Illustrating Natural Histories

Below are a couple of photographs I took at the Natural Histories exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History, in New York. There is a lot to say about this magnificent exhibition. First, in the exhibition's display Curiously Colorful Fishthough, there was a time when fantasy played a large part in illustrating scientific books, as the intricate cataloging of the earth's species proceeded. And the beauty of shells, this time with realistic and beautiful illustrations of shells and mollusks, is shown in the display Dawn of Malacology.

(There are many sites which have posted photos of the collection. But, I took my own partly to keep a record of what I saw and liked - I also took photos of the descriptive logs below the illustration - and partly to test out a non-flash environment for my camera.)

For more information on the collection, this site on the AMNH's website is a useful start.

More links and information along the way may provide what you might wish to obtain.

The best thing, of course, is to visit this marvelous place. And make sure the research library is open when you get there.

Curiously Colorful Fish



The following information was obtained from the American Museum of Natural History online catalog.

Title: Three species of fish with engraved text from Renard's Poissons, écrevisses et crabes

Medium: Engravings

Coverage: Moluccas, Indonesia

Rare books: Asia, Fishes, Fishes -- Pictorial works, Ocean life

Publisher: American Museum of Natural History Research Library

Artist: Renard, Louis, b. ca. 1678

Department / Discipline: Ichthyology

Collection Name: Rare Book Collection

Note: Natural Histories: Extraordinary Rare Book Selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library: 1. De Groot Tafel-visch (additional descriptive text in french): 2. De Spits-Neus (additional descriptive text in french): 3. Ican Suangi (additional descriptive text in french)

Author: Renard, Louis, b. ca. 1678

Book Title: Poissons, écrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires, que l'on trouve autour des isles Moluques et sur les côtes des terres australes :peints d'après nature durant la régime de messieurs Van Oudshoorn, Van Hoorn, Van Ribeek & Van Zwoll, successivement gouverneurs-généraux des Indes orientales pour la Compagnie de Hollande

Imprint:Amsterdam: Chez Reinier & Josué Ottens, 1754

Date of Publication: 1754

Language of Publication: French

Call Number: RF-74-F

Bibliographic Number: b10715216

Description of Publication: 2 v. in 1 ([14] p., 43 leaves of plates; [6] p., LVII leaves of plates) : chiefly col. ill. (459 figs.) ; 42 cm. (fol.)

View this book in the library catalog: http://libcat1.amnh.org/record=b1071521

Here is the information describing the illustrations of "colorful fish" provided by the museum:

Fish, Crayfish and Crabs of Diverse Colors and Extraordinary Forms
Author: Louis Renard (1678-1746)
Illustrator: Samuel Fallours (active 1706-1712,
and other local artists
Imprint: Amsterdam, 1754
Two volume work illustrated with
100 hand-colored, engraved plates

Dreary tropical fish? Sounds like an oxymoron.
But when Europeans saw collections of preserved
tropical fish in the 1700, their colors had long
since faded away and they resembled familiar, drab-colored,
local fish.

No wonder the work of Louis Renard was so exciting.
Renard collected and published fantastically colored
and boldly patterned images of fish and
crustaceans from the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).
Artists included Dutch East India Company
soldier Samuel Fallours and anonymous locals

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The Dawn of Malacology



The following information was obtained from the American Museum of Natural History online catalog.

Title: Voluta magnifica (Cymbiola magnifica) from Martini's Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet

Medium: Engravings

Rare books: Aquatic invertebrates, Shells, Shells -- Pictorial works, Mollusca

Publisher: American Museum of Natural History Research Library

Collection Name: Rare Book Collection

Artist: Unknown

Original Caption: Voluta magnifica

Author: Martini, Friedrich Heinrich Wilhelm, 1729-1778

Book Title: Neues systematisches Conchylien-Cabinet

Imprint: Nürnberg : Bey Gabriel Nikolaus Raspe, 1769-1829

Date of Publication: 1769-1829

Language of Publication: German

Call Number: 14-A

Bibliographic Number: b10657605

Description of Publication: 12 v. in 13 : col. ill. ; 30 cm.

View this book in the library catalog: http://libcat1.amnh.org/record=b1065760

Here is information close to the display "Voluta magnifica" provided by the museum:

In the late 1700s Friedrich Heinrich Wilhelm Martini,
a German physician and devoted shell collector,
set out to describe and illustrate all mollusk species.
His work was cut out for him: estimates indicate that
there are more than 100,000 species. Martini did not
fulfill his dream, dying after only the third volume
of descriptions. Johann Hieronymus Chemnitz, a German
clergyman, continued his work. Unfortunately, the authors
did not adopt the binomial naming system introduced by
Linnaeus in 1758, rendering the series less scientifically
useful than it might have been.
The shells are beautifully illustrated
and scientifically accurate.

