Introducing Unfolding History: Manuscripts at the Library of Congress

Manuscript Division archivists make sense of materials that often come to them folded, bundled, stacked, or mangled. Pictured is a suitcase holding an addition to the papers of actor-director Eva Le Gallienne. It turned out to hold a letter from half-sister Hesper describing ships massing on the English coast for D-Day, and setting out for France “like ghosts in the pale light.” [1]

There are a lot of stories folded into the collections of the Manuscript Division, and it’s time to share them in a new way.

Those stories come from one of the world’s most extensive archives related to American history. They are found in collections that document our political, social, cultural, military, and scientific pasts. And there are a lot of collections: more than 12,000 of them, which together encompass more than 70 million items. Among them are the personal papers of presidents and artists, judges and activists, generals and poets, scientists and nurses, and transformative organizations like the NAACP and the Works Progress Administration. More are added every year.

Unfolding History: Manuscripts at the Library of Congress is a new blog that aims to offer a wider window into those collections. Here, our historians, archivists, and reference librarians will share stories about exciting new discoveries and items that catch their eye.

We’ll pull back the curtain on the whole life cycle of an archival collection, from its arrival at our doorstep – sometimes in perfect order, sometimes in a jumbled mass – to the intricate puzzle work our archivists do to make it accessible, to the evolving insights it yields as our reference librarians and historians help researchers explore it over and over again, across generations. In other words, we’ll bring you into the fold. And bring you stories we hope will spark new research ideas, find their way into your classrooms, and pause your scrolling during lunch hour.

So join us, as the Manuscript Division works to collect the unique documents, digital files, and objects that can help current and future generations probe, understand, and continually reconsider what matters about our past and present. Join us, as history unfolds.

Two pages of Nicolay Copy of the Gettysburg Address — Folds themselves can convey important information about the history of a document. The Nicolay Copy of the Gettysburg address, part of the division’s Abraham Lincoln Papers, consists of two pages that use different writing utensils and paper stock but have matching folds. Some scholars believe Lincoln may have folded the pages together and placed them in his pocket, meaning this could be the version of the address used at Gettysburg.

Folded pages in a stack — When unfolded, these charts show meticulously recorded data from Alexander Graham Bell’s sheep breeding experiments in Nova Scotia. They suggest both Bell’s devotion to experimentation –the original flock simply came with the property – and his now-discredited eugenical conviction that animal breeding principles could be adapted to human beings in order to produce “modifications or varieties of men.” [2]

Drawing of Madonna figure on reverse side of assembled paper scraps — Discoveries of unique and unexpected items, often tucked within the folds of seemingly unrelated collections, are ongoing. This image of a Madonna figure, discovered rolled and crumpled among the papers of designers Charles and Ray Eames, turned out to be a lost work of renowned self-taught artist Martín Ramírez, drawn on a pasted-together assemblage of envelopes, letters, and paper scraps.

Do you want more stories like this? Then subscribe to Unfolding History – it’s free!

[1] Hesper Le Gallienne to Eva Le Gallienne, June 6, 1944. Box 66, Eva Le Gallienne Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

[2] Box 275, Alexander Graham Bell Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; Brian H. Greenwald and John Vickrey Van Cleve. “‘A Deaf Variety of the Human Race:’ Historical Memory, Alexander Graham Bell, and Eugenics.” The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 14, no. 1 (January 2015), 29.

Comments (7)

JJ says:
October 14, 2021 at 1:09 pm

I have subscribed to the blog and cannot wait to” unfold history’ with the Manuscript Division!
Jaime M says:
October 15, 2021 at 4:07 pm

So excited to follow this!
Jeffrey Katz says:
October 16, 2021 at 1:25 am

Many thanks to Lsura Kells for making me aware of this blog.
BC says:
October 21, 2021 at 9:32 am

So much fascinating information about folds in such a condensed form. Congratulations on your first blog! I’m looking forward to many more.
jeffrey flannery says:
October 22, 2021 at 3:50 pm

What an auspicious beginning for the Manuscript Division’s blog! It’s a great way to share the limitless treasures of this vast repository of American culture and history.
Robin Jones says:
October 23, 2021 at 7:28 pm

Please subscribe me to the Manuscripts Blog,
Lewis Wyman says:
October 25, 2021 at 9:09 am

Hello Robin,

There is a small orange “subscribe” button just above the title to each blog post. Thanks for your interest in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division!

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