FA L L 2015
V O L U M E 16
AUTHOR DAVID McCULLOUGH
TO RECEIVE FIRST ABRAHAM REDWOOD MEDAL
Widely acclaimed author,
speaker, and “master of the
art of narrative history”
David McCullough will be
honored by the Redwood
Library on November 12
at Bazarsky Lecture Hall,
Salve Regina University,
as the first recipient of
the Abraham Redwood
Medal for Contributions
to American History
and Culture. The award,
established in 2015 by the
Redwood Board of Directors,
recognizes individuals whose
Photo Credit: William B. McCullough
outstanding contributions to
American culture mirror the
founding spirit of Abraham Redwood and the Redwood Library, chartered
in 1747 “for the promotion of knowledge and virtue”. After being awarded
the medal McCullough will give a talk about his new book, “The Wright
Brothers”.
“McCullough was chosen as the first recipient of the award due to the
ability of his work to inspire minds and illuminate history,” said president
of Redwood’s Board of Directors, Dr. Edwin G. Fischer. “His passionate
work creates interest in, and an understanding of, the people, events and
forces that led to the creation of our country.” The Abraham Redwood
medal was designed by John ‘Fud’ Benson and its creation was made
possible through the generosity of the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable
Trust. The award will be presented by Executive Director Benedict Leca
prior to McCullough’s talk.
David McCullough is the author of several best-selling books on
American history, including 1776, The Greater Journey: Americans in
Paris, Truman and The Wright Brothers. As may be said of few writers,
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~ CONTENTS ~
David McCullough
1
Letter from the Executive Director
2
Focus on Collections: Fascinating Bequest
4
Etiquette Article
5
Program News
6
Upcoming Exhibitions
7
Children’s Library News
8
The Redwood Library Interiors, Then and Now
9
Redwood 2015 Summer Gala
10
Benefits of 3M eBooks and
Naxos Music Library
11
~ EXHIBITION CALENDAR ~
Judge Us By Our Hearts: Norman Prince
and the Lafayette Escadrille
November 7, 2015 – Spring, 2016
Prince Gallery
50 Years of the Third & Elm Press
November 14, 2015 – February 21, 2016
Van Alen Gallery
Tennis in Newport 1880-1920
Spring, 2016
Prince Gallery
Newport Builds: The Art of
Architecture & Design
March, 2016 – May, 2016
Van Alen Gallery
R E D W O OFA
D LLLI B
R A R|Y V&OALTUHMEENSÆI X
U TME E~N C| H№
A R2 T E R E D 1747 ~ 50 B E L L E V U E AV E N U E ~ N E W P O R T, R H O D E I S L A N D
2015
WELCOME
Dear Members and Friends,
a traditional abbreviation
of et cetera is often found
in bibliographies and
footnotes and is defined by Webster’s
dictionary as “and others (of the like kind);
and the rest; and so on; and so forth.” It is
intended to represent the rich diversity of
type, variety, and vintage of the Redwood
Library and Athenæum collections. The
name of the newsletter was originally
proposed for the first edition in 1995 by
Linda Gordon and G. Spencer Berger.
GUIDED TOURS DAILY AT 2:00
$5 per person
Free for members
Free for children under 12
Group tours are available by appointment.
Contact Elaine Bunnell
at 401-847-0292, ext. 108, or
[email protected].
HOURS
Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sat 9:30-5:30
Wed 9:30-8:00
Sunday 1:00-5:00
CHILDREN’S ROOM HOURS
Please check our website for hours
(401) 847-0292
www.redwoodlibrary.org
2
As many of you have heard me say, the
Redwood Library was an experimental,
even radical, initiative in the American
colonies during the eighteenth century.
For if in England a membership library’s
photo credit: Andrea Hansen
structured sociability promoted polite
attitudes, a public gathering place for progressive Americans under the
thumb of a tax-happy mother country might yield entirely different
results. Here is Benjamin Franklin on just this point: “These subscription
libraries have improv’d the general conversation of the Americans…
and perhaps contributed in some degree to the stand so generally
made throughout the colonies in defense of their privileges.” This is our history, and I want to retain several things from it as we move
forward: the importance of the Redwood as a site of community engagement
and discussion; the belief in the agency of this communal discourse in
changing the world for the better; and—hardly least—the experimental
nature of the Redwood as an institution. Certainly, members of the Literary
and Philosophical Society, the antecedent of the Company of the Redwood
Library, knew better than to delimit culture, decreeing an expansive purview
for public instruction: “divinity, morality, philosophy, history, &c.” While we
continue to feature programming on these stated topics, it is the et cetera that
enables us to join community and experimentation—because the Redwood
was never meant to be a time capsule solely devoted to colonial history,
but rather a place to generate knowledge about any worthwhile topic.
