19th Century Technology

[Silvana Siddali]

The December issue of "History Now," an online publication by the wonderful Gilder-Lehrman organization, is now up. Check out these fantastic articles on photography, medicine, and technology. Unfortunately this isn't a durable link, so it'll go away in about two months, but in the meantime -- there's so much great information and research here. I think you can bookmark the main site, however, and get into past issues via their archives. I'd recommend signing up for their monthly newsletter, too; they send lots of great primary sources, preservation news, etc., and history students can get news of scholarships and grants.

http://www.historynow.org/12_2006/index.html

[BobRoeder]

Just to add to Ms. Siddali's post regarding the Gilder Lehman Institiute:

I just started reading the book "The Soldier's Pen" by Robert E. Bonner who utilized a number of soldier's letters, diaries, etc from the Gilder Lehman Collection to compose a very interesting analysis of soldier generated documentation.

For those who don't know about this amazing collection / on-line resource, the main website for the Gilder Lehman Institute of American History is:

www.gilderlehrman.org

This is the collection which holds the watercolor sketchbook of Pvt. Henry Berckoff (8th NYVols), which I believe someone previously posted info on the A-C fora but a search did not turn up any results.

If you haven't done so already, check it out!!

Regards,

[ThehosGendar]

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is an amazing institution, and they run fantastic scholarship programs. I was selected as one of their History Scholar Finalists in 2005, and spent a week at Columbia University. They brought in Kenneth T. Jackson, Ric Burns, Pauline Maier, Gordon S. Wood, and the entire group had the opportunity to interview them, listen to a lecture, and get a pile of books signed by them.

A highlight of the trip was being taken behind the scenes at the NYPL Research Library on 5th Ave., and the Gilder Lehrman collection at the New York Historical Society, where we could have picked up an original John Dunlap printing of the Declaration of Independence, and had passed around to each of us Paul Revere's lithograph of the Boston Massacre, a letter written by George Washington, and the original printing of the Vicksburg Citizen.

It was an amazing week, getting to hang out with fellow history nerds from across the country. It was fun taking them around New York city, and one friend from Texas delighted in visiting a real Jewish deli, having falafel, real New York pizza, and egg creams, all for the first time. The food at Columbia was really good, the first day, but they started to recycle the baked potato wedges from then, and by the fourth day, they were like concrete, so we all rebelled and went out for John's pizza on Bleecker st.

If you know anyone who's eligible for a scholarship or program through Gilder Lehrman, tell them to do it!

[Abrams]

Just to add to Ms. Siddali's post regarding the Gilder Lehman Institiute:

I just started reading the book "The Soldier's Pen" by Robert E. Bonner who utilized a number of soldier's letters, diaries, etc from the Gilder Lehman Collection to compose a very interesting analysis of soldier generated documentation.

I just started reading this book now, and find it very readable and informative. I particularly like the way the author took 16 people and basically follows their lives, by way of their letters home, through the course of the war. It is interesting the way attitudes changed, and the different personalities and situations encountered along the way. Check it out.

Without the Gilder Lehrman Collection, this book would not have been possible.