Top of page

Archive: 2022 (17 Posts)

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Toy Theaters: 19th Century Home Entertainment

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The Library has dozens of 19th century animated toy theaters that were wildly popular in Europe and the United States, displaying dashing stories of pirates, undersea adventures, magic and adventure. Conservators have been painstakingly mending damage caused by historical use, making sure researchers can draw insights from the theaters for years to come.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

My Job: Mark Horowitz, from Broadway to the Beltway

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Mark Horowitz, a senior specialist in the Music Division's acquisitions and processing section, tells us about his job in acquiring and preserving some of the most famous works in American musical theater. Among other high-profile projects, he's worked with Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda and has an upcoming book on his research into the papers of Oscar Hammerstein.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Researcher Story: Elizabeth D. Leonard

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Civil War historian Elizabeth Leonard has written a number of books about the role of women on the battlefield and the social and political reverberations of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. She's researched those books, including her soon-to-be-published title, “Benjamin Franklin Butler: A Noisy, Fearless Life,” in the Library’s Manuscript Division. 

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Not an Ostrich” Exhibit Now at the Library

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

"Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America's Library," an exhibit featuring more than 400 photographs from the Library's collections, is now open in the Jefferson Building and can be viewed online. It debuted in 2018 at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. The show is a visual journey through American culture and history.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Researcher Stories: Walter Stahr

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

In this segment of a regular feature on authors who use the Library's collections, we interview Walter Stahr, a lawyer turned historian. His latest biography, published in 2022, is "Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln's Vital Rival," a look at the influential treasury secretary and later chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court during the mid 19th century.