In fact, I would venture that the Redwood is currently unmatched in the
number of substantive local collaborations on the broadest variety of subjects,
in addition to the John Mecray painting exhibition done in partnership with
IYRS now on view. This coming winter and early spring will see us host a
career retrospective of the graphic work of Ilse Nesbitt and the Third & Elm
Press; a presentation of architectural drawings, models and photographs
organized in conjunction with the Newport Architectural Forum; as well as
a lecture on the Wright brothers by noted historian David McCullough in
collaboration with Salve Regina University (Nov. 12). Next summer, we will
present Tennis in Newport 1880-1920, a joint project with the International
Tennis Hall of Fame, and an exhibition of magnificent period car drawings
originating from the MFA Boston and mounted in partnership with the
Audrain Automobile Museum. Finally, the Redwood Library has been selected
as the next subject of the Rhode Island School of Design’s interior architecture
department’s adaptive re-use seminar under the theme of ‘sea change.’
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The notion of adaptability brings me to conclude by mentioning a significant
change relating to my most important task as Executive Director, that is,
to ensure the financial security of the Redwood Library. Aside from the
occasional grant, and unlike the public libraries, the Redwood does not
automatically benefit from government or state support. For this reason,
and to join every other cultural institution in Newport, we will charge nonmembers for entry into the Redwood beginning in 2016. Entry will, of course,
remain free for members. I trust that everyone will react generously while
recognizing the enduring value of a strong and vibrant Redwood Library,
perhaps the second “liveliest experiment” behind only Rhode Island itself.
Thank you very much for your continued support.
Benedict Leca
Executive Director
DAVID McCULLOUGH
(continued)
none of his books has ever been out of
print. His award-winning biography on
John Adams later became the critically
acclaimed seven-part HBO miniseries
on the second president of the United
States. He has appeared on many public
television programs, hosting Smithsonian
World and The American Experience,
as well as numerous documentaries
including Ken Burns’s The Civil War.
McCullough has been awarded two Pulitzer
Prizes, two National Book Awards, and
two Francis Parkman Prizes for best book in American history. He has
won the National Humanities Medal and the Gold Medal for Biography
from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been honored
with the National Book Foundation Distinguished Contribution to
American Letters Award. A member of both the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters,
he has received over 50 honorary degrees. In 2014, he was named
an Officer of the Legion of Honor by the President of France.
Tickets are $35 and $50 and are available on the Redwood’s
website or by calling 401-847-0292, ext. 115.
FA L L 2015 | V O L U M E S I X T E E N | № 2
MEMBER BENEFITS
In addition to supporting a 268-year-old
cultural treasure, Redwood members
enjoy many other benefits.
Redwood Members may:
Check out books, periodicals, CDs, and DVDs
_____
Check out 3M eBooks from any location
that has wireless internet
_____
Enjoy free access to Naxos Music Library,
featuring nearly 1.5 million individual tracks
_____
Request items that the Library does not own
via Interlibrary Loan
_____
Enjoy complimentary wireless internet access
_____
Attend our popular Life of the Mind Salon
series at no charge
_____
Enjoy a variety of musical performances,
author talks and other events at no charge or
at a discounted member price
_____
Relax in the beautiful Reading Room with its
iconic green leather chairs and welcoming
ambience
_____
Take a Library tour, free of charge, any day
at 2:00 pm
_____
Receive a discount on merchandise, photocopying, and on items purchased from our
e-commerce store
_____
Receive a Redwood Library Membership
Card to facilitate quick event check in and
Circulation Desk transactions
_____
Conduct research using our Special
Collections materials (fee waived for
members)
_____
Visit our renovated Children’s Library at the
Ballard Annex, 10 Redwood Street
_____
Receive our Annual Report, twice yearly
newsletters, and weekly email updates
3
FOCUS ON COLLECTIONS
S TA F F P I C K S
Staff Recommendations
Elaine Bunnell, Tech Services and Tour
Director: Summer of the Dead, by Julia
Keller, is the third mystery in her Bell Elkins
series, but a great stand-alone novel. Bell
Elkins is a prosecuting attorney who has
returned to her small hometown in the
hills of West Virginia. The summer brings
a killing spree with the victims seemingly
unrelated. The ending is a shocker! Bell is a
richly detailed character with a tortured past.
