Blog – Page 22 – Special Collections & The Gallery

The Presidency & Memory of John F. Kennedy, An Exhibit by Alexandra Jousset

Within the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center are a variety of valuable resources available to students and scholars alike. As a recent graduate of Seton Hall University with a major in history and minor in art history, interning in the archives proved to be one of the most engaging and educational experiences in my academic career. This experience resulted in my researching and organizing materials on President John F. Kennedy as well as his connection to Newark and more specifically Seton Hall in this exhibit.

The exhibit on display this summer represents many materials pertaining to John F. Kennedy, including photographs, correspondence, books and campaign buttons. The first case illustrates President Kennedy’s career as a Senator as well as his campaign to Presidency. Some of the highlights in the first case include a replica of Kennedy’s Knights of Columbus application dated April 26, 1946. There are also a variety of rare campaign buttons and facsimile documents of invitations to the White House during Kennedy’s presidency. The exhibit also displays two rare photographs of President Kennedy with New Jersey Governor Richard J. Hughes.

The second case of the exhibit displays items that commemorate the assassination of John F Kennedy and its aftermath. Highlights in the second case include a Western Union Telegram and a record from January 19, 1964 of the service held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in honor of President Kennedy. Another key item is a book that includes the addresses from the United States Senate and House of Representatives titled Memorial Addresses in the Senate of the United States in Eulogy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Overall the exhibit is meant to represent the variety of materials and sources on John F. Kennedy that can be found in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center. It is important for students and the public alike to be aware of the rich resources available here.

The exhibit can be viewed on the ground floor of the Walsh Library and is open all hours the library is open. For more information on this exhibit and questions about John F. Kennedy that I discovered please feel free to e-mail me: Alexandra.Jousset@shu.edu

Carly Miller Joins Archives as Summer Intern

Carly Miller is the Special Collections intern at Seton Hall University Libraries. She is currently working on the Trina Padilla de Sanz papers. The papers of Puerto Rican poet and activist Trina Padilla de Sanz are in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center through the Unanue Latino Institute. Her responsibilities include outreach and publicity, translation of materials, and arranging exhibitions for the collection.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish from The College of New Jersey. After graduating in 2013, she moved to Madrid, Spain for a year to teach English in a bilingual elementary school. This experience allowed her to challenge herself in a new environment, practice her language skills, and travel extensively. Since returning to New Jersey, Carly is employed as a Spanish interpreter for a claims adjusting company, facilitating communication between clients and their legal representatives.

Beginning in the fall of 2015, Carly will be attending Rutgers University to obtain a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. She is interested in pursuing this degree in order to learn not only how to organize information in today’s digital age, but also how to connect people to information. With her current internship, she hopes to further nurture her passion for history and gain valuable, hands-on experience in archival work.

“We Must and Can be Independent”: La Hija del Caribe and Puerto Rican Liberation

Written by Carly Miller, Special Collections Intern
Since the arrival of Spanish explorers in the late fifteenth century, a defining characteristic of Puerto Rico has been colonialism. In one form or another, this tiny island has been subjugated by a larger power. After four centuries of Spanish rule came to an end in the late 1800s, Puerto Rico fell under U.S. control as a territory, a status that continues to the present day. As a result of this perpetual intrusion by foreign nations, a parallel theme throughout the island’s history has been the fight for independence.

Trina Padilla de Sanz was no stranger to this liberation movement. Although she wore many hats during her lifetime, it was her Puerto Rican pride that was most inextricably linked to her identity. Her devotion to her homeland, or “La Patria,” permeated all aspects of her life. Her nickname, “La Hija del Caribe,” was not only tribute to her father, but an acknowledgement of her cultural pride as well.

La Hija championed Puerto Rican independence and preservation of its culture and customs using the most effective weapon at her disposal, her pen. Throughout her lifetime she wrote harsh critiques of American influence in Puerto Rico, believing fervently in Puerto Rico’s right to self-govern. In an inquiry entitled “Apuntes sobre Puerto Rico,” La Hija boldly addressed the hypocrisy of a nation, predicated on the idea of democracy, denying another nation its independence.

“…y si Estados Unidos no quiere verse ante los pueblos del mundo como una irrisoria República, tiene que dar a Puerto Rico su Independencia…un derecho que nadie puede negar.”

Translation:

“…and if the United States does not want to see itself in front of the nations of the world as a laughable Republic, it has to give Puerto Rico its Independence…a right that nobody can deny.”

With this sharp declaration, Padilla de Sanz demonstrated that she did not passively observe with her pen, rather she actively fought for change with it. She was firm, vocal, and unwavering in her defense of Puerto Rico.

