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William L. Clements Library
@clementslibrary.bsky.social
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The William L. Clements Library collects, preserves, and makes available historical resources about the Americas, with particular strengths in 18th and 19th century American history.

The library is open for research by appointment.

clements.umich.edu
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clementslibrary.bsky.social
“This is me with the old man We are coming to washington if he can steer it straight A nuff so get cofee redey now”

📷: David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Real Photo Postcard Series (myumi.ch/E8k4g)

#EarlyPhotography #Montages #Collaging
Collage of photographs creating an image of two men on a blimp, titled “Holland” From the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Real Photo Postcard Series. Note written on the back of a postcard reading: “This is me and the old man. We are going to washington if he can steer straight A nuff so get coffee ready now. Good bye.” From the David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Real Photo Postcard Series.
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Spend a day with Clements Associate Curator of Manuscripts, Jayne Ptolemy!

Want to learn more about Jayne’s path to the Clements and the work that she does here? Read the corresponding post on our blog, the Clements Chronicles: myumi.ch/w9eAk
November 12, 2025 at 8:47 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
An early trivia game, “Famous Paintings” (Cincinnati Game Co. 1897), involved players trying to collect sets of paintings or paintings of the same rank. Whoever collects the most cards by naming the paintings is declared the winner.
Box and cards from “Famous paintings” (Cincinnati: Fireside Game Co., Cincinnati Game Co., successors. 1897). Card from “Famous paintings” (Cincinnati: Fireside Game Co., Cincinnati Game Co., successors. 1897) depicting Titian’s “Head of Sleeping Venus.” Card from “Famous paintings” (Cincinnati: Fireside Game Co., Cincinnati Game Co., successors. 1897) depicting Rosa Bonheur’s “On the Alert.” Card from “Famous paintings” (Cincinnati: Fireside Game Co., Cincinnati Game Co., successors. 1897) depicting Raphael’s “Third Hour of the Night.”
November 12, 2025 at 6:25 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
These early flashcards were used to educate children about geography both within and outside of the United States. Cards include information on longitude and latitude, relative location to other landmarks, capital towns, and population.

#ChildrensBookWeek #AmericanHistory #ChildrensEducation
Geographical card of Michigan describing its coordinates, how far the land spans, its capital town, and number of inhabitants. Background image: [1823] map of Michigan Territory created by Fielding Lucas Jr. Geographical card of Brazil and Upper and Lower Canada, describing their coordinates, how far their lands span, their capital towns, and number of inhabitants.
November 8, 2025 at 9:12 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Dame Trot and Her Comical Cat (1851) illustrates a woman coming home to find her feline companion engaging in human-like activities. Each scenario is presented with a hand-colored wood engraving accompanying a short poem describing the behavior. #ChildrensBookWeek
Cover of Dame Trot and her Comical Cat, published by John Q. Preble between 1851 and 1862. Short poem from Dame Trot and her Comical Cat [ca. 1851-1862] reading “Old dame Trot / Going to the fair, / With her cat on her shoulder, / To see the folks there.” Hand-colored wood engraving of a cat riding a dog from Dame Trot and her Comical Cat [ca. 1851-1862]. A page of Dame Trot and her Comical Cat [ca. 1851-1862] with hand-colored wood engraving of a cat playing the fiddle to mice, reading “She trotted once more, / For brandy and gin, / When she came back, / She was sat down to spin. / She went to buy apples, / And sugar and spice, / When she came back, Puss was fiddling to mice.”
November 7, 2025 at 5:38 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
“Metamorphosis, or a Transformation of Pictures with Poetical Explanations for the Amusement of Young Persons” (1807) is a unique and interactive children’s book, featuring folding pages that transform images and tell a story with religious and moral themes. #ChildrensBookWeek
November 6, 2025 at 4:16 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Step by Step, or, Tidy’s Way to Freedom (1862) follows the story of a young enslaved girl named Tidy, and her mother, Annie. Through the hardships of slavery and all that she faces, Tidy is a symbol of hope throughout the story.