Keller’s description of Bell’s Appalachian
hometown makes the reader feel a part of it.
Rowena Burke, Library Assistant: Painted
Horses is set in the 1950s in Montana. Firsttime author Malcolm Brooks loads it up:
a woman archeologist, a few ranch hands,
a cowboy, bad guys, good guys and a lot of
action. At 1.4 pounds, it’s a heavy book. But if
you feel a blizzard coming on, it’ll occupy you
for a good bit.
Chelsea Ordner, Special Collections
Assistant: The Nightingale, by Kristin
Hannah, is a wonderfully written, gutwrenching story of two sisters in Nazi
occupied France. Well worth the wait.
The Alienist, by Caleb Carr, is the
suspenseful and trailblazing story about early
forensic investigation and criminal profiling
in turn of the century New York. Full of great
characters - real and fictional.
Gretchen Markert, Assistant Director
of Advancement: The Shepherd's Life:
Modern Dispatches from an Ancient
Landscape, by James Rebanks. This
compelling and beautifully written book
examines the ebb and flow of life on a familyowned sheep farm in Northern England.
Born to the occupation, Rebanks’ life strays
from expectation long enough to attend
Oxford University, after which he returns to
the Lake District farm on which his family
has lived for hundreds of years. His account
Fascinating Bequest Added to Redwood Special Collections
Robert Kelly, Collection Development Librarian
In the early 1990s the Redwood received the bequest from the late T.S.
(Thomas Stanley) Matthews’ estate of his private library, to be shipped from
his long-time home, Cavendish Hall, in Cavendish, England. Initially stored
in an off-site storage facility, the collection finally arrived at the Redwood
in 2012. Recently, the Library began the detailed work of sorting, reviewing
and cataloging the collection, comprised of over 7,000 items, which reflect
the various interests and associations of this influential editor, author and
twentieth century man-of-letters.
T.S. Matthews was born in 1901 in
Cincinnati, OH to Paul Clement
Matthews, later Episcopalian Bishop
of New Jersey, and Elsie Matthews
(née Procter, of the Procter & Gamble
family). His paternal grandfather was
Stanley Matthews, associate Supreme
Court Justice from 1881-1889. A young
T.S. Matthews entered Shattuck
Military Academy in Concord, NH
and in 1919 graduated from St. Paul’s
School. In 1922 he graduated from
Princeton and received a degree from
New College, Oxford in 1925. He
briefly worked at The New Republic
and with the encouragement and
advice of his mentor Edmund
Wilson, was hired at Time Magazine
in 1928, working his way up from
Matthews, T.S. The Matthews Gazette. 1915
book reviewer to principal editor
from 1949-1953. In a Joseph Epstein article in the journal Commentary
dated November 1, 1967, Matthews was quoted as saying when he began his
career under the tutelage of the owner and editor Henry Luce, “the contrast
I felt between the New Republic and Time was a contrast between scholarly,
distinguished men and smart, ignorant boys”.1 However, as Epstein notes,
“twenty-odd years later… there was Matthews, dead on his feet after a
seventy-hour week [at Time].” After the 1952 Presidential election in
which Matthews’ Princeton schoolmate and friend Adlai Stevenson lost to
Eisenhower, he quit the editorship and expatriated to England in order to
establish a British edition of Time, apparently scrapped during the planning
process. Matthews would marry twice: first in 1954 to renowned journalist
Martha Gellhorn and then in 1964 to Pamela Firth Peniakoff, cousin of British
artist Francis Bacon and the widow of the highly decorated British WWII
officer Vladimir “Popski” Peniakoff. From his early life to his death in 1991,
Mathews wrote extensive memoirs, biographies (including an authoritative
1 [https://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/henry-luce-his-time/] Article accessed from web 8.14.15
is candid and poetic.
