#houghton library

[mael-omer]

The procession of the months: the verses by

Beatrice Crane

the designs by

Walter Crane

1889

Houghton Library, Harvard University,

[lascitasdelashoras]

Rob Roy MacGregor notas a Lucrecio

[diemelusine]

Head of a chimpanzee (1835) by Edward Lear. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

[phoenix-joy]

Content Warning: The Smithsonian Magazine article contains minor details regarding the deceased individual's skin that may distress certain readers. I have tried to avoid anything I deemed unnecessary in the extracts I have chosen to replicate.

Note: I'll definitely need to revisit this when I have more time to investigate the details. I can't find an English translation of the book in question. I'm curious, though, as Harvard Library describes it as 'a meditation on the soul and life after death'. 

anthropodermic bibliopegy - the practice of creating book bindings from human skin.

Note: The article briefly explains some background information on this practice. I have not copied any of that for this blog post, so if you are curious then be sure to click the link for the full write-up.

Author: Sarah Kuta Publication: Smithsonian Magazine Timestamp: April 16, 2024

Extract:

Des Destinées de L’Âme, or Destinies of the Soul [was] written by French author Arsène Houssaye in 1879. [A Harvard alum] John B. Stetson Jr. lent it to the university in 1934, and [...] his widow officially donated it in 1954.

[The book's] original owner was Ludovic Bouland, a French physician who received the book directly from the author. Bouland bound the book with human skin taken, without consent, from the body of a woman who died at a French psychiatric hospital where he worked, according to [Harvard University].

[...]

Harvard—and many other institutions, including the Smithsonian—have been reviewing their collections amid a growing outcry about their possession and treatment of human remains.

[...]

“The core problem with the volume’s creation was a doctor who didn’t see a whole person in front of him and carried out an odious act of removing a piece of skin from a deceased patient, almost certainly without consent, and used it in a book binding that has been handled by many for more than a century,” says [Tom] Hyry [Associate University Librarian for Archives and Special Collections].

/end of extract

Extract from Harvard Library's statement (bold in the second paragraph is from the original text):

The removal of the human skin from Des destinées de l’âme follows a review by Houghton Library of the book’s stewardship, prompted by the recommendations of the Report of the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections issued in fall 2022.

[...]

[...]  In 2014, following the scientific analysis that confirmed the book to be bound in human skin, the library published posts on the Houghton blog that utilized a sensationalistic, morbid, and humorous tone that fueled similar international media coverage.

Harvard Library acknowledges past failures in its stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being whose remains were used for its binding. We apologize to those adversely affected by these actions. 

/end of extract

Extracts from Harvard Library's 'Ask a Librarian' entry regarding Des destinées de l’âme:

 A handwritten note by Bouland inserted into the volume states that “a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering.”

[...]

A memo accompanying the book written by John Stetson, which has since been lost, [the] skin [belonged to] an unknown deceased woman patient from a French psychiatric hospital.

[...]

The human remains will be given a respectful disposition that seeks to restore dignity to the woman whose skin was used. The Library is now in the process of conducting additional biographical and provenance research into the anonymous female patient, the book, and Bouland, as well as consulting with proper authorities in France and at the University to help determine how best to carry this out. We expect this process to take months, and perhaps longer, to come to completion.

/end of extract

Harvard Library

Ludovic Bouland - Carlos Garcia Pozo, El Mundo

Arsène Houssaye - Getty Images

John B. Stetson Jr. - Wikidpedia

[acmecorpgraphicsarchive]

 via  Gridllr.com   —  making Likes beautiful again!

Billy in the Darbies: A Facsimile from the Manuscript of Herman Melville's 'Billy Budd, Sailor', [plate 4], Edited by Dennis Marnon, The Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA, 1991 [From the Collection of William Palmer Johnston. The Grolier Club, New York, NY]

Exhibitions: Melville's Billy Budd at 100, The Grolier Club, September 12 – November 9, 2024; Oberlin College & Conservatory Libraries, Oberlin, OH, November 17 – December 20, 2024

[harvardfineartslib]

You recently reblogged something about anatomical collections, which made me curious: what are some of the grossest or most interesting grotesque things in your collection? I've handled Victorian hair books which was interesting, but I'm always looking for more curiosities!

An excellent question! I wouldn't say we have anything particularly gross or grotesque in the collection in terms of physical composition, unless you consider vellum and parchment to be gross.

The book I was referring to is Saggi di Anatomia Pittorica, a late 18th century anatomical reference guide, and it might be my favorite part of the collection just for how uniquely interesting it is. It's bound in a fairly unassuming leather cover, but it contains some incredible anatomical references. What makes the manuscript and the anatomical drawings in particular so curious is the posing.

The manuscript seems to have been designed specifically as an anatomical reference book for artists, only depicting the parts of human anatomy most relevant to artists and posing the limbs, head, and torso dynamically for better reference—legs and ankles are drawn in various states of flexion, arms lean on tables, and heads roll back on exposed necks. Each drawing is labeled on the back of the page, perhaps allowing artists to consistently identify and draw different muscle groups and bones.

Saggi di Anatomia Pittorica or "Anatomy" is a part of our special collections and can be found on Hollis.

Hollis ID: 99156425481603941

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 290

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick - Portfolio Edition

Chris Van Allsburg

Houghton Mifflin Company 1996

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is one of my favorite children’s books, although I think it’s probably best described as a book for all ages. The portfolio edition includes the original 14 illustrations from the book, plus an additional 15th drawing, in loose sheets enclosed in a cardboard folio. Each print measures 12”x16”. While a bit cumbersome, the portfolio edition is a fantastic way to experience this most creatively inspirational book.

