are here!

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On top, the original, incised over 4,000 years ago; below, plastic facsimiles to scale and at 200% the original size 3D printed from the scan.

Endless Summer in a 1930s Snapshot

Every day in the archives, we encounter pieces of history that remind us how our world has evolved over the years, and how some things remain the same through the cycle of seasons. For example, this Middlebury College News Bureau photograph from the summer of 1934 could just have easily been shot yesterday on sunny Lake Dunmore.

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The idyllic scene is a timeless representation of Vermont summer, and as we bid farewell to another August – welcoming September’s cool mornings and return of students – we dive into autumn, fighting the urge to cling onto the beauty of summer, for we know it will be back again next year.

 

 

Get out and vote like it’s 1924!

In honor of the Vermont primary on August 9th, we remember that every vote counts – even in a small town.

The tiny Vermont town of Somerset (which still exists!) could not be silenced despite losing 50% of their voting population in 1924. In one fell swoop, the town clerk, treasurer, tax collector, constable, and school director departed, leaving the other two legal voters the only residents eligible to cast their ballots.

Though the town currently boasts a similarly small population, we hope they, and all voting Vermonters, make it to the polls tomorrow!

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Discover more Vermont history from the pages of John Y Kellogg’s scrapbook documenting his two-week hike on the Long Trail in September 1921. (RBMS Flat Shelf 56)

New Special Collections exhibits just in time for summer

Currently populating the glass cases of Davis Family Library are Margaret Armstrong book covers and historic postcards. Don’t miss the chance to see them before heading out for the summer!

As part of American Studies professor Ellery Foutch’s AMST 101 course, American Holidays, students researched holiday postcards from our collection, exploring how symbols and themes reflect the cultural mores of turn-of-the-century American life.

The postcards they studied and their comments are on display in the library atrium.

To compliment this exhibit, college archivist Danielle Rougeau curated and designed an exhibit featuring postcards and scrapbooks from the archives. The postcards capture Middlebury College’s landscape and characters as well as the role of postcard correspondence through history.

Postcard from Marjorie Phelps, class of 1917, to her mother. As she mentions, she and her roommate are pictured on the reverse.
Postcard from Marjorie Phelps, class of 1917, to her mother. As she mentions, she and her roommate are pictured on the reverse.

Rounding out our summer exhibits is a tribute to Margaret Armstrong, curated by Joseph Watson and designed by Danielle Rougeau. Margaret Armstrong (1867-1944), one of the most accomplished book cover designers of the early twentieth century, produced cover art and illustrations for over 270 books.

Come to Special Collections to see a selection of her cover designs and learn more about her life!

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Can you tell which cover Margaret Armstrong didn’t design? Come to Special Collections for a closer look and the answer!

 

Web Archive solicits contributions

The way to our hearts is through the archives!

As part of SC&A’s latest guerrilla advertising campaign, we infiltrated the Senior tradition of posting crush lists on the bulletin boards outside of the dining halls in the hopes of garnering submissions to the Web Archive.

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The College’s new ArchiveIt subscription allows us to collect and store Web-based projects created by faculty and students, notable blogs and social media by members of the Midd community, student organization websites, and materials donated to Special Collections and Archives.

Students and faculty are encouraged to submit URLs for websites, blogs, and social media presences to Special Collections for inclusion in the archive.

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Crush lists in Proctor dining hall, with Web Archive’s Crush List in bottom left corner

This advertisement aims to target online presences related to campus culture but not directly affiliated with or endorsed by the College in order to create a more comprehensive view of student life for future generations to look back on.

The Middlebury College Community Web Archive, a transinstitutional collection, is intended to document life at Middlebury outside the official channels of communication, to archive diverse points of view and student activities, and to create a historical record of dynamic and engaging discussions that define our collective experience at Middlebury College. We hope our crush list conveys the spirit of the submissions we wish to receive!

“Shall we their fond pageant see?” A Midsummer Night’s Dream May 5-8!

While our February Folio fever has passed, the Shakespeare celebration continues with the theater department’s upcoming production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Come watch the latest show in the long legacy of Shakespeare at Middlebury with performances at 7:30pm Thursday-Saturday, May 5-7 and 2pm Sunday, May 8th in Wright Theater!

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And be sure to catch Special Collections’ archival exhibit featuring historic costume and set designs of past Middlebury Shakespeare productions! On display for a limited time in the atrium of Davis Family Library.

Middlebury's 1971 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Middlebury’s 1971 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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Original watercolor costume design by legendary Middlebury costume and set designer Capp Potter for the 1978 production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

WRMC’s Stacks & Tracks is back! With guest DJ, Prof. Christopher Star

We’re back. On the air, and live streaming, at a new time.

Wednesdays, 12p-1p

Tune-in during your lunch hour to the radio show that reveals the secrets of special collections.

This week we’ll be joined by guest DJ, Classics Professor Christopher Star for Episode #12, featuring music and talk inspired by the thought, art, and life of ancient Greece and Rome.

Mozart to Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash to The Doors. Be there. And be enlightened. With a soundtrack.

91.1FM | iTunes radio | listen online | on your phone

 

WRMC Studio, 1970. From the Middlebury College Archives.

 

Special Collections & Archives Celebrates Winter Carnival

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1947 Winter Carnival Poster

As part of the 93rd annual Winter Carnival, Special Collections & Archives will continue a new tradition, a screening of historic film footage from Winter Carnivals past!

Join us in Crossroads Cafe Friday February 26th from 4:30pm-6pm to enjoy a free hot chocolate sponsored by MCAB and films from the archives!

Though this tradition was established just last year, it celebrates the legacy of Middlebury’s Winter Carnival with sound and silent footage spanning the 1920s to 1950s, capturing the spirit and magic of our very own winter wonderland.

If you can’t make it to the screening and hot chocolate bar, be sure to check out our vintage videos on Vimeo!

First Folio Festival Thursday!

Join us this Thursday February 18th to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the First Folio! exhibit at the Middlebury Museum of Art.

Starting at 4:30pm in the Center for the Arts lobby, there will be musical and theatrical performances, guided tours of the exhibit with professors of English and American Literature Timothy Billings and James Berg, children’s activities with Page One Literacy, and sweet and savory Renaissance refreshments.

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