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CHICAGO, JULY 7, 2008 - In its upcoming fall 2008 exhibit, Artifacts of Childhood: 700 Years of Children's Books, the Newberry invites visitors to cross time, space and cultures to examine changing attitudes towards children and childhood.
"Artifacts of Childhood shows that childhood itself is not a fixed and immobile state, but instead it is defined culturally," said Paul F. Gehl, co-curator of the exhibit and Custodian, John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing. "By exploring the similarities and changes in children's books and games over the last 700 years, visitors can chart the evolution of the child as student, reader and consumer."
Accompanied by a full public programs series, including lectures, performances, and public discussions on children's literature, the exhibition will showcase 65 of the Library's most important and beautiful children's books, organized into six broad thematic categories: pedagogy; moral instruction of the young (including books on good manners); fiction written for children; the impact of children on the book trade; the child at play; and the child as author. This will be the first exhibition in two decades at the Newberry dedicated to the exploration of children's books.
Jenny Schwartzberg, co-curator and the Newberry's gift specialist, said, "The exhibit will inspire teachers, writers, illustrators, parents and everyday viewers to think in new ways about children's books, the history of childhood and the history of education. For children, the "aha" moment will be when they see that kids born hundreds of years ago were very much like kids today and read the same types of books and played similar games."
Gehl added, "The exhibit is primarily aimed at adults who are interested in the phenomenon of children's books, but children can also come away with a better sense of history as it relates to them. Both children and adults will find many fascinating items, and, we hope, be inspired to start book collections of their own."
Artifacts of Childhood will feature such Newberry treasures as: the first illustrated edition of Aesop's Fables (1485); Kinderbüchlein für die Jugend, the only copy in the U.S. of a very popular Protestant religious book for children (1586); a first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865); an educational map game, Wallis's Tour Through England and Wales, A New Geographic Pastime (1794); and La Fille de L'Exile (ca. 1800), which includes sheets of numbered sections of text and drawings meant to be sold separately in candy boxes, collected and put together into storybooks.
About the Collection
As an outgrowth of the focused collections for which the Library is world-renowned-in the Renaissance, printing history, and American Indian studies, among others-the children's books and manuscripts at the Newberry are described in an extensive bibliography (maintained by Schwartzberg). With thousands of entries in many fields from the Middle Ages to the present day in more than 100 languages from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the bibliography is remarkable for the diversity of its content. Sections on literary criticism, bibliography, biographies of authors and illustrators, the papers of selected Midwestern children's book authors, illustrators and publishing houses, the history of childhood, the history of education, as well as school histories and yearbooks, also add to the depth of this resource.
For this exhibition, the Newberry Library gratefully acknowledges lead sponsorships from Mr. and Mrs. Rudy L. Ruggles, Jr., Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, and Northern Trust. Additional support is generously provided by Vincent J. Buonanno, Pamela K. Harer, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, Lubin Family Foundation, and Jordan I. Shifrin.
Admission
Admission is free. Visit www.newberry.org or call (312) 255-3691 for more details or to arrange a group tour.
Hours and General Information
The Newberry Library's exhibition rooms are open Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:15 am to 5:30 pm and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:15 am to 7:30 pm.
For information about using the Library's collections, call (312) 255-3506 or visit our Web site at www.newberry.org.
Location and Travel Information
The Newberry Library is at 60 West Walton Street, on CTA bus lines #22 and #70, and close to several "L" stops. For more travel information, call the RTA Travel Center Hotline, (312) 836-7000, or visit www.transitchicago.com.