[djohnhopper]

FROM MY PDF LIBRARY: 'Chronicles of the Photographs of Spiritual Beings and Phenomena Invisible to the Material Eye: Interblended with Personal Narrative' by Georgiana Houghton (1882).

[xtruss]

Harvard Removes Book Binding Made From Dead Woman's Skin From Library! The Skin-bound Version of "Des destinées de l’âme" Was at Harvard Since 1934.

For nearly a century, a library at Harvard University had a book bound by human skin — until a recent decision to remove it. Arsène Houssaye's "Des destinées de l'âme" was published in 1879, however, the volume in question was bound in a Woman's Skin by French physician Dr. Ludovic Bouland and has been in the university's collection since 1934, according to a Harvard announcement. Bouland bound the book with skin he took "Without Consent" from the body of an unnamed deceased female patient from a French Psychiatric Hospital where he worked.

— ByLeah Sarnoff | March 28, 2024

For nearly a century, the Hallowed Halls of Harvard University's Houghton Library had a book bound by Human Skin among the of 20 Million Books — until a recent decision to remove it.

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879, however, the volume in question was bound in Human Skin by French physician Dr. Ludovic Bouland and has been in the University's Collection since 1934, according to Harvard's announcement Wednesday.

The book's premise is a reflection on the soul and life after death, and a handwritten note by Bouland inserted into the volume states that "a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering," according to the University.

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879 and was bound in human skin by Dr. Ludovic Bouland. Harvard University

Dr. Bouland bound the book with skin he took "without consent" from the body of an unnamed deceased female patient from a French psychiatric hospital where he worked, the announcement said.

The removal of the human skin from the book follows a review by Houghton Library, prompted by the recommendations of the Fall 2022 report from the Harvard University Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections.

However, Paul Needham, a prominent scholar of early modern books and Harvard alumni, told ABC News the decision follows a consistent, 10-year call to remove the binding and an open letter he co-authored that was published as an advertisement in The Harvard Crimson this month.

"I first raised the question with the library almost 10 years ago, in June 2014. And I requested they should have the human skin respectfully removed and given a decent burial," Needham said. "I think that the open letter is what finally moved them really to take action and make a statement because until yesterday we have not gotten the university to say a single word about binding in almost 10 years."

Arsène Houssaye’s "Des destinées de l’âme" was published in 1879 and was bound in human skin by Dr. Ludovic Bouland. Harvard University

"I'm very glad that they finally have made a statement," Needham added. "It is absolutely the right thing to do."

Harvard University declined to comment on Needham's open letter to ABC News.

In 2014, the University publicly confirmed that the binding was made from human skin, however, the 19th-century book remained available to "anyone who asked for it," Harvard said in the statement, "regardless of their reason for wishing to consult it."

A Harvard library associate revealed that "decades ago" the book was used to "haze" Houghton Library student employees by asking them to "retrieve the book without being told it included human remains," according to Harvard's press release.

In this Feb. 20, 2008, file photo, the Houghton Library is shown on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Tom Hyry, Harvard's associate university librarian for archives and Anne-Marie Eze, associate librarian of Houghton Library conducted a Q&A on Wednesday where they explained why the book remained in the collection for nearly a century.

"We’ve been working towards this for a few years now as part of the University’s larger project of addressing human remains in its collections," Eze, who chaired a Houghton Library task force researching the practice of binding books in human skin, said. "The review confirmed that we can have reasonable certainty that Bouland removed and utilized the skin without consent."

Addressing the "past failures in our stewardship of the book," Hyry apologized and maintained that the University is "determined to move forward with care."

"We apologize on behalf of Harvard Library for past failures in our stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being at the center," Hyry said. "We are determined to move forward with care, sensitivity, and ethical responsibility and are committed to best practices in the field, including reflection and correcting historical errors. "

The human binding was removed from "Des destinées de l’âme" in March and is currently in secure storage at the Harvard Library, according to Eze, who noted, "The library is consulting with appropriate authorities at the University and in France to determine an appropriate and respectful way of laying the remains to rest."

[carolynmappleton]

Appleton Family of Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1930s

Martha, David, Norman and Carolyn

[houghtonlib]

We have just digitized our copy of The First Six Books of Euclid by Oliver Byrne (1847) which uses diagrams of intense color as an aid to learning geometry. Although it sold poorly at the time of publication, it's recognized today as a masterpiece of design and printing.

Typ 805.47.3730

Houghton Library, Harvard University

[petaltexturedskies]

Virginia Woolf's cat, Sappho, enjoying the sunshine c. 1947

from the Monk's House photograph album 1890-1947 (Houghton Library, Harvard University)

[flowerytale]

Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium, circa 1839-1846 (Houghton Library, Harvard)

[illustratus]

Arthurian coats of arms from "Works on knighthood and tournaments" collection. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

[acmecorpgraphicsarchive]

(via Gridllr)

Billy in the Darbies: A Facsimile from the Manuscript of Herman Melville's 'Billy Budd, Sailor', [plate 5], Edited by Dennis Marnon, The Houghton Library, Cambridge, MA, 1991 [From the Collection of William Palmer Johnston. The Grolier Club, New York, NY]

Exhibitions: Melville's Billy Budd at 100, The Grolier Club, September 12 – November 9, 2024; Oberlin College & Conservatory Libraries, Oberlin, OH, November 17 – December 20, 2024