[Photos By: KPA]

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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New York Public Library, Collections, Architecture, and History

I went to the New York Public Library to view to view the library’s copy of The Declaration of Independence, handwritten by Thomas Jefferson, which was on display from from June 27 to July 3, 2014 in the Celeste Bartos Forum.

I took a photograph of this document, and have provided below a link with enlargements of the document from the NYPL collections. I was surprised at Jefferson's small, neat handwriting. If I were a handwriting analyst, I would say that Jefferson was a precise, meticulous person, who wouldn't pass by details. His input, at assessing all the fine points of the document, would have been essential.

The Celeste Barthos Forum (Room 80)

...with its glass ceiling, is influenced directly by the reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale (1856-75) [in Paris], designed by Henri Labrouste. [Source: Beaux-arts Architecture in New York: A Photographic Guide. P. 41]

The foot of the marble staircase inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building


Drinking fountain on the second floor, with a bronze lion's head


A marble wall panel in the Celest Bartos Forum


Thomas Jefferson's autograph copy of the Declaration of Independence
On display in the Celest Bartos Forum from June 27 to Thursday July 3, 2014
Here is the full document, from the NYPL's Digital Collections.

Here is a copy, from the NYPL Digitial Collections, of the top part of the document:



And here is a link to the transcript of the document.


Glass ceiling in the Celeste Bartos Forum of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building,
Showing the marble panels.

[All Photos By KPA, except for the excerpt of the Declaration of Independence]
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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The New York Public Library's Great Reading Room

The Deborah, Jonathan F. P., Samuel Priest, and Adam R. Rose Main Reading Room is a majestic public space, measuring 78 feet by 297 feet—roughly the length of two city blocks—and weaving together Old World architectural elegance with modern technology. The award-wining restoration of this room was completed in 1998, thanks to a fifteen million-dollar gift from Library trustee Sandra Priest Rose and Frederick Phineas Rose, who renamed the room in honor of their children.

Here, patrons can read or study at long oak tables lit by elegant bronze lamps, beneath fifty-two foot tall ceilings decorated by dramatic murals of vibrant skies and billowing clouds...

...

In one of his memoirs, New York Jew, [Alfred] Kazin described his youthful impression of the reading room: “There was something about the . . . light falling through the great tall windows, the sun burning smooth the tops of the golden tables as if they had been freshly painted—that made me restless with the need to grab up every book, press into every single mind right there on the open shelves.” [Source: NYPL]

In my post on the New York Public Library, Dean Ericson left the following comment:

My 16 year-old nephew was visiting earlier in the summer, his first trip to New York City. The Public Library was one place I brought him and we made a thorough tour of every public space. It is simply one of the world's greatest buildings; grand in concept, perfect in design, and brilliant in craftsmanship. If you come to the City don't miss this inspirational evidence of a superior civilization.
-Dean Ericson

I am happy to inform Dean that I have been inside the library. It was primarily to ask information on membership. I did get my library card, actually two cards: one the size of a credit card, and the other a thinner one with a hole at the top. The latter, as I was informed, is to put on a key chain or something. I got my cards in the great reading room, where it was so quiet, I could hear a pin drop (or the papers rustling). I didn't want to take a photo of this grand interior, but hopefully I will do so the next time.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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New York in a Week Part I: The New York Public Library

Patience, sitting strong and....

My recent trip to New York, was successful and as always, enjoyable.

There were many reasons I went. One was to attend Jim Kalb's monthly meetings, of which I am honored to be a part. Secondly, it was to photograph various New York landmarks for the chapter headings of my book Reclaiming Beauty. Third, I went to see if I can use the immense research facilities at the New York Public Library for my book. And finally, but no less important, it was to pay my respects to Larry Auster, with a visit to his grave near Philadelphia, which I've posted on here.

Each of these was successful. It left me little time to visit museums, exhibitions and even shopping. I went to the Cloisters on a double mission: to photograph the scenery and buildings, and to attend the 75-year anniversary of the Unicorn Tapestires aqcuisitions. But the Metropolitan has to wait for another visit. I made it to Macy's and Bloomingdales, but I didn't take my camera with me, leaving me without photos of the famous storefronts.

I had also hoped to trace George Washington's visit to New York during his (as I had written here), but time was lacking. I will do that at another visit, and I will surely find some worthy images to put in my book.

During my visit to the NYPL, I took a one hour tour for quick and condensed information. The docent informed us about a "writers and scholars grant" which I am eligible to apply for. The extensive Spencer Collection: Prints and Photographs Study Room, the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection, and the Manuscripts and Archives Division will provide me with a wealth of information.

The docent, a gentle lady named Patrica Darcy (do have her as your guide) was able to give us an a great survey of the library, as well as provide as with the pertinent information (such as the grant for writers and scholars).

