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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A is for Alice: The Solomon Collection of Children’s Literature Peter J. Solomon Susan and Peter J. Solomon. Courtesy of the Solomons Susan and I are honored that the opening exhibit at the renovated Houghton Library is devoted to our collection of children’s books, illustrations, and manuscripts. In particular, we thank Thomas Hyry, the Associate University Librarian for Archives and Special Collections and Florence Fearrington Librarian of Houghton Library; H. Nichols B. Clark and Meghan Melvin, who have curated the exhibit under the direction of Anne-Marie Eze, Director of Scholarly and Public Programs and acting Philip Hofer Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts; Sarah Thomas, former University Librarian; her successor Martha Whitehead, the Roy E. Larson Librarian for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; and Hope Mayo, former Hofer curator. Books, rare and otherwise, are endangered. Hopefully, the increased accessibility to Houghton will entice more undergraduates and visitors to experience the thrill of holding a rare text in their hands, enjoy the delight of reading a manuscript or letter, and see the original of illustrations they have long admired. We also hope that the addition of our collection to Houghton’s already robust holdings of children’s literature will stimulate more academic and popular interest in the field, including exhibits, lectures, and seminars. Collecting children’s books and related illustration art might seem an unusual hobby for an investment banker whose career has focused on advising owners and senior executives on strategic financial decisions. It is not even in the mainstream of collecting, where collectors may acquire recognized art or participate in widely attended exhibitions and auctions. Book collecting is a lonely pursuit, and even for bibliophiles, 1
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- Page 7: Table of Contents Foreword Thomas H
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- Page 26 and 27: William B. Osgood Field; John McAnd
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- Page 30 and 31: Stories with anthropomorphized anim
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- Page 38 and 39: As in The Lion and the Mouse, Black
- Page 40 and 41: notes 1 Maria Nikolajeva, “Animal
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- Page 44 and 45: 1 Ovid (Roman, 43 BCE-17/18 CE, aut
- Page 46 and 47: 3 Johann Amos Comenius (Czech, 1592
- Page 48 and 49: 5 J. J. Grandville (French, 1803-18
- Page 50 and 51: 7 Unknown author Gustav Sigismund P
- Page 52 and 53: 8 Jean de La Fontaine (French, 1621
- Page 54 and 55: 10 Aesop (Greece, 620-564 BCE, auth
- Page 56 and 57: 12 Alexander Calder (American, 1898
- Page 58 and 59: 14 Rudyard Kipling (British, 1865-1
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