Part of her pro-independence stance included extolling Puerto Rican culture and language. She regularly called on her fellow compatriots to fight to preserve the Spanish language, understanding a language’s role in preserving a culture’s identity. She believed that cultures that let themselves be completely absorbed by stronger powers would simply cease to exist. She was quick to highlight the many accomplishments produced by Puerto Ricans in literature, the sciences, and the arts.

In addition to her writings, La Hija rebelled against foreign influence in other ways. Her granddaughter, Yolanda Fernández Sanz, recalled a time in which Padilla de Sanz, ignoring the law against displaying the Puerto Rican flag, hung it defiantly from her balcony. Although it was an illegal act, no one challenged La Hija (Fernández Sanz 158).

La Hija’s fight for independence was an unyielding constant throughout her life. Shortly before passing, she made the request to be buried with the Puerto Rican flag. Even in death, her devotion and loyalty to her treasured Puerto Rico was unequivocally on display.

The Trina Padilla de Sanz collection is now available for research at The Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Click here to view this collection’s finding aid.

Works Cited

Fernández Sanz, Yolanda. Trina Padilla de Sanz: La Hija del Caribe. Madrid: Talleres Gráficos Peñalara, 1996. Print.

Padilla de Sanz, Trina. “Apuntes sobre Puerto Rico.” Arecibo, 1945. Print.

A First Glimpse at the Trina Padilla de Sanz Papers

Written by Carly Miller, Special Collections Intern

It would be impossible to discuss Puerto Rican literature without mentioning the distinguished poet, Trina Padilla de Sanz. Born in 1864 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Padilla de Sanz was the daughter of the poet, medic, and political activist José Gualberto Padilla, also known as “El Caribe.” Following in her father’s literary footsteps, Padilla de Sanz developed an impressive career in poetry, editing her father’s works as well as publishing her own collections. Writing under the moniker “La Hija del Caribe,” many of her poems were laced with powerful imagery of nature to celebrate the beauty of life, while her style reflected a harmonious and musical touch.

During her lifetime, La Hija’s passions extended beyond poetry. She was also a gifted pianist, a beloved and dedicated piano teacher, a writer, a suffragist, a social activist, and a crusader for Puerto Rican independence and cultural preservation. She was a regular contributor to many publications, writing essays on an array of topics including Puerto Rican politics, women’s rights, education, religion, the plight of the poor, and the defense of the Spanish language. In an era when expectations for women revolved around the domestic sphere, Padilla de Sanz was a woman ahead of her time, voicing her strong opinions without apology.

As a crusader for social justice, La Hija believed in fighting for change with her pen. In the poem below entitled “Ana Roque de Duprey,” she honors her recently deceased friend, the accomplished suffragist Ana Roque de Duprey. Although Roque de Duprey fought for decades for the women’s suffrage movement, she died without ever voting in her native Puerto Rico. As La Hija eloquently states:

“Y al no poder votar aquí en su suelo,

se fué a la Democracia de los astros

para dejar su voto en la urna del cielo…”

Translation:

“And upon not being able to vote here in her land,

she went to the Democracy of the stars

in order to leave her vote in the urn of the heavens…”

In just a few lines, she captures the essence of her friend and the supreme injustice of the exclusion of women from the voting process. Women’s suffrage was a long struggle, one that La Hija fought for with immense passion and dedication.

Padilla de Sanz expands upon the particular injustice suffered by Roque de Duprey at the end of her life in a note below the poem:

“…ya octogenaria, cuando éste se instituyó en la isla, salió ella a votar por primera vez y, aunque murió con la ilusión de haber votado, su voto fue anulado por ciertos tecnicismos…”

Translation:

“…now an octogenarian [Roque de Duprey], when this [women’s suffrage] was instituted on the island, she went out to vote for the first time and, although she died with the illusion of having voted, her vote was voided for certain technicalities…”

While it may be a blessing that Roque de Duprey departed this life thinking she achieved her lifelong goal of casting a ballot, the bitterness that La Hija feels for her friend is glaringly evident. It is not only a tribute to her friend’s suffering, but also reflects the struggle that women faced even after reaching major milestones in their movement.

Padilla de Sanz possessed an unparalleled passion for life, finding beauty and joy in every day despite various hardships. Well into her old age, she continued writing, playing and teaching piano, engaging with her community of Arecibo, and spending time with her cherished children and grandchildren. La Hija died at the age of 93 in Arecibo in 1957, leaving behind an impressive legacy, which cemented La Hija’s place among the most significant literary figures of the twentieth century.

