Animals Are Us: Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature; Celebrating the Peter J. Solomon Collection
Why do we tell stories to children through and about animals? Are there reasons why we shouldn’t? Animals Are Us invites explores these questions and more through influential historic examples of anthropomorphism in dialogue with contemporary books drawn from the collection of Peter J. Solomon (Harvard College Class of 1960, MBA 1963) and the holdings of Houghton Library. The exhibition invites you to engage critically with animal anthropomorphism, and delight in the artfulness of this enduring literary genre. Catalog of an exhibition on view at Houghton Library, Harvard University, September 1, 2021 - January 7, 2022.
Why do we tell stories to children through and about animals? Are there reasons why we shouldn’t? Animals Are Us invites explores these questions and more through influential historic examples of anthropomorphism in dialogue with contemporary books drawn from the collection of Peter J. Solomon (Harvard College Class of 1960, MBA 1963) and the holdings of Houghton Library. The exhibition invites you to engage critically with animal anthropomorphism, and delight in the artfulness of this enduring literary genre.
Catalog of an exhibition on view at Houghton Library, Harvard University, September 1, 2021 - January 7, 2022.
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55<br />
Anna Sewell (British, 1820–1878, author)<br />
C. Hewitt (British, life dates unknown, illustrator)<br />
Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions. The<br />
Autobiography of a Horse. Translated from <strong>the</strong> Orig<strong>in</strong>al<br />
Equ<strong>in</strong>e<br />
London: Jarrold and Sons, 1877<br />
17 x 12 cm<br />
Houghton Library, Typ 805.77.7826<br />
Gift of <strong>Peter</strong> J. <strong>Solomon</strong>, 2020<br />
This book appeared dur<strong>in</strong>g an upsurge <strong>in</strong> animal welfare<br />
advocacy. Beauty, as narrator, relates <strong>the</strong> story of his life<br />
under different owners—good and bad—and establishes<br />
a close bond with <strong>the</strong> reader. The anticruelty message<br />
resonated deeply with Victorian audiences. The bear<strong>in</strong>g<br />
re<strong>in</strong>, which pa<strong>in</strong>fully constricted a horse’s head, was never<br />
outlawed, but Sewell’s narrative curtailed its use. There<br />
have been over n<strong>in</strong>e film adaptations of Black Beauty, <strong>the</strong><br />
first with sound <strong>in</strong> 1946.<br />
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