Video: Electronic Enlightenment Project
This video shows advances made by the Electronic Enlightenment’s Mapping the Republic of Letters Project, a fascinating collaboration between various institutions and scholars, which aims to investigate the ‘social network’ of the eighteenth century. Using new technologies such as geographical imaging, the project has created numerous maps of the correspondence of the Republic of Letters, which can be analysed, compared and contrasted. – FG
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From the Electronic Enlightenment Website:
Digging into Enlightenment: Mapping the Republic of Letters
An exciting collaboration between the Electronic Enlightenment Project (University of Oxford) and the Mapping the Republic of LettersProject (Stanford University) with participation of Chris Weaver at the University of Oklahoma.
This initiative involves mining and interpreting details relating to locations drawn from Electronic Enlightenment‘s corpus of 58,776 letters and documents from the long 18th century. The international project team will explore ways to visualize and annotate these relationships, developing sophisticated new tools to map and explore the complex geographical interconnections between these tens of thousands of letters to and from forty countries across Europe, Asia, and North and South America that can be found in the EE collection.
AAH Oral Histories Project
The Association of Art Historians Oral Histories Project represents a ground-breaking attempt to record the history of art history. Via a series of interviews with luminary scholars, the AAH has begun to answer questions such as: What prompted the formation of the Association of Art Historians? Why was such an Association needed? How did it take shape? And what of its impact on the discipline, nationally and internationally, both then and now? For HECAA members, interviews with leading 18th-century and early modern scholars such as Luke Hermann, Marcia Pointon, Alison Yarrington and Evelyn Welch will likely be of interest. -FG
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From the Association of Art Historians:
Over the past two years, the AAH conducted a series of audio interviews conducted with art historians involved with AAH during its founding era. Excerpts from the recordings are now available to listen to on our website. 
The Association of Art Historians held its first official meeting at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in 1974. It was open to “all of those who are directly concerned with the advancement of the study of the history of art,” and within one year over 500 art historians had joined the newly formed AAH.
AAH Oral Histories explores these questions through a series of audio interviews conducted with art historians involved with AAH during its founding era. Highlights of these recordings can be heard by clicking on the link below. The complete recording from the AAH Oral Histories collection will soon to be accessible to researchers through the Archive of Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The interviews will also form the basis of the Voices in Art History podcast soon to be made available for download on this site.
Sixteen people were interviewed as part of the project, including art historians specializing in a variety of subject areas, former members of the AAH Executive Committee, editors of its journal Art History, a former administrator, and a publicity and marketing professional – each of whom played a role in the development of the AAH. The interviews complement the written archive of the Association of Art Historians located at the Archive of Art and Design, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and were undertaken by Liz Bruchet between 2009 and 2011.
Historical Paint, Part II
For anyone especially interested in yesterday’s interview of Patrick Baty by Courtney Barnes, you might have a look at the website of The Traditional Paint Forum. In addition to publishing a journal and a newsletter entitled Smudge (reason alone to learn more!), the TPF hosts an annual workshop/conference. This year’s took place in May at the newly restored Strawberry Hill. Talks addressed topics such as ‘Historic, Exotic and Imported Pigments’, ‘Modern Manufacturing Methods and the Appearance of Paint’, ‘Raw Earth to Pigments: Vernacular Paints’, and ‘The Impact of Artificial Light on the Historic Interior’. From the TPF website:
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The Traditional Paint Forum (TPF) is interested in the influences, personalities and circumstances that gave rise to particular decorative schemes in an architectural context. But, very importantly, we also believe the only way informed judgements can be made about the significance and future of existing or lost schemes is to also understand what materials were used to create them and how they were executed. The why is not the whole story … how can be just as vital!
The holistic nature of the organisation is perhaps best reflected in its Annual Workshop/Conference where the papers given on the architectural and historical significance of particular decorative schemes are given greater depth by contributions on: paint-analysis; conservation techniques; cleaning and redecoration. This is usually supplemented by practical demonstrations of the original techniques and materials used and possible new alternative paint materials that might be worth considering.
The Annual Conference is reinforced by an annual journal containing articles on a disparate number of topics, but often including papers delivered at the conference, and a newsletter, Smudge. The TPF have also organised some very successful Technical Days (‘Paint Day’) which give an introductory overview to traditional paint technology and, through popular demand, have been repeated on a number of occasions in different United Kingdom locations.
Acces to French Theses
This free resource, theses.fr indexes some 6000 theses defended since 2006 with direct access to the texts in many cases. It seems that in most instances, there’s also an English summary.
