University Libraries Present 'Collection Curiosities'

Photo Submitted

Photo by Valerie Robertson

Celebrate quirky treasures from the archives! The University of Arkansas Libraries' special collections department presents "Collection Curiosities," an exhibit of strange yet compelling objects on display on Level 1 of Mullins Library through the end of July.

These oddities represent a rarity in the collections—the three-dimensional object. While the majority of archival manuscript and book collections center on the written word, the items in this exhibit represent the wide variety of artifacts that are often included in the donation of personal papers and can largely be categorized as visually-centered, and a bit eccentric to boot. These delightful materials enrich individual manuscript collections as well as the Libraries' holdings.

Exhibited items showcase unique and inventive personalities, exceptional adventures and compelling relics of lives from centuries' past, including Arkansas author Charles J. Finger's bagpipes, artifacts and evidence discovered with the bones of a Pulaski County murder victim in 1890, and an ivory whip handle carried by fourteen-year-old Sarah Ellsworth on her trip to Central America in 1861, where she became the first white woman to ride horseback across the continent. The exhibit is intended to challenge notions about archival materials and inspire viewers to investigate the narratives of the past that are discovered every day in special collections. To learn more about these items visit the University of Arkansas Libraries' special collections department.