The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
In recognition of Black History Month, the IDHH would like to revisit previous years’ posts, which feature people like Mayor Harold Washington and Timuel D. Black, Jr., events like the Million Man March, and communities such as Maxwell Street Market and the African American student population at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!
This month we’re featuring two new collections from Illinois State University (ISU), both of which explore the history of ISU: the Charles E. Hovey Presidential Papers collection and the Illinois State University Historical Photos collection. Charles Edward Hovey (1827–1897) was the first President of ISU, then known as Illinois State Normal University, a state teacher’s college and the first public university in Illinois; this collection features letters written by and about Hovey, as well as other foundational documents to the University and family photographs. The Historical Photos collection features digitized photographs that document the history of ISU, from its founding in 1857 to its modern activities in the 2020s.
Here are a few of our favorite items from these two new collections:
Class of 1860, Illinois State Normal University. 1860. Created by Staford Engraving Company. Illinois State University. Illinois State University Historical Photos. Courtesy of Illinois State University.
Library card catalog, North Hall, Illinois State Normal University. c. 1914-1920. Illinois State University. Illinois State University Historical Photos. Courtesy of Illinois State University.
Gymnasium (Cook Hall), Illinois State Normal University. Created by Illinois State University Photographic Services. Illinois State University. Illinois State University Historical Photos. Courtesy of Illinois State University.
Photograph of Letter to Edwin C. Hewett, 1858. 1858. Created by Charles E. Hovey. Illinois State University. Charles E. Hovey Presidential Papers. Courtesy of Illinois State University.
E.W. Bakewell, Esq, 1883-04-09 [page 1]. April 9, 1883. Created by Charles E. Hovey. Illinois State University. Charles E. Hovey Presidential Papers. Courtesy of Illinois State University.
The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!
This month we’re featuring two new collections from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library, both of which feature historic maps: the Railroad Maps collection and the River Maps collection. These historic maps and accompanying materials demonstrate how railroads connected cities across the nation as well as how the geographical landscape of Illinois and the neighboring states has changed over the decades.
Here are a few of our favorite items from these two new collections:
Hunting and fishing resources of northwestern Wisconsin reached by the Chicago & North-Western Railway. Created by Poole Brothers. 1903. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Railroad Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Railway terminal map of Chicago. Created by Rand McNally and Company. 1914. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Railroad Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Karte der Canäle und Eisenbahnen in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerica, 1842. 1842. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Railroad Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Map showing watershed of Des Plaines River above Joliet, August 1914. Created by Chicago Sanitary District Board of Trustees. 1914. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. River Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Mississippi River recreation areas [front]. Created by United States Army Corps of Engineers. 1991. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. River Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Mississippi River recreation areas [back]. Created by United States Army Corps of Engineers. 1991. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. River Maps. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
In order to improve our internal workflows, the IDHH migrated to a new aggregation server in the October 2024 quarterly harvest. If your library is a contributor to the IDHH, you do not need to do anything to your collections, metadata, or your OAI feed. The IDHH will continue our usual workflow, where we harvest and aggregate collection metadata from all contributing institutions into a single stream of metadata for DPLA to ingest into the DPLA and IDHH catalogs.
However, this migration will change direct links to item records in the DPLA and IDHH sites (for example, a URL like https://idhh.dp.la/item/7bcdb6b16968d22a6457bbffbfa7d1fd). While it is unlikely, if you have any direct links in your social media or websites to specific items using DPLA or IDHH URLs, you will need to update them now that the October harvest has concluded.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the IDHH with any questions!
Staley Library – 1985. 1985. Millikin University. Big Blue Photograph Collection. Courtesy of Millikin University.
The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
As the month of October draws to an end, we enter the festivities of Halloween, Samhain, Allhallowtide, and Día de los Muertos. For some it’s spooky season, a time to delight in the macabre and darker side of life and death (and free candy); for others, it’s a time of religious rites and celebrations, including feasting, prayer and fasting, and remembrance.
Here are a few of our favorite Halloween-related images from IDHH contributors:
John Comstock, Skeleton reader. March 06, 1922. West Chicago Public Library District. Cornelia Neltnor Anthony and Frank D. Anthony Book Plate Collection. Courtesy of the West Chicago Public Library District.Mount Greenwood Park (0251) Events – Holiday celebrations – Halloween, 1971. 1971. Chicago Public Library. Chicago Park District Records: Photographs. Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library.Halloween party stereo cards, 1899 [page 1]. 1899. Bensenville Community Public Library. Bensenville Historical Collection. Courtesy of the Bensenville Community Public Library.Independence Park (0083) Events – Holiday celebrations – Halloween, undated. Chicago Public Library. Chicago Park District Records: Photographs. Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library.
The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!
This month we’re featuring two new collections from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library, both of which feature historic correspondence. These handwritten letters (as well as photographs in one collection) give us an intimate look into the personal and professional lives of the writers and the recipients, as well as the culture and period in which they lived.
Charles E. Mudie Papers: An English author and publisher, Charles Edward Mudie (1818–1890) founded “Mudie’s Select Library,” an innovative library that introduced the concept of lending books through a circulating system operated by subscription membership. The letters in this digital collection are not only between Mudie and his family (including his wife and son who helped the Library run smoothly), but also between Mudie and contemporary writers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Thomas Carlyle, Wilkie Collins, and Robert Browning.
