December 10, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Film, Research + TeachingBiographer Stephen Michael Shearer uses Gloria Swanson collection to paint a more in-depth portrait of the star in new biography Although best known for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1950), Gloria Swanson was a legendary actress even before then. She starred in countless silent films, working with celebrities Cecil DeMille and Charlie Chaplin. Vivacious and enigmatic, Swanson was known for her extravagant clothing, spending, and love life.… read more
November 26, 2013, Filed Under: Books + ManuscriptsRecently acquired Nancy Cunard typescript documents a dreamy connection to poet John Keats On December 31, 1956, writer and political activist Nancy Cunard visited the Keats-Shelley House in Rome. She went there to contribute an account of one of her earliest, most intimate experiences as a young writer and to memorialize her connection with one of the most important figures of the Romantic… read more
November 25, 2013, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, PhotographyTed Spagna’s photography featured in new book, “SLEEP” In 1975, photographer Ted Spagna (1943–1989) began his career-defining project that would revolutionize the artistic interpretation and even scientific understanding of sleep. Using a time-lapse camera, Spagna photographed a variety of sleeping subjects for an entire night. The results, now known as “sleep portraiture,” provided a unique bird’s eye perspective… read more