On my way out of the library, I went to the gift shop, and bought a $1.00 (maybe it was 80 cents) postcard of one of the lions outside the library. "Is this Patience or Fortitude?" I asked the serious gift shop lady. "How do you know which is which?" she asks. Of course, I had just heard it form my tour, but didn't give that away.

Apparently, the lion on the postcard is Patience, as is the lion in the photograph I took of the library's exterior.


NYPL Staircase


View of the Empire State Building, through a window in the NYPL


View of 42nd Street through a window in the NYPL

[All Photos by KPA]

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Over-Compensating for Beauty

The Ceiling in the East Room of the Pierpont Morgan Library
[Image by Kidist P. Asrat]


The East Room of the Pierpont Morgan Library
Image from The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World
(scroll down at the linked site for the image)

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I posted about a recent trip to New York, and made a list which I titled: Kidist's Best Of in New York City.

One of the places I listed was the Morgan Library.

I took my camera into the library, hoping to take photos of the images I had seen in guide books, but the museum guard told me I couldn't use a flash. The only picture I could take which didn't require extra lighting was the ceiling stained glass window.

I forgot about this photo, and found it while I was organizing my online files.

Although the image came out over-exposed, I was able to use some digital photo editing techniques to make it as much like the original as I could.

It could be that I over-compensated, and the colors are not as saturated as I make them out to be in my final rendition. Nonetheless, the basic outline is as it is, and why not use a bit of fantasy to make something more beautiful? It could just be that the glass needs a bit of cleaning, like the renovations in the Plaza Hotel (which also included replacement of some of the stained glass).

I went to the library with a friend. When we entered the West Room, or Pierpont Morgan's study, we saw a number of portraits of Morgan and his descendants, stern and serious, looking down at us. "These are the white men of yonder years," I quipped: "We don't see them like this anymore, confident, sure and authoritative. Creating our Western civilization. Now, if white men ever had the same amount of zeal and commitment to their culture and society, they would be called racist. Now, they have to aspire to the lowest common denominator, rather than the highest. They cannot anger and cause resentment, or instill feelings of inferiority, to those many races and nations that cannot achieve, and have not achieved, the same brilliance."


Portrait of J. P. Morgan, Jr. (1867–1943) in a Cambridge Robe, 1934
Artist: Frank Owen Salisbury (British, 1874–1962)
Oil on canvas
48 5/8 x 39 3/8 inches
Commissioned by J. P. Morgan, Jr., 1934
West Room, Pierpont Morgan Library

Here is information on the portrait:

This portrait depicts J. P. Morgan, Jr., Pierpont Morgan's son and founder of this institution, wearing the robes of a Doctor of Laws, an honorary degree conferred by Cambridge University in 1919. The degree was a gesture of gratitude to the younger Morgan, who, as head of the firm J.P. Morgan & Co., provided financial support to the Allies during the First World War.[source: Pierpont Morgan Library]

A closer look at the portrait

Here is information on the artist, Frank Owen Salisbury:

Francis ("Frank") Owen Salisbury (born Harpenden[1] in Hertfordshire, 18 December 1874[1] died Hampstead, London, 31 August 1962[1]) was an English artist who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. In his heyday he made a fortune on both sides of the Atlantic and was known as “Britain’s Painter Laureate”. His art was steadfastly conservative and he was a vitriolic critic of Modern Art – particularly of his contemporaries Picasso, Chagall and Mondrian. His father, Henry Salisbury, described himself as a “plumber, decorator and ironmonger” (his mother was Susan Hawes[1]), yet his son Frank would become one of the greatest society artists of his generation. [Source: Wikipedia]

And more detailed biographical information on J. P. Morgan:

John Pierpont "Jack" Morgan, Jr. (September 7, 1867 — March 13, 1943) was an American banker and philanthropist. He was born on September 7, 1867 in Irvington, New York to J. P. Morgan and Frances Louisa Tracy. He graduated from Harvard in 1886, where he was a member of the Delphic Club, formerly known as the Delta Phi, and Delta Kappa Epsilon. In 1890 Jack married Jane Norton Grew (d. 1925), daughter of Boston banker and mill owner Henry Sturgis Grew. She was the aunt of Henry Grew Crosby. The couple raised four children: Junius Spencer Morgan III; Henry Sturgis Morgan, a founding partner of Morgan Stanley; Jane Norton Morgan Nichols and Frances Tracy Pennoyer. A fifth child, Alice (d. 1918?), died at a young age of typhoid fever. He resembled his father in his dislike for publicity and continued his father's philanthropic policy. In 1905, his father acquired the bank Guaranty Trust as part of his efforts to consolidate New York City banking. After his father died in 1913 the bank became Jack's base. Morgan played a prominent part in financing World War I. Following its outbreak, he made the first loan of $12,000,000 to Russia. In 1915, a loan of $50,000,000 was made to France.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat