Celebrating Black History Month: Research Materials from Special Collections

A new exhibition, created in honor of Black History Month, was recently installed in the display cases on the second floor of Clapp Library. It is based entirely on primary research materials held by Special Collections, mostly acquired by Ella Smith Elbert, class of 1888 and Wellesley’s second black graduate, but also from our Rare Books and Book Arts Collection. The exhibition covers themes of Literature and Music, Personal Narratives, Slavery and Emancipation, the Abolitionist Movement, the Civil War, and Racism and Integration. Highlights include a life mask of Abraham Lincoln, a first edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1783.  Wheatley, a domestic slave in Boston, wrote poetry and prose under the tutelage and encouragement of her masters. Her intellect and ability attracted the interest of men such as Thomas Paine and George Washington. She was emancipated from slavery, and eventually gained the full rights of a free woman following the deaths of her masters in the late 1770s.

Faculty are encouraged to visit with classes, or call ahead if you or your students would like to see related items in Special Collections.  All of these materials are listed in the library’s catalog.

Exhibition Details:
Location: Clapp Library lobby cases and Reading Room cases, 2nd floor
Dates: Now through late April 2012
Questions: Ruth Rogers at x3592 or email rrogers@wellesley.edu