4
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biography of his boyhood hero, T.S. Elliot), poetry, and
magazine articles. He corresponded with many authors
including James Agee, Isaiah Berlin, Whittaker Chambers
and Laurie Lee, whom Matthews actively supported and
mentored, along with many other literary luminaries.
His papers are housed at Princeton University.
More than a few gems stand out in the Matthews
Collection. A Concordance to the Bible was given to
Matthews after winning the first annual Dickey Prize
at St. Paul’s in 1917 for being an outstanding student in
Sacred Studies. (The Dickey Prize is to this day awarded
annually for various disciplines at SPS). A privately
printed, signed and numbered edition of W.B. Yates’
The Trembling of the Veil was given to Matthews in 1922
by his schoolmate and best man at his first wedding,
Schuyler B. Jackson. Jackson would go on to marry Laura
Riding after her separation from Robert Graves, both
close friends of Matthews. Perhaps the most interesting
and certainly most unique item so far (as we are still in
the process of collating and cataloging the collection) is
an elaborately bound three volume collection of typed
manuscript editions containing the bi-monthly Matthews
Gazette, written in the main by the Matthews children,
with contributions from other family members. Each
‘edition’ contains light verse, short stories, humorous
quips, jingles and even tongue-in-cheek ‘family news’,
such as this entry for January, 1916: “The electric light bill
has perceptibly decreased, since Tom [T.S. –ed.] has braces
put on his teeth. Keep smiling, Tom!” Some of the holiday
editions have watercolor covers and even illuminated
lettering. The collection affords a highly personal view
of a family fully engaged with the written word.
The above titles may be consulted from our
Special Collections by making a reference
appointment which is free for members.
I want to specifically thank Mr. John Howington, who
volunteered countless hours in 2013 & 2014, carefully
sorting the T.S. Matthews Collection and taking
copious notes on and about Matthews’ life and family.
Unfortunately, he and his wife Jane moved to Ohio
before he could see the project completed. - R. Kelly
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ETIQUETTE ARTICLE
Avoiding Condescension
(And Other 19th Century Etiquette)
Chelsea Ordner, Special Collections Assistant
Recently, the Redwood Library received a donation
of nineteenth century etiquette books from Mr. and
Mrs. George G. Herrick. These books, sometimes
gender specific, are enormously rich in unusual period
detail. With many rules of etiquette vanishing in the
technological age of Facebook and Twitter – which have
created their own rules of behavior – these volumes stand
as a marker of a lost age of decorum. For example, one
directive echoed in nearly every book concerns the correct
order of introductions when meeting new people on the
promenade: “Introduce gentlemen to ladies, not ladies
to gentlemen, for etiquette takes a chivalrous view of
the subject, and looks upon the lady as the superior. It is
the law of introductions to introduce the inferior to the
superior.”
Other advice is much more specific, and these rules
govern nearly every situation, from weddings and places
of amusement to the proper way to eat an orange to what
type of smile to use in a given circumstance:
“If you meet a rich parvenu, whose consequence you wish to
reprove, you may salute him in a very patronizing manner:
or else, in acknowledging his bow, look somewhat surprised
and say, ‘Mister – eh? – eh?’ If you have remarkably fine
teeth, you may smile affectionately upon the bowee,
without speaking.”
While these bits of advice may seem antiquated to
the modern reader, they chart the ever-shifting codes
governing social interaction and provide insight into the
values of the past.
Hartley, Florence. The Ladies' Book
of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness.
Boston: J.S. Locke, 1874.
5
PROGRAM NEWS
photo credit: Andrea Hansen
FALL 2015: LIFE OF THE MIND SALON SERIES
Pianist I-Heung Lee Returns
Sunday, October 18, at 3:00 pm
Renowned pianist I-Heung Lee returns to the
Redwood for a concert titled, “A Piano Journey
with I-Heung Lee”. Ms. Lee's concert will feature
works by Bach, Liszt, Leschetizky, Mozart and
Saint-Saëns. Ms. Lee has performed in many
major concert halls including Alice Tully Hall at
Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in
New York, and Herbst Theater in San Francisco.
Space is limited; call 401-847-0295, ext. 112, to
make your reservation. $5 for members, $10
for non-members.