The Trina Padilla de Sanz collection is now available for research at The Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Click here to view this collection’s finding aid.

Pomp and Circumstance, Graduation Exercises and Setonia

With the month of May comes the much awaited graduation for college seniors and the commencement ceremonies that signal the end of their Seton Hall degree earning journey. Along with the memories of diploma receiving achievements past, the University Archives has a large number of commencement programs, photographs, and other documentation that shows the activities centering around this celebration from the inaugural exercises in 1856, the first official graduate Louis Edward Firth, AB in 1862 to the ladies and gentlemen representing the Class of 2015. Below are a few examples of these informative program guides. Additional perspective on graduation can be found through the listing of honorary degree recipients through the years as compiled by our student volunteer Mr. Matthew Peters.

We look forward to working with you on your own commencement research exercises. In the meantime, congratulations to all the graduates present and future!

Angling and Hunting Explored through Rare Books opens 6 May 2015

The Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, Walsh Library ground floor houses rare books that deal in particular subject areas. This is a small collection dealing with outdoor activities of fishing and hunting. These books are special in many ways from the beautiful leather bindings in some cases, to the signatures of the authors in others.

To begin with two beautiful leather volumes, both on fishing, we have The Compleat Angler by Izaak Watson, an 1876 fac-simile reprint of the first edition published in 1653. The preface says that “This was a book not to be placed in the safe companionship of worthy but unread books…” Rather, it was well used in stream and pond, necessitating this fac-simile reprinting. This volume is printed on “paper of the same shade”, and bound in the same brown leather with “red and blue sprinkling.” It is open to the Angler’s Song on pages 216 and 217. They are the reverse of each other so that one could sing from one side, and another from the other “with the book between them while standing face to face.”

The other leather bound book, Salmon Fishing on the Grand Cascapedia by Edmund W. Davis, number 7 of 100, was printed for private distribution in 1904 on Imperial Japan paper and sports an emerald silk fly leaf and gold embossed tooling inside the cover board.

Woodcock Shooting by Edmund Davis, number 99 of 100, was printed for private distribution in 1908. It features numerous photographs of peaceful-looking woods where the woodcock can be found, and more numerous shots of bird dogs as well as a lovely engraving of a Woodcock and Young.

The remaining books in this tiny special collection are limited editions dealing with hunting. Three are by Theodore Roosevelt, and two are signed by him.

His Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter, 1905, recounts hunting cougar, bear, antelope and other wildlife in Colorado, the Rockies and along the Mississippi and Little Missouri rivers between 1901and 1905. A future conservationist whose letter to John Burroughs opens this book, he carefully notes the ranges of these animals and their reduced numbers from the latter part of the 19^th Century when he spent 2 years ranching and hunting in S. Dakota to recover from the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884. The volume is open to a photo of T.R. with his signature on this limited edition, number 222 of 260.

African Game Trails, An Account of the Wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist by Theodore Roosevelt is number 399 of 500 published in 1910. Volume II of African Game Trails is open to a photograph with the legend in T.R.’s own hand, “My boma when I camped alone.” Boma is a term used to describe a livestock enclosure, stockade, small fort or a district government office used in many parts of the African Great Lakes region.

Finally we have Hunting with the Eskimos by Harry Whitney, a signed limited edition number 141 of 150 from 1910. It boasts many black and white photographs of Eskimo, whaling and hunting musk ox and walrus, and of sled dogs, and is open to a plate of a painting of Aurora Borealis, Smith Sound, Greenland by F. W. Stokes.

This exhibit can be viewed from the hallway between the Walsh Gallery and Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center during any hour the Library is open. It will run through May 20, 2015.

St. Patrick – Study Aids At Seton Hall

March is a month closely associated with Irish history by way of honoring the patron saint (who shares this designation with Brigit/Brigid and Columba) and apostle of Ireland Patrick (Pádraig), the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of Éire who lived during the 5th century A.D. In popular and latter-day culture, the legacy of Patrick is often drawn to oft-repeated tales of his driving snakes out of Ireland, teaching the symbolism of the Holy Trinity through use of a shamrock, his walking stick growing into a tree, and the plethora of parades staged throughout the world in his honor. By extension, Irish culture and heritage is widely recognized with the feast day of March 17th for Patrick being a source of celebration “with the wearing of the green” each year. His popularity is secure and icons dedicated to his memory abound to the present day.