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As noted at Le Blog ApAhAu:
L’ABES (Agence Bibliographique de l’Enseignement supérieur) a ouvert le 11 juillet 2011 theses.fr . Ce portail des thèses françaises inventorie environ 6000 thèses de doctorat soutenues depuis 2006 dans les établissements français, voire en collaboration avec des institutions étrangères. L’accès au texte intégral est disponible pour plus de 4000 thèses. Dans les prochains mois, theses.fr s’enrichira des données sur les thèses de doctorat en préparation, notamment celles disponibles dans le Fichier central des thèses ainsi que de la bibliographie nationale des thèses, répertoire exhaustif de toutes les thèses soutenues en France depuis 1985, disponible aujourd’hui au sein du catalogue Sudoc. Il a donc l’ambition d’être un portail d’accès unique aux thèses pour en améliorer la visibilité.
Les mots clés s’affichent lors de la recherche ; les réponses peuvent être triées par dates, établissements, écoles doctorales, disciplines, langues, directeurs de thèse, domaines. La recherche peut aussi cibler uniquement les thèses en ligne. Il n’y a pas de recherche experte disponible. On peut s’abonner à une requête effectuée via l’icône « s’abonner ». Chaque référence comprend un résumé français et anglais ainsi que des mot-clés.
Quelques efforts restent encore à faire pour l’indexation. Il est, en effet, très difficile d’obtenir des réponses cohérentes pour les thèses soutenues en histoire de l’art. D’une part, la discipline fait l’objet de plusieurs entrées ; d’autre part, « histoire de l’art » utilisée comme mot-clé renvoie aux titres des thèses comprenant les termes « histoire » « de » « l’art » avec des résultats pour le moins curieux (par exemple : « Histoire et épistémiologie de l’art dentaire »).
Understanding British Portraits Research Network
The Understanding British Portraits Research Network is an active network with free membership for professionals working with British portraits including curators, museum learning professionals, researchers, academics, and conservators. Having come across the network via its exciting 2012 bursary announcement, I was really impressed with the project’s promotion of, and research into, the British portrait. The maximum funding of £500 is intended to cover five days of research, along with accommodations and travel expenses. With news, an annual seminar, and several bursaries, the network is a resource many will find useful. –FG
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The Understanding British Portraits Network Bursary for 2012
Applications due by 8 September 2011
The Understanding British Portraits network is led by the National Portrait Gallery, the National Trust, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Renaissance North East and Renaissance South West. It aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of portraits in all media in British collections, and to facilitate future dialogue and debate around research methodologies, interpretation, display and learning programmes. The network has a particular interest in promoting the research and interpretation of regional collections. More information can be found on the UBP website: www.portraits.specialistnetwork.org.uk.
This bursary will give the successful candidate the opportunity to devote five working days, over a period of almost six months, to a portrait-focused project of their choosing. Projects can involve a particular portrait, artist, collection, pattern of collecting, method of display, interpretation, or learning programme. The UBP network will provide a maximum budget of £500 to offset expenses such as travel and accommodation. The successful candidate is free to determine the best means of using their budget in order to complete their project; this might include a visit to the National Portrait Gallery’s Heinz Archive and Library to conduct research and meet with relevant members of staff. Applications should take the form of a concise outline (max. 500 words) of the proposed project. The proposal should include:
- a description of the project and clear objectives
- proposed activities involved in your project
- specific partners expected to be involved in your research (e.g. local libraries, private collections, auction houses, museums, etc.)
- desired outcomes and target audience
- CPD benefits
- timescale of research (all projects must be completed by 23 March 2012)
- estimated use of funds
- how the outcomes of the bursary will be disseminated among professional colleagues within the successful candidate’s organisation and region.
Applications must be accompanied by a brief nomination from line managers.
Advice for applicants:
- Please begin your application by stating that you are applying for the UBP network bursary, followed by your name, job title, and details of your nominee.
- Past applicants to the UBP bursary and placement schemes are welcome to apply again.
- The project should be realistically achievable in the limited budget and timescale.
- The bursary cannot be spent on conference fees or training courses.
The deadline for applications and nominations is 12 noon on Friday 9 September 2011; please email both applications and nominations to ssnportraiture@npg.org.uk. Applications received after this time will not be considered. In the meantime, any queries should be sent to the same address. Applications will be assessed by the Understanding British Portraits Steering Group, and all applicants contacted before the end of September.
