Verso
The Huntington’s blog takes you behind the scenes for a scholarly view of the collections.
Art
Chinese Poetry, Painting, and Gardens
Thu., Sept. 15, 2016 | Diana W. ThompsonSometimes an object comes along that has so many ties to an institution's collecting areas, it's hard for curators to pass it up. That's what happened in 2014, when The Huntington acquired the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Calligraphy and Painting
Conferences
Ben Jonson’s Works at 400
Mon., Sept. 12, 2016 | Martin Butler, Jane RickardThe conference "Ben Jonson: 1616-2016" takes place at The Huntington on Sept. 16 and 17 in Rothenberg Hall. We asked the conference's conveners—Martin Butler, professor of English Renaissance Drama at the University of Leeds
Library
A Renaissance Curiosity
Fri., Sept. 9, 2016 | Tiffany Jo WerthIn J.K. Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a quick-thinking Harry saves his best friend's life by making him swallow a bezoar stone—a calcification from the stomach of a goat or other ruminant. Harry believed, as did many Renaissance doctors, that the stone served as a universal antidote to poison.
Art
Pittman and Maltzan’s Visual Synergy
Tue., Sept. 6, 2016 | Diana W. ThompsonVisitors familiar with the exuberant, colorful, and graphically complex works of Los Angeles–based artist Lari Pittman know not to expect something conventional. His new exhibition, "Lari Pittman: Mood Books," open at The Huntington through Feb. 20, 2017, does not disappoint.
Audio
LISTEN>> Caring for a Collection
Thu., Sept. 1, 2016 | Corinne DeWittIn a suite of audio posts, visiting journalist Corinne DeWitt heads into our three collecting areas—Library, Art, and Botanical—and meets up with staff to explore facets of the vast collections that are the core of The Huntington. This time around: Library.
Library
Edith Wharton’s Book of the Homeless
Mon., Aug. 29, 2016 | Sue HodsonFew people know that Edith Wharton (1862–1937), the eminent American author, played a significant role in the war effort during World War I. Wharton lived in France for much of her life, and, appalled at the reluctance of the United States to enter the European struggle
Library
Ballads Galore
Thu., Aug. 25, 2016 | Kevin DurkinThe Summer 2016 Huntington Library Quarterly is a special issue devoted to English broadside ballads from the mid-16th to mid-18th centuries. That was the heyday of this wildly popular medium, which combined song lyrics, often about current events, with stylized woodcut
Botanical
Prized Succulents
Mon., Aug. 22, 2016 | Diana W. ThompsonThe Huntington recently acquired a collection of rare succulents from the late Gerald Barad (1923–2016) of Flemington, New Jersey. Participants at the Philadelphia Flower Show knew Barad as the guy who cultivated the stunning cacti and other succulents