Delving beneath iconic depictions (many of which are modern enhancements, i.e. the wearing of a miter, holding of a crosier and the robes of high ecclesiastical office, etc.) which are most familiar, the life story of Patrick was actually one of hardship and dedication when reading various accounts of his adventures. In brief terms, Patrick was born into poverty and enslaved as a youth. He was able to escape his master as a young adult, make his way back to his native Britain, adopt Christianity, and migrate to the Europe continent for further study. Patrick ultimately made his way to Ireland as a missionary where he achieved success in his work with, and on behalf of, the people he befriended and administered to during his lifetime. St. Patrick portrait patrick-text

Researching the life, words, and example of Patrick has been made easier and more accessible through the works of a number of scholars from historians, theologians, philosophers, poets, artists, and others who have an interest in his legacy. Please feel free to follow the link to learn more about Patrick (and other Saints of Ireland from Abbán moccu Corbmaic to Tigernach of Clones and many others of note) through the Archives & Special Collections Center and University Libraries information resource links. Here are some introductory works to help you on your journey of discovery…

Irish Studies Library Guide

St. Patrick

Saints of Ireland
Irish-Bible

Homage to Patrick also exists on a hometown basis as numerous statues and structures exist in many places around the globe. Included are those on the campus of Seton Hall University and the Archdiocese of Newark. Most notably is the Pro-Cathedral of St. Patrick located in Newark which has a long and notable history as documented by Seton Hall faculty member Monsignor Robert Wister, Hist.Eccl.D. who wrote a detailed account of this parish and its place in local and national religious history…

St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral, Newark, New Jersey: An Historical Reflection, 1850-2000

St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral…An Artistic and Symbolic Description

Whether searching for memorials dedicated to Patrick, or for materials on the man himself, we are happy to assist with your project needs and offer additional leads alike. In the meantime, continued success on your respective searches and Lá Fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise duit!

Seton Hall & Women’s History Exhibit

“What does it mean socially to be a woman?”

Throughout Seton Hall’s history, women took steps to better themselves and their communities through teaching, studying, promoting university development, and participating in organizations and sports teams. Those women’s actions have defined them according to their achievements and skills. Their leadership has continued to inspire others to take initiative.

Between February and April, a series of window exhibits created by Brittany Venturella, Graduate Student in the Department of Museum Studies will explore how the social definition of women evolved in Seton Hall’s history.

The first in the series will focus on the history of Women’s Organizations at Seton Hall during the month of February. Before women were allowed on the South Orange campus, Seton Hall University partnered with organizations dominated by female members to promote student and developmental advancement. Members of those organizations, such as The Bayley-Seton League, the Women’s Guild and Seton Junior League, worked relentlessly to provide opportunities for students through funding scholarships, to promote “good citizenship,” and to better the general community. The three organizations raised money to aid Seton Hall and its students through social events, such as card parties and balls. They also impacted society through social dialogue.

All exhibits can be viewed from the front of the Walsh Library building in the window galleries located adjacent to the Walsh Gallery.

Communion breakfast of the Seton Junior League

For more information contact University Archives at: (973) 275-2378, or Alan.Delozier@shu.edu

The Third Installment of WWI: A Centennial Exhibition

The third installment of our three-part series commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Great War is now on display in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, and will remain until 30 April 2015.

This final phase of the exhibit demonstrates the changes that had taken place by the end of the war. Figurines depicting German and British infantry show that despite the technological advances of the war, foot soldiers remained key on both sides. Dioramas and models show the state of medical facilities and care of the wounded, as well as the contribution of women to the war.

Figurines of U.S. infantry and marines highlight U.S. involvement in the WWI. Antique “dime store” toy soldiers made of hollow-cast lead, which became popular after the war, are displayed alongside modern figurines and models. We continue to display rare books from the Archives, which feature photographs, illustrations, and poetry inspired by WWI.

The exhibit can be viewed any time the Walsh Library is open, in the display cases across from Walsh Gallery.

Rare Books Reference Guide – An Introduction

The Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center has sponsored the work of information professionals who maintain a number of specialized Library Reference Guides (LibGuides) for the benefit of our research community. These LibGuides are designed to provide an introductory navigation site to help with project leads, identify collections, and connect to related themes through the linked resources found on each site.

The latest example created outlines specific Rare Book Collections with different connections to the World Wide Web and designed to help the user learn more about the history of publishing craft and to expand their reference options connected to the Center and beyond. This site focuses upon our major holdings which include the American Civil War, Ireland and Irish-America, Monsignor John Oesterreicher Judaeo-Christian titles along with our overall and more specialized collecting areas that await discovery.

The Internet link to the Rare Book site can be found here and our full range of LibGuides can be accessed here.

Thank you in advance for your interest and usage of our LibGuides!