As an icon in American history, Benjamin Franklin is renowned for the versatility of his skills. His inventions, his politics and his printing are among the more common recollections of Franklin, but he seems to have had another lesser-known talent: poetry.
In 1777, in the midst of the burgeoning Revolutionary War, Franklin seems to have taken time to dabble in the literary arts. In scripted hand, he writes: "Belinda, see, from yonder flowers / The Bee flies loaded to his Cell. / Can you perceive what he devours? / Are they impair'd in shew or smell?"
Franklin's poetic artifact is just one of countless historic objects from Dartmouth's Special Collections Library now on display in the Hood Museum of Art's newest exhibition, "Treasures from Dartmouth College's Rauner Library." The exhibit features close to 60 carefully selected materials from Rauner Library, whose collection includes over 126,000 volumes, 500,000 photographs and 6.5 million manuscripts.
Obviously, selecting 60 objects from a collection of this size was no easy feat. The Rauner collection comprises over 250 years of gifts and purchases made throughout the College's history. In his introductory panel to the exhibition, Special Collections Librarian and guest curator Philip Cronenwett explains that each work featured in the exhibition was chosen not as much for its "aesthetic merit" as for its "exemplary status in its genre."
Like the verses by Franklin, the rarity of all the objects in the collection makes walking through the exhibit much like walking through history. The selections are by no means representative of the entirety of the Rauner collection; no exhibition can ever encapsulate the entirety of two-and-a-half centuries of collecting. Nonetheless, the exhibit does provide a thorough sampling of the collection.
The exhibit begins with early manuscripts such as "Liber glossarum," a precursor to the modern dictionary, handwritten around the year 825. Remarkably, the original leaf, featuring Latin words in the "re" range and their definitions, is well-preserved and remains easy to read.
Nearby, visitors are treated to seeing a Johann Gutenberg Bible of around 1455. This "Biblia Latina" is markedly historic, as it is believed to have been the first book printed with moveable type in the West. To many scholars and historians, the production of the Gutenberg Bible marked a crucial event in the history of Western cultures.
Though only eleven copies of the original 1611 quarto of William Shakespeare's "most lamentable tragedie of Titus Andronicus" are known to exist, one of these rare books belongs to Dartmouth's collection.
Just as Franklin's poetic inclinations present an unusual glimpse into the psyche of the well-known historic figure, many documents presented under the exhibition heading "Statesman" are characterized by a similar premise of learning more about and envisioning other sides of these figures than one might from a history book alone.
In his secret report of 1911 on "Military Aspects of the Continental Problem," Sir Winston Churchill discusses the foreseeable ramifications of British noninterference in France and Germany's military buildup. In this powerful international relations document, Churchill seems to perceive the possibility of the First World War.
At age 18, George Washington was not yet the classic Revolutionary hero nor the first President of the United States. Instead, in 1750 he was working as a land surveyor, during which time he was able to meet many people of wide-ranging social standing. In the exhibit, visitors can see Washington's handwritten survey of land in Frederick County, Virginia.
State and college history
The Rauner collection is also very strong in its materials relating to New Hampshire state history as well as Dartmouth itself. Dartmouth's close relation to the state of New Hampshire has allowed it the opportunity to acquire manuscripts, papers and even photographs integral to the study of the state's history and culture.
In a tiny volume, "The New England Primer" was printed here in Hanover in 1822. With its imperfect printing and coarse black and white illustrations, the primer was used as a tool to bring books and literacy to thousands of children. Although these editions were not designed for a long life span, this representative volume has survived well in Rauner's collection. A sample of the rhyming text reflects the book's intended audience: "The Gabbler makes incessant noise, / Like prating, idle, worthless boys."
Like the primer, the charter of Dartmouth College is characterized by its advancement of education. The charter, catalogued as a "Gift of George III, King of England," is featured as a centerpiece of the exhibit. The 1769 document may have been drafted in part by Eleazer Wheelock but completed by the New Hampshire Royal Governor John Wentworth. While the charter has aged extensively, the handwritten text is still legible.
The College charter was of great importance in the 1818 Dartmouth College Supreme Court case argued by Daniel Webster, Class of 1801. Webster represented the College Trustees who opposed the legislation passed by the state of New Hampshire, which changed the charter of Dartmouth from that of a college to that of a university.
The exhibit features a handwritten sample of Webster's oral court argument, as an obvious work in progress. Certain words and sentences have been scratched out, as Webster clearly reworked the phrasing of his argument. The document reflects Webster's thought process in the case that formed the basis of modern contract law. After drawing a line through his previous sentence, Webster writes: "There are, in this case, all the essential constituent parts of a contract" Webster's successful representation of the College reaffirmed the sanctity of the original royal charter and established a precedent for future contract disputes.
Science and technology
Still retaining its "college" status to this day, Dartmouth has long been known for its particular strength in its scientific curriculum. This reputation is much indebted to Dartmouth's tenth president Ernest Fox Nichols, a scientist, and the College's 13th president, John G. Kemeny, a mathematician and computer pioneer. Accordingly, the scientific materials in the Special Collection Library are reflective of scientific achievements.
For example, the first draft of Dartmouth mathematics professors Thomas Kurtz and Kemeny's "BASIC: Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code," detailing their creation, is displayed in the museum gallery.
The collection is also very strong in its artifacts from polar exploration. The materials are reflective of the nineteenth century fascination with arctic expeditions. William Bradford, in his 1873 book entitled "The Arctic Regions," details his 1869 "Panther" expedition up West Greenland's coast. The oversized volume includes what may be the earliest published photographs of the Arctic.
Literary legends
The samples from renowned writers such as William Wordsworth and Robert Frost demonstrate their active writing techniques. For instance, Wordsworth's "Sonnets," published in 1838, features handwritten amendments by the poet to "Sonnet 30," one of his most famous. Though the original poem opens with "Air sleeps, from strife or stir the clouds are free," Wordsworth changes the line to read: "It is a beauteous evening calm and free."
Wordsworth's decision to rework his sonnet is clearly reflected in his notes, but without seeing these rare documents one might never have known these changes had ever been made. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see such objects, carefully maintained by Rauner Library.
While presenting only a fraction of the entire collection, the materials selected for the exhibition strive to present a wide array of historical objects. From original literary manuscripts to rare books and Dartmouth lore, "Treasures" offers an informative peek into Rauner's collections and an enticement to further explore the treasures behind the walls of Webster Hall.
