Huntington Verso

The blog of The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Audio

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Thu., Nov. 19, 2015 | Diana W. Thompson
Did you hear that The Huntington possesses an illuminated prayer book that fell from the hands of Mary Queen of Scots when she was beheaded in 1587? Or that the findings of German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt laid the groundwork for John Muir’s ideas of preservation
Lectures

Remembering Loren Miller

Mon., Nov. 16, 2015 | Alice Tsay
Loren Miller (1903-1967) was a Los Angeles-based attorney and civil rights activist who drafted most of the briefs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), which ended legal segregation in public schools.
Library

Unforgettable World War I Posters

Thu., Nov. 12, 2015 | David H. Mihaly
For people today, the mention of World War I posters may conjure up charged images promoting patriotic messages: think Uncle Sam pointing forcefully in I Want You for the U.S. Army or a coquette in sailor's uniform
Botanical

LOOK>> An Ant Plant

Mon., Nov. 9, 2015 | Dylan Hannon and Kate Lain
With LOOK>>, we venture into our wide-ranging collections and bring out a single object to explore in a short video. For this installment, we look at a Hydnophytum specimen, one of the ant plants in our tropical collections.
Conferences

Isherwood in California

Thu., Nov. 5, 2015 | James J. Berg and Chris Freeman
The conference "'My Self in a Transitional State': Isherwood in California" takes place at The Huntington on November 13 and 14 in Rothenberg Hall. We asked the conference conveners—James J. Berg
Events

Naughty Los Angeles in the 1890s

Mon., Nov. 2, 2015 | William Deverell
The Ladies' New Medical Guide an instructor, counsellor and friend in all the delicate and wonderful matters peculiar to women: fully explaining the nature and mystery of the reproductive organs in both sexes
Conferences

Reading the Aftermath of Civil War

Wed., Oct. 28, 2015 | Shirley Samuels
I had the pleasure of attending "Ending a Mighty Conflict: The Civil War in 1864–1865 and Beyond," a conference that took place at The Huntington last month. The lively talks by distinguished scholars reminded me of my recent encounters with the handwritten accounts of Civil War soldiers. Expressing noble sentiments,...
Beyond The H

Maynard Parker’s California Flair

Fri., Oct. 23, 2015 | Kevin Durkin
The Huntington has partnered with the Pasadena nonprofit Curatorial Assistance to mount the first exhibition devoted entirely to the work of Maynard L. Parker (1900–1976), the influential mid-20th-century architectural and garden photographer whose work helped define the era.
Beyond The H

The Ripple Effect of Millard Sheets

Mon., Oct. 19, 2015 | Linda Chiavaroli
The documentary filmmaker Paul Bockhorst discovered the creative spark for his most recent film in 2011 when he visited The Huntington's exhibition "The House That Sam Built," a show focused on the furniture of mid-20th-century craftsman Sam Maloof
Conferences

The Provocative 15th Century

Tue., Oct. 13, 2015 | Andrea Denny-Brown
Until recently, the literature of 15th-century England had a poor reputation, being characterized as lacking talent and literary imagination. Coming after Chaucer's death in 1400 and before the well-known works of the Elizabethan period
Botanical

All in the Orchid Family

Fri., Oct. 9, 2015 | Lisa Blackburn
What comes to mind when you think of the word "orchid"? Do you picture the wrist corsage that you wore to your high school prom? Are you seeing the potted blooms in the floral section of the grocery store?
Botanical

If Not Lawn, Then What?

Tue., Oct. 6, 2015 | Scott Kleinrock
California's punishing drought has produced one positive effect: local gardens have gained some freedom from the expectation of the classic green lawn. More and more gardeners are removing lawn in favor of landscapes that look good while using less water.