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P R E V I O U S R E C I P I E N T S
Paul Holden, House and Collections Manager, Lanhydrock
Studio of Godfrey Kneller, "John Robartes, later 1st Earl of Radnor, Dressed in his Lord Privy Seal Robes," ca. 1680 (Lanhydrock, Cornwall)
My aim was to assess the connoisseurship and collecting habits of the first four Earls of Radnor and perhaps in the process recognise the provenance of our collections at Lanhydrock. Looking predominantly at portraiture my two trips to London took me to the NPG Heinz archive, the V&A art library to look at auction records and the British Library to look through remnants of Radnor correspondence. My aim is to write this research up for future publication and incorporate some of the findings as house presentation in our ‘Bringing Properties to Life’ project. I will also use the information in a lecture entitled ”The Earls of Radnor as Connoisseurs (1679-1758)’ to be held at Lanhydrock on 25 November 2011 (for further details or booking call 01208 265950). Furthermore, in putting these details together our Collections Management database will benefit from more detailed entries. I have wanted to do this research for some time now and the bursary has, at last, made it possible. The bursary programme worked extremely well and facilitated research which may not have been possible through the daily work pattern. I
fully applaud the scheme and am grateful for the opportunity to participate. Thank you
for giving me the opportunity to pursue this line of research. It was an experience that I
found very enriching both personally, academically and culturally.
Jo Cairns, Museum Assistant, Mount Edgcumbe House
Girl in a green dress, English School, early 17th century
The project set out to enhance our understanding of several seventeenth-century portraits in the Mount Edgcumbe collection, hopefully shedding new light on the story of the Edgcumbe family and therefore improving our ability to interpret these portraits for the public.
The four portraits chosen for the project were of unidentified sitters and were by unidentified artists. They had all been ‘cleaned’ and ‘retouched’ at various intervals in the past making them all the more difficult to decipher. Research was undertaken into the inscriptions, symbols and heraldry shown in some of the portraits, the costume worn by the sitters and the Edgcumbe family history. This all helped to date the portraits more accurately and narrow down the possible identities of the sitters. In one instance it enabled me to positively identify one of the portraits as Sir Richard Edgcumbe (1565-1639).
This project has benefitted me personally in a number of ways. It significantly increased my confidence in researching and working with the portrait collection at Mount Edgcumbe, and has also increased my understanding of many subjects I had not foreseen, for example costume, heraldry and painting conservation techniques. I believe the project has also been extremely beneficial to Mount Edgcumbe, allowing me to dedicate time on research which would otherwise not have been done.
Forvo — You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato
Note from the Editor
One of the challenges of ‘doing’ art history, whether at the introductory, student level or as an established scholar, is knowing how to pronounce lots of unfamiliar words and names. That making sense of the eighteenth century requires such a wide range of international knowledge just compounds the difficulties. A working knowledge of French and Italian go a long way, but they hardly solve all of one’s problems (and incidentally just reinforce how large the gaps are in what often counts as the field’s dominant terrain). The important addition of German helps a lot, but there’s still plenty of room for serious gaffes. Latin is always useful with languages, though sometimes it can hurt with pronunciations. And names can be tough even in one’s native language. At least for American speakers, British names like Albemarle, Derby, and Leicester are tricky enough without the likes of Featherstonhaugh (which is sometimes, maybe all the time?, pronounced Fanshaw).
The digital revolution has transformed lots of what we do, but until recently, the usage model depended upon reading as an exclusively visual (and thus silent) experience. How often have I heard fine presentations from my students, marred by their serious mispronunciation of some crucial term or person in their paper? How often have I done the same thing, realizing only a few moments before giving a talk that I’ve never actually heard that name pronounced before?
One indication of the expanding sensory dimensions of the web comes from a source that I stumbled across several months ago, Forvo. The site’s tagline is clear enough: All the words in the world. Pronounced. Well, they’re not there yet (at least as of today, no Featherstonhaugh), but what is included is impressive. This past May, the site passed the million mark, with 267 languages represented . . .
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We are celebrating these days our third year online and coinciding with this anniversary we have reached an amazing number of pronunciations: 1,000,000. We have no words to thank you for making this possible but we have a graphic instead : )
Our friend Asier has created this nice infographic where you can see the evolution of Forvo and also the key data in our way.
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The site allows users to see how the same word would be pronounced in multiple locations. The proper pronunciation, for instance, of the British surname, Albemarle, would be a mispronunciation of the eponymous town in North Carolina. Forvo gives you both.
I still have questions. Is it affectation for an American to pronounce the city Bath with a British accent? Or in fact a mispronunciation of the city’s name not to do so? It also is often quite useful to know how names were pronounced in the eighteenth century (sometimes the shifts have been substantial), and at least currently Forvo appears to deal only with the present. Still, I think it’s a really valuable tool. I’ll be pointing students to it and also checking words myself (likely much more often than I would care to confess). -CH.
