Browse Exhibits (24 total)
Love Notes
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart.” — Jane Austen, Emma
February 14th marks Valentine's Day each year, a celebration named in honor of one St. Valentine. Though the namesake's origin is of some dispute, and uncertainty, what is certain is that this year, we could all use a little extra love.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and for all those perusing the digital universe in search of some good news, and happy endings, staff of the DeGolyer Library put together a sampling of romantic stories, of cards and love letters from the past.
From the stacks in the Southern Methodist University Archives, to the postcards in the DeGolyer Prints and Photographs collections, and the ladies of the Archives of Women of the Southwest, these items depict the butterflies of new relationships, the heartfelt terms of endearment of long time couples, highlight the pangs of loneliness for long distance lovers, and provide insight into how men and women expressed their feelings of love and adoration across time and miles.
Best of the DeGolyer: Items Featured in 'Fossils to Film'
In the Spring of 2021, the Meadows Museum celebrated its unique association with Southern Methodist University with a new exhibit, Fossils to Film: The Best of SMU’s Collections.
Fossils to Film brought together highlights from collections at the DeGolyer Library alongside highlights from the Underwood Law Library, G. William Jones Film and Video Collection, Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, the Shuler Museum of Paleontology, the Department of Anthropology, Bridwell Library, and the noted University Art Collection.
This virtual exhibit features a number of DeGolyer Library items featured on display at the Meadows Museum. Explore the items here, which from March 14th to June 20th, 2021, joined over 100 works of art, specimens, historical documents, and artifacts, many of which were exhibited outside of their home departments for the first time.
“Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion”: James G. Blaine, Grover Cleveland, and the Election of 1884
If remembered at all in the popular mind, the Presidential election of 1884 is best known, perhaps, as the "dirtiest" campaign in American history. But the election of 1884 is notable in several other respects. It resulted in the first Democratic victory since 1856. Beyond the personal scandals associated with both candidates and the campaign, many other issues were at stake, some of which were addressed, some of which were suppressed or ignored, such as women's rights, civil rights for African Americans, growing disparities in wealth (and what to do about that), prohibition, civil service reform, and the challenges immigration posed in creating a more pluralistic society. If many of these sound familiar to us today, the election of 1884 is worth a second look.
Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes
“Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes: An Exhibition Marking the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment” features over 100 objects from the collections of Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Helen LaKelly Hunt, and the DeGolyer Library. The exhibit includes materials such as rare books, pamphlets, broadsides, photographs, sheet music, manuscripts, and ephemera documenting the history of the women’s rights movement, from the publication of Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) through the 19th century and early 20th century, with emphasis on the roles women played first in the abolitionist movement and then in the suffrage movement. Represented are well-known figures such as the Grimke sisters, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth, as well as more local figures and organizations, such as the Women Suffrage Association of Oklahoma.