Redwood Book Club News
The Redwood Book Club meets monthly
at 10:30 am in the Board Room. All are welcome.
Saturday, October 24: Antarctica, by Gabrielle
Walker, with documentary film, Part I
Saturday, November 28: Antarctica, Part II
Saturday, December 26: The Dead, by James
Joyce, with film
Opening Reception
50 years of the Third & Elm Press
Wednesday, December 2
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
Monday, December 7 at 4:00 pm
6
A wine and cheese reception is held at 5:30 pm, followed
by the Salon at 6:00 pm. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers. Seating is limited; call 847-0295, ext. 112, to make
your reservation. Reserved seats that have not been claimed
by 5:55 pm will be released to those on the waiting list.
Attendees are permitted to park in the Gustave White lot,
adjacent to the Redwood’s, on Salon evenings.
October 14:
Robert Dowling, professor of English at Central Connecticut State
University, will speak on his new book, Eugene O’Neill: A Life in Four Acts.
October 21:
Peter Balakian, Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the
Humanities, Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Colgate
University, will speak on the Armenian genocide of 1915.
October 28:
Elijah Wald, author of Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the
Night That Split the Sixties, discusses his book.
November 4:
Marc J. Dunkelman, a fellow in public policy at the Taubman Center and
senior fellow at the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, will speak
on his new book, The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American
Community.
November 18:
Marian Gagnon, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Johnson
and Wales University, and Lenore Skomal, author, will show Gagnon's
documentary, “America’s Forgotten Heroine”, based on the book, Lighthouse
Keeper’s Daughter: The Remarkable True Story of American Heroine Ida
Lewis, by Skomal.
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UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Judge Us By Our Hearts: Norman Prince and the Lafayette Escadrille
November 7, 2015 –Spring 2016
The new Helen Elizabeth Peirce
Prince Gallery will officially
open on Saturday, November 7,
with an exhibition titled, Judge
Us By Our Hearts: Norman
Prince and the Lafayette
Escadrille. Curated by Paul
Glenshaw and Dan Patterson,
The original pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille. Verdun,
France, c. July 1916. Norman Prince second from right.
the exhibition examines
National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Norman Prince's unique role
as a bridge between the invention of the airplane and the development of
modern air warfare. Prince, who trained at the Wright brothers’ school,
was a co-founder of the Lafayette Escadrille, a group of volunteer pilots
who fought for France before the United States entered World War I. They
are known as "the founding fathers of American combat aviation." The
exhibit features artifacts and images from Prince's life. It traces his role in
the formation of the unit, its exploits and achievements, and its legacy,
which still binds the United States to its longest standing ally - France.
The construction of the Peirce Prince Gallery, the second story office
space above it, and the new staff powder room were made possible by
generous donations from members of the Prince family, who have chosen
to honor their mother/grandmother with the creation of the Helen
Elizabeth Peirce Prince Gallery. The family has a long history in Newport.
The exhibition is underwritten by Guillaume and Molly de Ramel.
50 Years of the Third & Elm Press
November 14, 2015 – February 21, 2016
In celebration of its 50th year of operation, select
works from The Third & Elm Press will be on view
in the Van Alen Gallery at the Redwood Library
from Saturday, November 14, 2015 through Sunday,
February 21, 2016. The print shop, established by
Alexander and Ilse Buchert Nesbitt in 1965, is
located in the historic Point section of Newport,
where it produces a variety of original woodcuts,
cards, and limited-edition books using handset
type, an 1830 Acorn hand press and an 1897 Golding platen press.
Ilse Nesbitt, the sole proprietor following her husband’s death, was born
in Frankfurt/Main Germany and raised in Japan. She came to the United
States 55 years ago and worked in the typography studio at the Rhode Island
School of Design, where she met Alexander. Their graphic achievements,
created both independently and collaboratively, have been widely exhibited
here and abroad. Longtime members will remember the 1990 Redwood
exhibition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Third & Elm Press.
