http://ransomcenter.tumblr.com/

Émilie de Breteuil, marquise du Châtelet, may be best known for...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:26:17 -0500

Title page and engraving from the Ransom Center’s copy of "Institutions de physique," by Émilie de Breteuil, marquise du Châtelet (1740), an item from the Desmond Flower collection of Voltaire.

An inscription "Institutions de physique."

A pull-out chart from "Institutions de physique."

Émilie de Breteuil, marquise du Châtelet, may be best known for being Voltaire’s lover, but she also authored the first French translation and commentary of Isaac Newton’s” Principia,” a work that is still considered to be the standard translation in France.

This week, “From the Outside In” shares the story of how...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:12:26 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” shares the story of how Eadweard Muybridge’s photograph, “Horse in Motion,” helped prove that all four hooves leave the ground when a horse is running.

Caption: Eadweard Muybridge. “Horse in Motion,” Photography collection, Harry Ransom Center.

The Harry Ransom Center has awarded more than 65 fellowships for...

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:53:30 -0500

The Harry Ransom Center has awarded more than 65 fellowships for 2013-2014. Learn more about the recipients and their topics.

René Belbenoit: Prison escape artist, butterfly enthusiast, and...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:48:19 -0500

René Belbenoit: Prison escape artist, butterfly enthusiast, and storyteller. A recently cataloged manuscript of his autobiography tells the story of of this “incorrigible” Frenchman through his own words and illustrations.

First edition (1925) of “The Great Gatsby.” A case...

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:02:40 -0500

First edition (1925) of “The Great Gatsby.”

A case of materials related to The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald are on display in the lobby of the Ransom Center through June 9.

This week, “From the Outside In” tells the story of Emmanuel...

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:42:54 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” tells the story of Emmanuel Romano’s portrait of writer Carson McCullers.

Emanuel Romano (Italian-American, 1897–1984). Portrait of Carson McCullers, ca. 1949. Oil on masonite. Art Collection, Harry Ransom Center.

This week, “From the Outside In” gives the story of John...

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:26:35 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” gives the story of John Tenniel’s illustration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

“From the Outside In: A Visitor’s Guide to the Windows” provides an opportunity to discover more about the Ransom Center’s renowned collections of literature, film, photography, art, and the performing arts featured in the etched windows of the building.

Caption: Illustration from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

Each Friday, the Ransom Center shares photos from throughout the...

Fri, 03 May 2013 11:29:58 -0500

Author Kevin Powers speaks with Ransom Center members prior to his talk. Photo by Pete Smith.

Musician Michael Hall performs at Poetry on the Plaza: Singers and Songwriters. Photo by Pete Smith.

University of Tulsa Associate Professor of Film Jeff Van Hanken and Associate Professor of English Grant Jenkins interview Ransom Center Director Thomas F. Staley about poet Ron Padgett.

At a volunteer appreciation party this week, Ransom Center volunteers Carol Headrick, Doris Mohler, and Elizabeth Jones were honored for dedicating their time. Photo by Margaret Burke.

Each Friday, the Ransom Center shares photos from throughout the week that highlight a range of activities and collection holdings. We hope you enjoy these photos that reveal some of the everyday happenings at the Center.

Please be aware that Photo Friday will be on hiatus during the summer, but will return in September.

R. Colin Tait, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Texas at...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:34:10 -0500

R. Colin Tait, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Texas at Austin, has used the Ransom Center’s Robert De Niro collection as the basis for his dissertation, “Robert De Niro’s Method: Acting, Authorship and Agency in the New Hollywood (1967–1980).” Tait argues that De Niro has been a major intellectual and creative contributor to the world of film and acting and writes about his research in the De Niro archive. Tait shares how the papers reveal the actor’s commitment to his craft with examples of his “meticulous research, collaborations with directors, and extreme bodily transformations.”

In the above video, Tait discusses De Niro’s place in the film cannon.

Until recently, one of the largest objects in the Harry Ransom...

