New Series Showcases Iconic and Unexpected Library Works
“Stories from the Library” Debuts with Exhibitions on Chaucer and Los Angeles Visionaries
Posted on Tue., June 10, 2025 by
In The Huntington’s new exhibition series, Stories from the Library, even iconic materials—such as renowned science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s commonplace book, a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair, or an ink-blotted page of Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography—have new stories to tell when shown in surprising contexts. The series brings together remarkable literary and historical works from The Huntington’s Library collections alongside more unexpected items—some never seen by the public.
Stories from the Library debuts June 21, 2025, with two exhibitions: one centered on Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the other on visionary figures who have shaped Los Angeles.
“Drawn from across the Library’s vast holdings, each rotation in this series centers on a single item making a star turn—a destination object—placed in conversation with other selections,” said Sandra Brooke Gordon, Avery Director of the Library. “These exhibitions highlight the interrelatedness, beauty, and power of the Library’s collection of approximately 12 million items, while encouraging visitors to make new and inspired connections.”
The exhibitions will take place in two rooms of the historic Huntington mansion—including the former private library of Henry E. and Arabella Huntington—and will rotate in pairs every six months through June 2028.
“While this series includes some of the Library’s most iconic works, it is not a treasure show,” said Vanessa Wilkie, William A. Moffett Senior Curator of Medieval Manuscripts and British History and cocurator of the series. “Rather, it offers unique opportunities to provide more focused narratives with a broader range of materials.”
The series opens with two exhibitions that will run concurrently from June 21 through Dec. 1, 2025. In the Art Gallery’s Large Library, “The Tales Through Time” will focus on The Huntington’s exquisite manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and later iterations of the work, while upstairs in the Focus Gallery, “Los Angeles, Revisited” will explore the ways in which artists and visionaries have contended with the challenges and opportunities of a city that is constantly evolving. Future exhibition themes include education, the everyday lives of women writers, “damaged goods,” early science and medicine, international relations, and final moments of life.
More information about the first two exhibitions follows. For additional details, including interpretive text related to the selections of images below, visit the respective exhibition pages.
“The Tales Through Time”
Geoffrey Chaucer’s iconic Canterbury Tales features fictionalized characters who entertain each other with stories on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral. In the 14th century, when Chaucer first penned the tales, each one circulated independently of the others. It was not until the turn of the 15th century that the tales came to be known as a complete work.
“The Tales Through Time” begins with The Huntington’s celebrated Ellesmere Chaucer manuscript, an elaborately decorated work created between 1400 and 1405. The most complete and authoritative version of the manuscript, it is presented alongside later iterations to reveal how creators like writers, artists, and printers—collectively and individually—changed the tales textually and visually over five centuries of retellings.
“Los Angeles, Revisited”
Perhaps no other American city has so thoroughly perplexed and inspired people—or been as maligned and mythologized—as Los Angeles. This exhibition celebrates the reciprocal influence of the city and its artists and visionaries, whose stories are inherently intertwined.
In 1900, LA had the world’s largest interurban railway system, which later provided the framework for the world’s longest freeway system. What emerged was a collection of neighborhoods over hundreds of square miles without a central hub, making it one of the largest and most culturally diverse regions in America. But periods of rapid growth and urbanization also prompted renewal efforts in places like the original Chinatown and Bunker Hill, forcing families from their homes and erasing the city’s past.
Centering on the architectural plan for LA’s first skyscraper—the Braly Block, designed in 1902 by John Parkinson—“Los Angeles, Revisited” explores the ways in which architects, planners, business owners, and activists have contended with an aspirational city that is constantly evolving. What has resulted, in part, is an urban landscape as varied as the Southern California climate.
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, and Laura and Carlton Seaver.
For media inquiries or to request high-resolution press images, email huntingtonnews@huntington.org.
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.