Resources Offered at the Irish Georgian Society Website
In addition to providing news about numerous events and various programmes, the website for the Irish Georgian Society includes two interesting resources: 1) A Register of Traditional Building Skills and 2) A Catalogue of Irish Theses and Dissertations Relating to Architecture and the Allied Arts. The following information comes from the IGS site:
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Traditional Building Skills Register
The needs of historic buildings and structures differ to those of new buildings. In dealing with a historic building professional input is vital and craftsmen with traditional skills are a necessity. Those involved need to understand the principles and practices of conservation, as using incorrect, inappropriate or unnecessary methods can do a great deal of irreversible damage. The Register was established to ensure that those undertaking conservation work can identify craftspeople and professionals with good conservation expertise.
Users of the register should be mindful that the register has been complied from information given by those listed and no responsibility is accepted by the Irish Georgian Society for the accuracy of the information, or for any fault or accident arising from the workmanship of anyone listed, or from materials used or supplied by them. Descriptions of conservation work undertaken was requested, and is listed under each entry, so that the skills and achievements of each individual or firm can be assessed by the user of the register. Inclusion should not be regarded as either a recommendation or an endorsement by the Society. The Register is not comprehensive and no criticism is implied or intended of an individual or firm not included. Every reasonable care has been taken in the compiling of the register but no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. . . .
More information and access is available here»
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A Catalogue of Irish Theses and Dissertations Relating to Architecture and the Allied Arts
This catalogue is an academic resource tool that has been compiled by the Irish Georgian Society in collaboration with Ireland’s academic institutions. It provides a centralised database of Irish theses and dissertations relating to architecture and the allied arts, which have been submitted as part of an academic qualification awarded on the island of Ireland. . . .
More information and access is available here»
ECCO Texts and Print-on-Demand Possibilities
While working on an article related to William Cowper’s Myotomia Reformata, I recently discovered that I could purchase a paperback copy for less than $25 at Amazon or Alibris. I was surprised but guessed that these copies were the remainders from a recent printing of the 1724 text. In fact, however, they are the result of a print-on-demand initiative. Here’s the description from Alibris:
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As noted at EMOB, the covers of these new paperbacks do not come from the original books, and in this instance, the selection is hardly ideal. I'm not sure if the editor, Dr. Richard Mead, would be angry, appalled, or merely amused.
The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars. Medical theory and practice of the 1700s developed rapidly, as is evidenced by the extensive collection, which includes descriptions of diseases, their conditions, and treatments. Books on science and technology, agriculture, military technology, natural philosophy, even cookbooks, are all contained here.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++British LibraryT132919Titlepage in red and black. Edited by Richard Mead, assisted by Joseph Tanner, James Jurin and Henry Pemberton. Large paper issue.London: printed for Robert Knaplock, and William and John Innys; and Jacob Tonson, 1724. [12],
lxxvii, [1],194p., plates: ill.; 2.
Condition: New
Publisher: Gale Ecco, Print Editions
Date published: 2010
ISBN-13: 9781140985778
ISBN: 1140985779
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An online search quickly turned up a fine discussion of the issue — not surprisingly — at Early Modern Online Bibliography. Eleanor Shevlin wrote a thoughtful posting on the subject last August, which has thus far occasioned 27 responses. The posting nicely lays out the potential advantages and drawbacks. Most objections relate to concerns over bibliographic completeness and uniformity. I’ve not yet looked to see what the art offerings might look like, but for anyone looking to incorporate primary sources into the classroom, this could be useful. I’ve included below a comment on the posting from Scott Dawson (24 August 2010) that clarifies some of these issues, but by all means have a look at the full discussion at EMOB. -CH. (more…)
Electronic Enlightenment, Part II
After a few minutes exploring the ‘classroom’ resources at Electronic Enlightenment (free until the end of June), I was impressed by the possibilities. So often amazing electronic resources are presented (or at least perceived) as if the value lay simply in the information that’s been digitized. It’s nice to see EE thinking about the pedagogical potential (I really like Meghan Roberts’s lesson plan for ‘Inoculation in the Age of Enlightenment’).
Perhaps at some point, Enfilade could feature a series of lesson plans generally. Members’ contributions are most welcome. -CH.
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Electronic Enlightenment, Classroom
Through a collaboration with academics using EE in their teaching, EE is pleased to present a selection of lesson plans suitable for undergraduate classes. We would like to thank the academics involved, and also to extend an offer to others who would like to make their lesson plans available to get in touch with us.