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:47:22 -0500

Until recently, one of the largest objects in the Harry Ransom Center’s collections has also been one of the least visible. This past fall, Ransom Center photographer Pete Smith took up photographing Joan Blaeu’s great wall map as a personal challenge.

This week, “From the Outside In” shares the story of Lewis...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:51:02 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” shares the story of Lewis Carroll’s poem Hiawatha’s Photographing. Carroll, well known as the author of the Alice books, was also an accomplished photographer.

John Steinbeck’s ideal woman? “I don’t want an ideal...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:52:41 -0500

John Steinbeck’s ideal woman? “I don’t want an ideal woman. I just like dames.”

Read the full article “Fellows Find: John Steinbeck’s ‘ideal woman’” on the Ransom Center’s blog Cultural Compass.

Learn how conservators at the Harry Ransom Center painstakingly...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:31:38 -0500

Learn how conservators at the Harry Ransom Center painstakingly repaired and framed a Norman Bel Geddes poster design for the 1926 Macy’s Christmas Parade.

This week, “From the Outside In” highlights the story of...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:48:43 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” highlights the story of Dorothea Lange, whose photograph Migrant Mother is housed at the Ransom Center, and of Florence Owens, the migrant mother of the title.

Each Friday, the Ransom Center shares photos from throughout the...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:21:27 -0500

Author Morris Dickstein presented the lecture "America's Best Magazine?: Commentary in the 1960s" on Thursday. Photo by Pete Smith.

Magnum photographer, poet, and folk musician Larry Towell presents a selection of his work in a multimedia performance at the Belo Center for New Media last Thursday. Photo by Pete Smith.

Christine Lee and Margi Tenney of the Ransom Center visit with students at the Libraries Fair at Perry-Castañeda Library. Photo courtesy of UT Libraries.

James Salter’s All That Is (Knopf), his first new novel since...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:28:07 -0500

James Salter’s All That Is (Knopf), his first new novel since 1979, is a reflective work, a reconsideration of many of the themes he has explored in his earlier fiction. Looking back at Salter’s prior novels through his archive at the Harry Ransom Center, one can see the artist at work and better understand the sentiments that guide his craft.

Some notebooks from Salter’s archive can be seen on The Daily Beast.

Learn more about what Salter’s notebooks reveal about his creative process.

In conjunction with tonight’s lecture by author Morris...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:42:41 -0500

In conjunction with tonight’s lecture by author Morris Dickstein, an accompanying display case in the Ransom Center’s lobby features items from the Center’sCommentary magazine archive. Dickstein’s lecture, titled “America’s Best Magazine?: Commentary in the 1960s,” takes place tonight at 7 p.m. in the Prothro Theater. The Commentary magazine archive was donated to the Center in 2011.

The event will be webcast live at 7 p.m. CST.

Photo by Alicia Dietrich.

This week, “From the Outside In” examines Harold Edgerton’s...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:05:08 -0500

This week, “From the Outside In” examines Harold Edgerton’s stop-motion photography. The Ransom Center holds 35 of Edgerton’s prints, including this one of a “Milk Drop Coronet.”

Each Friday, the Ransom Center shares photos from throughout the...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:39:15 -0500

Paper Conservator Jane Boyd treats a scrapbook with newspaper clippings of cricket stories from the J. M. Coetzee papers for the summer exhibition “Literature and Sport,” which opens June 11.

Fellowship recipient Teal Triggs views photographs from the Fleur Cowles archive as part of her research project on Flair magazine. Photo by Alicia Dietrich.

Students from the Butler School of Music perform in the atrium of the Ransom Center as part of a music crawl of Austin’s Cultural Campus. Photo by Ryan Goodland.

Students from the Butler School of Music set up for Saturday's concert crawl of Austin's Cultural Campus. Photo by Sydney Reed.

“Arnold Newman: At Work,” recently published by UT...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:17:39 -0500

“Arnold Newman: At Work,” recently published by UT Press, draws heavily on archival materials at the Ransom Center to explore the photographer’s creative process.