#ChildrensBookWeek #AmericanHistory #AfricanAmericanHistory
Artwork inside “Step by Step; or Tidy’s Way to Freedom,” (1862) depicting a mother and child. Title page of “Step by Step; or Tidy’s Way to Freedom,” (1862) with a poem written by Whittier: “Woe to all who grind / Their brethren of a common Father down! / To all who plunder from the immortal mind / It’s bright and glorious crown !” Chapter 1 of “Step by Step; or Tidy’s Way to Freedom,” (1862). Excerpt reading “My Dear Children, – All of you who read this little book have doubtless heard more or less of slavery. You know it is the system by which a portion of our people hold their fellow-creatures as property, and doom them to perpetual servitude. It is a hateful and accursed institution, which God can not look upon but with abhorrence, and which no one of his children should for a moment tolerate.”
November 5, 2025 at 8:24 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Dolly at the Seaside ABC (1907) is a die cut children’s book illustrating a young girl on the beach with her beloved dolls. Accompanying each illustration is a short poem describing fun activities such as swimming, singing songs, and taking naps with its associated letter.

#ChildrensBookWeek
“Dolly at the Seaside ABC” (1907) die cut book in the shape of a doll. Title page of “Dolly at the Seaside ABC” (1907) featuring the signature of Annie S Ruth. Page from “Dolly at the Seaside ABC” (1907) with an illustration of a lobster. “L for surly Lobster who’ll nip you if he can. Daisy saw the Lobster and off with Dolly ran. M for Morning bathing when all so smooth and calm, - Dolly’s made of china so she can take no harm.” Page from “Dolly at the Seaside ABC” (1907) with an illustration of a girl losing her hat in the wind. “W for Wind which takes Dolly’s hat of straw.”
November 4, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
denisekiernan.com
From one of my fave archives, @clementslibrary.bsky.social: 11/21 tune in to their "Bookworm" series for "Native American Stories Reclaimed from the Archive," in recognition of #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. Here below: one of their items from 1726. Click to register. #history #research #books
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: The Clements Bookworm: Online Event for History Lovers. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Panelists and featured guests discuss history topics with Angela Oonk '94 in this webinar series. Recommended books, articles, and other resources are provided in each session. Inspired by the traditional...
umich.zoom.us
November 4, 2025 at 1:51 AM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Today marks the start of Children’s Book Week! Follow along for a unique piece of historical children’s literature every day.

The Cries of New-York (1830) illustrates peddlers roaming the streets trying to sell goods such as strawberries, milk, radishes, baked pears, and more in rhyming sequences.
Title page of ‘The Cries of New York.’ (1830). Page 7 of ‘The Cries of New York.’ (1830), “Milk, Here’s Mileck! Mileck! / Milk! Milk! This is a morning cry, / And an addition sweet; / To Tea or Coffee and to little boys, / A very pleasant treat.” Page 1 of ‘The Cries of New York.’ (1830), ‘Strawberries / Do you want any strawberries?/ Around the town I yearly bear, / The first of Springs sweet berries; / And thus to all announce my ware, / “Come buy my fine strawberries.” Page 8 of ‘The Cries of New York.’ (1830), “Sweet Potatoes, Carolina Potatoes Here’s your fine Carolina’s / Sweet Potatoes Carolina Potatoes. / Just from the warmer south; / Roasted or boiled no equal they have. / Sweetly they taste to the mouth.”
November 3, 2025 at 9:01 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Last night we had the pleasure of attending the premiere of “Sex Radical,” a docu-drama on early feminist and sex educator Ida Craddock.

Not only did filmmaker Andy Kirshner conduct research at the Clements Library, but portions of the film were shot in our beautiful Norton Strange Townshend Room!
Theater with promotional screen for the film “Sex Radical” showing, with filmmaker Andy Kirshner speaking to the crowd.
October 31, 2025 at 6:42 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
We are OBSESSED with all of your costumes from our Haunted Histories event last night! 🦇🎃