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NEW MEMBERS &
SHAREHOLDERS
photo credit: Andrea Hansen
Between 2/1/15-8/31/15
Elizabeth Aguiar
Hope Alexander and Lloyd Griscom
Constance and Steven Anderson
David Audet
Melissa A. Bachelder
Justine Mae Balgos
Alana Banister
Georgia Banister
Gianna M. Barek
Ryan A. Baum
Jean M. Beaugard
Anne C. Becker
Cheryl and Hadi Bozorgmanesh
Sara J. Burchell
Michael W. Burkinshaw
Cynthia and Scott Burns
Sara A. Butler
William J. H. Butler
Maria and Michael Caley
Rita and Robert Campanella
Morgan C.C. Capodilupo
Merritt Cathers
Antonetta P. Christian
Jamie Churchill
Eve Clulow
W. Shelby Coates, Jr.
Diana and Edward Coderre
Wylene Commander and David van Schaick
Eden Conwell
Lee C.D. Coulter
Dian and William Crowe
Marion and Ken Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Xavier T. de Viana
Edmund DiLeone
Livvy Dinneen and Michael Berns
Ronna L. Reynolds
and Francis P. Donnarummo
Sharon Dresser and Steven Cantor
Pamela and Ronald Dwight
7
CHILDREN’S LIBRARY NEWS
NEW MEMBERS &
SHAREHOLDERS
Blake Corbishley, Youth Services Coordinator
(cont. from page 7)
Susan Dye and Oakleigh Thorne
Susan Estabrook
Sophia Filloramo-Smith
Mary Ellen Flanagan
Pamela and Ronald Fleming
Karen and Charles Flippo
Gianna Forsyth
Ali and Ryan Gainor
Mr. and Mrs. G. Stanton Geary
Rebecca Goldman and Robert Wilkins
Lt. Col. Brandon C. Gregoire
Grace Grimes
Nora M. Grimes
Leonardo Grossi
Sam Gyoker
Judith and Howard Hall
Ashley and Tyler Hall
Jessica and Joseph Hamilton
Robin and Timothy Harrington
Michael J. Haws
RADM and Mrs. P. Gardner Howe III
Mackaela Irving
Amy and Todd Johnson
Joan Johnson-Freese
Camryn Judson
Colonel (Ret.) Kenneth Juergens
Diana and Lawrence Kahn
Tina Kaupe
Mary Klimasiewfski
Bonnie Watson Kniskern
Amy Kotkin and Larry Lawrence
Maureen and David Krupa
Jonah Lamay
Jean Lambert
Elizabeth and Robert Lefort
Polly Lyman
Joline and Jay MacFarlan
Michelle Reynolds and David Marlowe
Nycole Matthews
Susan and Peter McCarthy
Anne and Larry McCarver
Leigh and Joseph McGraw
Elizabeth and Earl McMillen*
Zoe Mermin
Katherine Milliken
Diane J. Montengro
Sean P. Napolitano
The Newton Goldenberg Family
Jill Roncarti and James O'Connell
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LITTLE WRITERS AND YOUNG EXPLORERS
This summer the Children’s Library was filled with children of all ages
working passionately to develop and share their stories and adventures.
Children as young as age four created beautiful hand-made books and
turned nonsensical phrases into a short play called “The Beautiful
Rat.” Older children, ages ten to sixteen, travelled from the trails of
the Aquidneck Island Land Trust to the depths of the vaults of the
Redwood Library and several places in between. They conceived fantastic,
mysterious stories of Aquidneck Island, portions of which are on display
in the Ballard Annex. We encourage you to stop by to take a look!
TOY LENDING LIBRARY
Thanks to the generosity of the Newport
County Fund and the Ocean State
Charities Trust, the Redwood recently
purchased over 100 new toys that will
be available to members for borrowing
and for public use within the Library.
The toys are hand-crafted out of
natural materials and include play
silks, puzzles, traditional toy trucks
and dolls, weaving looms and childsized household tools. Every item
is designed to inspire creative, open-ended play as well as aesthetic
sensibility. Each toy or toy set includes an information card as well as
activity and reading suggestions. Check the website for updates and
hours, or call 401-847-0292, ext. 105, to schedule an orientation.
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THE REDWOOD LIBRARY INTERIORS, THEN AND NOW
Chelsea Ordner, Special Collections Assistant
Left to right: A nineteenth-century stereograph depicting the Reading Room, circa 1870; Nineteenth-century stereograph of the Harrison Room, circa 1880;
Architectural study of the Rovensky Room by John DuFais, 1914
The Harrison Room
The Harrison Room has been in continuous use since 1750.
