The Huntington Presents “Stories from the Library: ‘From Brontë to Butler’ and ‘Looking to Learn’”
New exhibitions highlight the daily lives of women writers and the evolution of education
Posted on Tue., Dec. 2, 2025
Key Takeaways
- The second iteration of the “Stories from the Library” series in the Huntington Art Gallery features the exhibitions “From Brontë to Butler” and “Looking to Learn.”
- “From Brontë to Butler” draws on personal writings and objects to reveal the private lives and creative processes of women writers from the early 1800s to today.
- “Looking to Learn” traces the development of early childhood education in England and the United States from the late 18th through early 20th centuries.
- Each exhibition features rare materials from The Huntington’s Library collections, including items that have not been publicly displayed before.
- The series runs concurrently with the renovation of the Library’s historic exhibition hall, set to reopen in 2028.
When the second installment of “Stories from the Library” opens on Dec. 13, 2025, visitors will encounter rarely seen materials from across The Huntington’s Library collections—including Octavia E. Butler’s notebooks and the first schoolbook printed in California. The exhibitions run through June 15, 2026.
“From Brontë to Butler” and “Looking to Learn”—present these materials in distinct contexts: one focused on women writers’ lives and work, the other on the development of early education.
Exploring the Private Lives of Women Writers: “From Brontë to Butler”
Behind every engrossing story or poem is a writer whose own life story deepens the meaning of her words. “From Brontë to Butler” draws primarily from The Huntington’s extensive literary archives to illuminate the private lives, creative processes, and personal identities of women writers whose work spans two centuries.
Anchored by Charlotte Brontë and Octavia E. Butler as chronological bookends, the exhibition brings together journals, letters, photographs, and personal items that bridge time, geography, and social context. Whether exploring family and marriage, work and gender roles, or the city of Los Angeles itself, the exhibition reveals common threads that connect individual experiences across generations.
Among the highlights is Octavia E. Butler’s handwritten note from Nov. 7, 1978, in which she reflects on her determination to become a better speaker as well as writer.
“Butler was driven to connect with her readers through speculative fiction, and that connection required a deep commitment to her craft,” said Sarah Francis, assistant curator of literary collections at The Huntington. “Her nearly 200 notebooks at The Huntington are full of entries that make plain both her desire to reach others and the careful work underlying that desire.”
The exhibition also features Charlotte Brontë’s letters to her close friend Ellen Nussey, offering glimpses into the novelist’s concern for her ailing sister Anne in the wake of the recent deaths of her sister Emily and brother Bramwell. Through her correspondence, Brontë’s persistence in the face of grief emerges vividly.
Other objects on view include photographs of Los Angeles and its residents by Eve Babitz, the novelist and essayist known for chronicling the city’s cultural life, and a signature hat of Patt Morrison, the longtime Los Angeles Times columnist and author. Personal belongings represent these women who observed and wrote about the worlds around them.
The Huntington holds over one hundred Charlotte Brontë letters plus several of her verse and prose manuscripts, and the Octavia E. Butler papers—more than 8,000 items of manuscripts, diaries, research materials, and correspondence—which underpin the “From Brontë to Butler” exhibition. The Library also houses the Eve Babitz archive, which includes the author-artist’s journals, letters, photographs, and artwork, informing the featured objects drawn from Los Angeles cultural life.
Illustrating the Evolution of Education: “Looking to Learn”
In “Looking to Learn,” visitors will encounter rich visual and historical, printed and manuscript materials that illustrate shifts in teaching methods in England and the United States between the late 18th and early 20th centuries.
The exhibition explores how changing ideas about child development inspired educators and parents to incorporate hands-on activities, practical subjects, and play into children’s learning. It also examines how new printing technologies revolutionized the production of colorful, engaging materials designed to spark curiosity.
As the exhibition materials reveal, these changes were unevenly distributed. While schooling became increasingly accessible to girls and the poor, many educational practices continued to reinforce divisions of class, gender, and race.
“What’s taught in the classroom often reflects the values of the society that creates it,” said David Mihaly, Jay T. Last Curator of Graphic Arts and Social History at The Huntington. “And sometimes the student notes scrawled within these materials offer intimate glimpses into those classrooms—into how students related to their lessons and to their teachers.”
Highlights include the first schoolbook printed in California, Tablas para los niños que empiezan a contar (Tables for children who are beginning to count)—produced in 1836 by printer Agustin Vicente Zamorano. This publication marked a milestone in California’s educational history, introducing printed learning materials to a new generation of students.
Other featured materials include richly illustrated wall charts, board games, and lesson books that reflect evolving viewpoints about childhood, morality, and intellectual curiosity. The exhibition also highlights Margaret Bryan, an English educator who pioneered scientific instruction for girls at a time when such subjects were rarely deemed appropriate for them.
About Stories from the Library
The “Stories from the Library” exhibition series celebrates The Huntington’s world-class Library collections by presenting rare archival materials through new and unexpected thematic lenses. The first installment, which opened June 21, 2025, featured exhibitions on Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and visionary figures who shaped Los Angeles.
Future iterations will explore such topics as damaged books and materials, early science and medicine, international relations, and reflections on mortality. The series will continue through 2028, coinciding with the transformation of The Huntington’s Library/Art Building.
Generous support for the Stories from the Library exhibition series is provided by the Robert F. Erburu Exhibition Endowment. Additional support is provided by The Neilan Foundation, the Steinmetz Foundation, Laura and Carlton Seaver, and the John Brockway Huntington Foundation.
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About The Huntington
The Huntington, a world-renowned cultural and educational institution, provides transformative experiences for a community of the curious. Founded in 1919 by Henry E. and Arabella Huntington, it supports research and promotes public engagement through its expansive library, art, and botanical collections. By cultivating dynamic scholarship, creating innovative programs for students and lifelong learners, and sharing its extraordinary resources, The Huntington invites all on a journey of discovery, insight, and connection. Only 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles, The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California. Learn more at huntington.org.