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Dissonance in the Republic of Letters
Christopher Tozzi, Johns Hopkins University
Abstract: This lesson plan highlights the diversity of opinion within the Republic of Letters by presenting a few of the personal and intellectual conflicts in which thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries involved themselves. By reading letters exchanged by Enlightenment thinkers, students will gain an appreciation of the intellectual nuances of the period and the way in which knowledge was pursued.
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Inoculation in the Age of Enlightenment
Meghan Roberts, Northwestern University
Abstract: This lesson would be suited to courses that deal with the Enlightenment, the history of science and medicine, and could also be adapted to courses on early modern France and early modern Europe.
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National Identity and Otherness in the Eighteenth Century
Neven Leddy, University of Ottawa
Abstract: This session tackles the complexities of identity in 18thC Great Britain and Europe. The correspondence of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment is used to illuminate the personal experiences which structure 18thC theories of the Other. In this session EE can be productively interleaved with electronic texts from other sources to structure a dialogue between biography and philosophy. The aim of this session is to problematize the modern nation-state as a conceptual lens to view the past. Students will become familiar with the 18thC model of a multi-ethnic state, a well the many layers of national and human identity.
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Optimism and Cosmopolitanism in the Enlightenment
Neven Leddy, University of Ottawa
Abstract: This session introduces the Enlightenment through the Lisbon Earthquake of November 1st, 1755 focusing on the elements of Optimism and Cosmopolitanism. In the process it illuminates the diffusion of “news” through the eighteenth century Republic of Letters. The methodological thrust of the lesson plan is interdisciplinary, demonstrating the crossover and feedback between history, philosophy, religion and literature. It assumes a bilingual student body.
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The Restoration and Early Eighteenth-Century Theatre World
Anne Greenfield, University of Denver
Abstract: This section will discuss the value of incorporating correspondence into courses on History and/or Literary History. Writers of letters tend to move from topic to topic far more readily and abruptly than do writers of more singularly-focused works (e.g., essays, poems, or political treatises). For this reason, correspondence gives students of History and Literary History a more expansive vision of the past, exposing them to writers’ insights into a wide variety of phenomena.
Free Access to the ‘Electronic Enlightenment’ til the End of June
Various announcements from Robert McNamee, Director of the Electronic Enlightenment Project:
Try Electronic Enlightenment Free Till the End of June
Electronic Enlightenment is being offered on a free trial till the end of June. Access this growing correspondence network, with over 7,100 distinct correspondents and nearly 60,000 letters. Simply go to www.e-enlightenment.com and login with:
Username: ee2011
Password: enlightenment
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EE Colloquium — Epistolary Quarrels: Matter and Manner
Oxford, 19 November 2011
Proposals due by 9 September 2011
I will not deprecate you with regard to our Quarrel, for if any thing escaped me (as you pretend) that seemed strong, that is, that hurt you a little, I am not conscious of any such meaning, & you would not have me apologize for mere words, or an ill-contrived expreſsion.
— Thomas Gray to Edward Bedingfield (10 August 1757)
The colloquium is intended to provide a forum for both academics and graduate students exploring correspondence in the early modern period. The papers given by academics will be 40 minutes; those given by graduate students will be 20 minutes. Conference papers can be in English or French. A selection of papers will be published electronically in the Electronic Enlightenment Project’s Letterbook. Please send us your proposals (max 250 words) by Friday 9 September 2011: eecolloquium@e-enlightenment.info
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Write a Lesson Plan and Win a Book from Oxford University Press
Submit a lesson plan to onlinemarketing@oup.com on a subject of your choosing, and if chosen you will win £40 worth of books from OUP’s catalogue of outstanding print publications. To see our current selection of lesson plans, go to www.e-enlightenment.com/classroom/
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The latest review of EE in The Charleston Advisor:
Jennifer Dekker, The Charleston Advisor 12.4 (April 2011): 28-31.
Electronic Enlightenment is a new-generation digital collection offered by the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. It not only functions as a repository and access point for valuable correspondence and related documentation on the eighteenth century, but it is also an interactive community project continually building new resources into its database and encouraging external users to participate in its evolution. For example, readers are invited to correct information in the EE resource base and are even welcome to add letters that have not yet been included. This level of interaction is not often seen in commercial tools, but because EE is facilitated, hosted, and marketed by a major research library in collaboration with an established group of eighteenth century scholars, this database is more innovative and flexible than a typical commercial product. 4.750/5 stars.
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