Designed by Peter Harrison, it was the first public NeoClassical building in the country. Initially, there were two
small offices for the Librarian and the president of the
Board of Directors on the sides of the room. What is now
the Book Store served as the Library Director’s office until
2005. The shelves around the room were open – the caged
doors were added in a 1960s renovation. At the back of the
room were three large Palladian-style windows, and at the
rear was a small portico. Until the addition of the Reading
Room, the Library was lit by natural light so as not to risk
a fire. The original windows are now located on the south
Reading Room wall. The skylight was added in 1870. The
colonial chandelier, although historically accurate for the
time period, was not in the library until 1962, when it was
received as a gift from Mrs. Guy Fairfax Carey. Although there
is no record of the original appearance of this room’s interior,
Norman Isham, a restoration architect, returned the room
to the eighteenth-century style, with the exception of the
nineteenth-century skylight, in 1932.
The Roderick Terry Reading Room
In 1858, the original Library building was surrounded on
three sides by a U-shaped addition by Boston architect
George Snell. The Reading Room forms the base of the U,
with the Pell-Chafee Preservation Room and the Gewirz
Young Adult Library wrapping around the Harrison Room.
At that time, the Reading Room looked quite different than
it does today. There was a second tier of books, accessible by
a spindly, spiral staircase that led to a balcony. The portraits
that now adorn the upper walls of the Reading Room were
displayed from this iron balcony railing. In 1885, George
Gordon King, the Librarian from 1831 to 1835, dedicated a
FA L L 2015 | V O L U M E S I X T E E N | № 2
gallery on the west of the room to the memory of his brother,
Alexander Mercer. This gallery was later removed.
By 1930, the Reading Room was greatly in need of repairs.
Reverend Roderick Terry, President of the Redwood from
1916 until his death in 1933, had long been a benefactor of
the Library. Through his efforts, the room was restored by
architect Norman Isham and in token of their gratitude, the
Directors named it, “The Roderick Terry Reading Room.”
The Rovensky Room
The Rovensky Room was created in 1876 by architect George
Champlin Mason. At first, the design for the new renovation
was given to famed architect William Morris Hunt, who
designed an imposing white marble structure that would
have completely replaced the Harrison and Terry rooms.
Ultimately, the Librarian and members of the Board decided
on George Champlin Mason’s preservationist design.
The Rovensky Room has changed names over the years. In
1915, it was named after Henry Gurdon Marquand, President
of the Library from 1895 to 1902. In 2005, the room was
renamed for John E. Rovensky, a New York financier and
member of the Newport summer colony. The Rovensky Room
is also colloquially known as the Delivery Room, referring to
the traditional practice of librarians delivering the requested
books from the closed stacks to the members. The Webster
Wing was added in 1939 as staff offices by architects Wyeth
and King as a gift from Mrs. Hamilton Fish Webster. It was
renovated into a gallery space in 2005 after a donation from
Candace Van Alen and has since become a climate controlled
exhibition space named for the benefactor. In July 2003,
a portion of the Delivery Room's original plaster ceiling
collapsed and sparked a complete renovation of the space,
made possible by the generosity of Mrs. Robert M. Grace.
9
NEW MEMBERS &
SHAREHOLDERS
(cont. from page 8)
Gwen J. O'Conner
Nora and Michael O'Hara
Rochelle Ohrstrom
Barbara O'Leary and David J. DeFanti
Catherine and William Paolino
Kathleen and Lutz Petzold
Pearson B. Potts, Jr.
Russell Pouliot
Joseph Quinn
James M. Reilly
Caroline and Anselm Richards
Sydney Rose Rinfret
Kathleen and Robert Russell
Margaret A. Sabin
William M. Salmons, Jr.