William Allingham Papers: William Allingham (1824–1889) was an Irish poet and editor who, along with his wife Helen Allingham (née Patterson), a watercolorist and illustrator, were well-acquainted with the members of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and collaborated with some in the publication of Allingham’s poems. In addition to letters between Henry and Helen Allingham, the letters in this digital collection are also between Mudie and Pre-Raphaelites and contemporary writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Everett Millais, Anne Isabella Ritchie (née Thackeray), and William Michael Rossetti.
Here are a few of our favorite items from these two new collections:
Letter from Harriet Beecher Stowe to Charles E. Mudie, October 3, unknown year [page 1]. 18uu-10-03. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Charles E. Mudie Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Letter from Alfred Tennyson to Charles E. Mudie, undated. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Charles E. Mudie Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Letter from Wilkie Collins to Charles E. Mudie, December 5, 1860. 1850-12-05. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Charles E. Mudie Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
Letter from William Michael Rossetti to William Allingham, December 14, unknown year [sheet 1, pages 1 and 4]. 18uu-12-14. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. William Allingham Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Letter from Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie to William Allingham, undated [sheet 1, pages 1 and 4]. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. William Allingham Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
The IDHH contains some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Our cultural heritage partners collect materials from history, as well as artifacts from many cultures and time periods, to preserve and make available the historical record. Please view the Digital Public Library of America’s (DPLA) Statement on Potentially Harmful Content for further information.
In recognition of Labor Day, the IDHH would like to highlight several collections from our contributors and curated searches of IDHH items that tell different stories about the history of labor movements, worker advocacy, and labor strikes in Illinois:
Recordings of the Illinois Labor History Society (Roosevelt University): explore oral history audio recordings that tell stories related to labor unions and movements, marginalized communities and worker advocacy, and labor strikes in Illinois.
Mary G. Harris Jones: explore images and text related to “Mother Jones,” an Irish-born school teacher, seamstress, labor organizer, activist, and self-described “hell-raiser”.
Labor and Industry: explore images, texts, and audio recordings from multiple IDHH collections and institutions related to labor, industry, and organization and advocacy for workers.
You can also view the IDHH’s previous posts with topics related to Labor Day:
Local Union No. 183 in parade. 1903. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Picture Chicago. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.History of Local 208, American Federation of Musicians [page 1]. Louise Henry, creator. October 23, 1939. Chicago Public Library. Illinois Writers Project: Negro in Illinois Collection. Courtesy of the Chicago Public Library.
The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!
Want to learn about the history of Aurora, Illinois, and its surrounding area? In addition to a previous collection, you can explore the new collection from the Aurora Public Library District, which includes over 200 images from photographs and postcards in their Community History Collection, including images of libraries, the downtown area, and historic buildings:
Want to learn more about the history of Marshall, Illinois, and its surrounding area? In addition to two previous collections, you can explore the new collection from the Marshall Public Library, which includes over 350 historic photographs, letters, and maps contributed by library users and digitized by the Illinois Heartland Library System’s Mobile Memory Lab:
Here are a few of our favorite items from these two new collections:
Aurora Public Library Main Floor circa 1904. circa 1904. Aurora Public Library District. Aurora Historic Photographs. Courtesy of the Aurora Public Library District.
Vandalia R.R. Depot. Marshall Public Library. Mobile Memory Lab: Marshall Public Library. Courtesy of the Marshall Public Library.
Fox Street Postcard 1910s. circa 1910. Aurora Public Library District. Aurora Historic Photographs. Courtesy of the Aurora Public Library District.
Letter from P. F. May 22, 1864. Thornburgh to Daughter [page 1]. Marshall Public Library. Mobile Memory Lab: Marshall Public Library. Courtesy of the Marshall Public Library.
With Memorial Day and military march concerts around in the corner in the United States, the IDHH is featuring a collection related to the “American March King”: the Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), known as the “American March King,” was a conductor and composer best known for his military marches. Some of his well-known marches are “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (the National March of the United States of America) and “The Liberty Bell” (used as the theme for the television series Monty Python’s Flying Circus). In addition to his music, Sousa helped to develop the sousaphone, a brass instrument related to the tuba that is easier to perform while marching.
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music (SACAM) seeks to document America’s diverse music heritage through the acquisition and preservation of archival records and historical artifacts in multiple formats. Their Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection is a collection of images of photographs taken from multiple viewpoints of musical instruments in the Center’s physicalcollections, ranging from flutes to trumpets to guitars; some of the instruments also have a 3D digital model constructed that can be viewed online as well.
Here are a few of our favorite instruments:
Clarinet [front side view]. [undated] University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Heckelphone [front side view]. 1926. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Cornet [right side view]. 1880. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.Saxophone (soprano) [right side view]. 1947. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Sousa Archives Music Instrument Digital Image and 3D Model Collection. Courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
The IDHH has continued to grow with new collections and contributors added each quarterly harvest!
Want to learn about the history of instrumental music education? Explore three new collections from the VanderCook College of Music, which contain images, sheet music, documents, and narratives about the founders Hale A. VanderCook and Hubert E. Nutt and the students who have passed through the halls of VanderCook College:
Want to learn about the history of the Alton, Illinois, and its neighbor cities, villages, and townships? Explore the new collection from the Hayner Public Library District, which includes over 5,000 images from photographs and postcards, including images originally taken for the Alton Telegraph newspaper:
