March 4, 2020, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Conservation, Featured1Conservators painstakingly remove glue that binds Kress Paper Conservation Fellow Emily Farek, working with paper conservators Ken Grant and Jane Boyd, describes the painstaking work of removing modern adhesive from the back of this very large (10′ x 7′) 1648 Dutch map titled, Nova totius terrarum orbis tabula, commonly known as the Blaeu World Map.
January 23, 2020, Filed Under: Art, Digital Collections, Exhibitions + Events, Featured1, Theatre + Performing ArtsThe Golden Age of Magic Posters The turn of the twentieth century was a period of innovation, when advances in printing and color lithography coincided with a new golden age in the performance of magic and illusion. This convergence resulted in the most stunning, color-saturated advertisements in the history of magic.
January 15, 2020, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Exhibitions + Events, Featured1Revealing an English Schoolmaster’s Piers Plowman Most of the books that came to The University of Texas at Austin as part of the John Henry Wrenn Library didn’t look like old books when they arrived in 1918 and still don’t look old now—not as old, at least, as the publication dates of the printed pages inside… read more
January 14, 2020, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Conservation, Digital Collections, Featured1Seeing stars in the Blaeu World Map A fascinating project to preserve and display the iconic 1648 Dutch world map is now underway. In previous blog posts, we revealed the history of the Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula (Blaeu World Map) and the family of cartographers, globe makers, printers, and publishers who created it. We also have… read more
January 10, 2020, Filed Under: Conservation, Digital Collections, Featured1How a famed astronomer paved the way for the Blaeu World Map Explore the Harry Ransom Center, search digital collections, or plan your visit. A Q & A with Dr. Bruce Hunt about the Blaeu World Map In recent blog posts, we examined the science behind the Blaeu World Map and took a deep dive into the conservation in progress to prepare… read more
January 8, 2020, Filed Under: Art, Books + ManuscriptsTake a look at the sketches in the beloved books illustrated by Arthur Rackham by TRACY BONFITTO The turn of the twentieth century was the Golden Age of Illustration in the U.S. and the U.K., when, thanks to advances in print technology, a vigorous public appetite for finely illustrated books was met with works by illustrators such as Arthur Rackham (English, 1867-1939). On the… read more