Dana Savoie and Karen Gales
Sharon and James Seymour
Carly Sinkiewicz
Jade Sousa
Karen J. Spradlin
Margaret and Donald Steiner
Lucy Steppen
Dr. Taylor Stoermer
Jean E. Sullivan
Alexander and Brooke Taylor
Jennifer Tobin
Lisa Valentine and Brian Trapp
William J. Trezvant
Chloe Tysor
Kathleen and Anthony Vetrano
Kathy and Michael Webster
Susan Wermuth
Joan Clarke and Brian Whaley
Charles D. Wick
Sarah and Andrew Wilkening
Marya Withers
JULY 11, 2015
* New shareholder
photo credit: Al Weems
10
FA L L 2 015 | V O L U M E S I X T E E N | № 2
L I B R A RY
U PDAT E S
photo credit: Andrea Hansen
BENEFITS OF 3M EBOOKS AND NAXOS MUSIC LIBRARY
Robert Kelly, Collection Development Librarian
Redwood members have embraced the Library’s electronic book
program, 3M eBooks, which allows readers to quickly download
any of hundreds of titles to their Apple products or Kindle Fire
devices. In the last fiscal year, 1,204 titles were loaned, up from
935 the year before. The top five books loaned were: A Drink
Before the War, by Dennis Lahane; The Solitary House, by Lynn Shepherd; Gone
Girl, by Gillian Flynn; London Calling, by James Craig; and The First American,
by H.W. Brands.
New eBooks are purchased quarterly. Recent additions
include: The Alphabet House, by Jussi Adler-Olsen;
The Marriage of Opposites, by Alice Hoffman; Go Set
a Watchman, by Harper Lee; and Sarge: The Life and
Times of Sargent Shriver, by Scott Stossel.
Members have also enjoyed high-quality music streaming
tracks on Naxos Musical Library. Over 600 labels are
available, including classical and world music selections
from ARC, Berlin Classics, BIS, Capriccio, Chandos, EMI
Classics, Erato, Finlandia, Hänssler Classic, Harmonia Mundi, Hungaroton,
Naïve, Naxos, Nonesuch, Nimbus, Ondine, RCA Records, Sony Classical,
Teldec, Virgin Classics and Warner Classics.
More than 113,700 CD-length recordings, equivalent to 1,672,400 tracks, have
been uploaded, with more than 800 new CD-length recordings added every
month. The site includes music notes, cover artwork, tracklist, instrumentation
and publisher information.
Questions about how to use 3M eBooks or the Naxos Music Library? Stop by the
Circulation Desk and we will be happy to help you.
FA L L 2015 | V O L U M E S I X T E E N | № 2
Admission Fee for Visitors
to Begin in 2016
As one of several initiatives to secure
the Library’s financial footing as
it moves toward its 270th year of
continuous operation, the Board
of Directors has approved the
implementation of an admission fee of
$10 for visitors to the Redwood. Youths
under age 18 will be admitted free.
Members will retain free access to the
Library’s collections and galleries. “The
Redwood Library is an independent
membership library and as such does
not receive state or federal funding.
It must therefore raise the required
revenue each year to cover its operating
costs. In keeping with our sister nonprofits in Newport that charge modest
admission fees to their historic sites,
the Redwood’s admission fee will
help to fund a wide range of services,
exhibitions, programs and events
for both members and visitors,” said
Executive Director Benedict Leca.
New at the Redwood:
Private Vault Showings
A limited number of private vault
showings are now available to
Redwood members and visitors. By
advance arrangement, expert tour
guide Elaine Bunnell will plan an
intimate vault showing for you and
your guests in the Carpenter Board
Room. This is a special way to share
some of the Redwood's fascinating
and historic treasures with your
family or visitors. The cost is $200.
Please call Elaine at 401-847-0292,
ext. 108, to discuss availability.
11
ISSN 1089-8336
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NEWPORT, RI
PERMIT 11
50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840
OPEN HOUSE AND CONCERT
Redwood
Holiday Open House
Saturday, December 12
The Redwood is delighted to welcome
back The Newport String Project
at 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 12,
for a special holiday recital of works for
violin and piano. Violinists EmmaLee
Holmes-Hicks and Ealain McMullin
will be joined by Boston-based guest
musicians, Dan Sedgwick (piano) and
Marjorie Gere (violin) for an intimate
afternoon in the Harrison Room.
It is free for members but we do ask
that you make a reservation at 401847-0295, ext. 112, as seating is limited.
The Library will also host its Annual
Holiday Open House from 1:00 pm
to 3:00 pm, on this date, so please
stop by for cider and cookies!
Le Mair, H. Willebeek. Mother's Little Rhyme Book.
Philadelphia: David McKay, 1914.