JANUARY 2018 NEWSLETTER
New Acquisition
Melville Island Print by George Isham Parkyns

George Isham Parkyns came to America in 1794, bringing with him his talents for landscape architecture and landscape painting, with a specialty for picturesque views. He settled near Philadelphia having bought land in the U.S. on speculation back in England. Parkyns planned on publishing a series of aquatint views of American cities but the project failed due to a lack of subscribers. Only a few views were produced including Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, and four views of Halifax. 

As we can see from this fine image, his project did not fail from a lack of talent. Parkyns returned to England shortly after this print was published in 1801. This rare print ( left) corresponds well with an earlier acquisition of a watercolor painting  ( right ) of the Melville Island prison at Halifax where American captives from the War of 1812 were held, as well as numerous maps of the area.

This purchase was made possible by the Helen E. Tanner Fund.  Dr. Tanner provided this important acquisition support through a bequest.  If you are interested in leaving a legacy through a planned gift, you can find more information here or contact Angela Oonk at 734-647-0864.


Clements Exhibits
Open on Fridays from 10:00am - 4:00pm
Collecting the Clements Library

This exhibit continues to tell the story of collecting at the Clements Library with an updated selection of objects. Now on display is a memoir of a Civil War Cavalry soldier.

The ornate cover of Allen's 1893 reminiscences focused more on the rough comforts of camp than on the hazards of battle. Its light blue cloth binding shows his unit in its encampment.

Stanton P. Allen (1849 - 1901),
Down in Dixie: Life in a Cavalry Regiment in the War Days, from the Wilderness to Appomattox (Boston, 1893).
 
Book Division, Schoff Civil War Collection, S Mas Al. Gift of James S. Schoff, December 1973.
The Pioneer Americanists: Early Collectors, Dealers, and Bibliographers

This exhibit continues through April 27. From White Kennett, the first great collector of Americana, to Hubert Howe Bancroft, who broke new ground in concentrating on the American West, this exhibit tells the stories of sixteen noteworthy specialists who created and nurtured the Americana field from the late seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries.

The companion book will be available in February 2018.  It is available for preorder  here.
Upcoming Events and Lectures
Winter Events and Lectures

Don't miss our first lecture of the season on Tuesday, February 20! James E. Lewis, Jr., author and Professor of History at Kalamazoo College, will be joining us to discuss his book, The Burr Conspiracy . 

We're still placing the final touches on the rest of our Winter 2018 Lecture Series. Be sure to check back in February when we'll reveal our full lineup!
Upcoming Tours
Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of our award winning library. Please register by selecting one of the links below.

January 12

February 2

February 16
Clements Collections Out In the World
UMMA Landscapes of Devastation
Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War, volume 1
Jan 13 - May 27, 2018 

This University of Michigan Museum of Art exhibition includes images of the aftermath of events spanning over 2,000 years of human history-from ancient Pompeii to September 11, 2001. These photographs remind us that disaster is often a collective experience that can tear apart the seams of a culture's social fabric and impact societies well after an event. 

Gardner's collection consists of 100 albumen prints depicting the operations of the Army of the Potomac during and in the immediate aftermath of the American Civil War.
Events Highlight
Tiya Miles Lecture

On Friday, December 8, 2017, we heard distinguished author Tiya Miles discuss her new book on racial history in the city of Detroit. A professor of American Culture and Afroamerican & African studies, Miles explores and uncovers Detroit's invisible origin story, bringing Black and Native histories together. If you missed the lecture, you can watch it here.

"A book that opens the door on a hidden past, The Dawn of Detroit is a powerful and elegantly written history, one that completely changes our understanding of slavery's American legacy." - Detroit News
Clements Corner
Welcome New Staff


Emily Hanka - Marketing and Communications Associate
Emily recently received her B.A. in Digital and Technical Writing from MSU, and she's thrilled to be working in the Development office at the Clements. When she's not at work, she's either in her kitchen, letting her food get cold while she photographs it for her blog, or studying the anthropological history of cooking.



Kelly Powers - Digitization Specialist
Kelly moved to Michigan from Massachusetts and will be working in the Clements digitization office. She recently graduated from King's College London and Humboldt-Univer sit ät zu Berlin (M.A. in Digital Curation). Outside of digitization, Kelly enjoys reading, going to see live music, and supporting the New England Revolution.




Ann Stoner - South Entrance Receptionist
You can find Ann working at the south entrance reception desk. She recently moved to Ann Arbor from Chicago with her boyfriend, who is a first year law student at U-M. She's a self-professed political junkie, podcast enthusiast, and actor. This year, you can see her in two local productions: "The Explorers Club" with Ann Arbor Civic Theater in January, and "Cryptic" with The Neighborhood Group in Ypsilanti in February.
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