View more photos from the evening here: myumi.ch/2r2Z4
Three guests in costume in the Avenir Foundation Reading Room. One is in a red dress and has fake blood coming from her mouth, one has a real pumpkin over their head, and the other is in a black and white dress. Two guests in costume in the Avenir Foundation Reading Room. One dressed in mourning attire with skeletal makeup, and the other was in a white dress. A guest dressed as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle holding a "Clue Game Sheet" in the Avenir Foundation Reading Room. Guests in costume in the Avenir Foundation Reading Room. One is wearing a blue blazer and hat with a frilly white top, and the other has a brown cloak with gold floral details.
October 30, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
aadl.org
We have a special visitor at the Downtown Library today! Thanks, @davidzinn.bsky.social!
A photo of the porch of the Downtown Library with a David Zinn creation under the stairs. A photo of a David Zinn creation under the stairs of the Downtown Library.
October 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
The first National Woman’s Rights Convention began on #ThisDayInHistory in 1850. Somewhere around 1,000 people attended this historic event in Worcester, Massachusetts, including those pictured here: Lucy Stone, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and William Lloyd Garrison.
Cartes de visite portrait of Lucy Stone. [ca. 1870?] “Suffragist and abolitionist Lucy Stone was a key organizer of the first National Woman’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts.” Engraved portrait of Frederick Douglass from “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave.” / Written by himself. After being the only African American man to attend the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, Civil rights leader Frederick Douglass spoke at the 1850 National Woman’s Rights Convention. Cartes de visite portrait, likely of Sojourner Truth. [1870?]. “Sojourner Truth attended the first National Woman’s Rights Convention in 1850, giving her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech the following year in Akron, Ohio.” Cartes de visite portrait of William Lloyd Garrison, [ca. 1872]. “William Lloyd Garrison, creator of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, served on the National Woman's Rights Central Committee and argued that suffrage should be a central goal”
October 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Just like today, historical board games aimed towards young children often combined education with activities that improve fine motor skills.

In “The Magic Blackboard” (Circa 1900), notches on the tiles push down on a spring mechanism, revealing the name of the pictured animal.
October 21, 2025 at 2:47 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
The annual Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair is only a week away! Tickets for this event are $5, but students get in free!

Last year, Clements intern Milo Boatwright purchased “The Little Prince” as a gift for his mom. Stop by and see what treasures you can find!
Woman holding a copy of Antoine De Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince.” “45th Annual Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair Michigan Union” with a decorative border and a pile of antique books in the bottom left corner.
October 19, 2025 at 2:40 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Mrs. N.F. Mossell’s “The Work of the Afro-American Woman” (1894) is a collection of essays and poems recognizing the achievements of African American women. This book includes poems by women other than Mrs. Mossell, including the pictured “Afmerica” by Mrs. Mary Ash Lee. #BlackPoetryDay
Mrs. Mary Ash Lee’s poem “Afmerica” printed in Mrs. N. F. Mossell’s “The Work of the Afro-American Woman” (1894).
October 17, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
ypsilibrary.org
We're ~hooked~ on your right to read. 🎣
October 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
“The Mansion of Happiness: An Instructive Moral and Entertaining Amusement” (Ives & Co. 1864), the first true board game in America, has players encounter virtues, vices, and other obstacles that help them move forward or away from the “Mansion of Happiness.”
Center square of “Mansions of Happiness.” Salem: S. B. Ives. Boston: D.P. Ives & Co. 1864. Depicts multiple girls in colorful dresses and an eagle holding a ribbon with the title of the game written on it. Game board tiles of poverty, temperance, passion, and charity. From “Mansions of Happiness.” Salem: S. B. Ives. Boston: D.P. Ives & Co. 1864. Game board tiles of justice, piety, honesty, the pillory, and humility. From “Mansions of Happiness.” Salem: S. B. Ives. Boston: D.P. Ives & Co. 1864. Cover of the “Mansions of Happiness.” Salem: S. B. Ives. Boston: D.P. Ives & Co. 1864.
October 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
Our newest exhibit, For All Ages, highlights familiar and unique toys and board games throughout American history.

The exhibit was co-curated by Clements Curator of Maps & Graphics Sierra Laddusaw and Graphics Division Cataloger Jakob Dopp. Read about their experience here: myumi.ch/15kwy
“For All Ages Exhibition 10/3-12/23 Clements Library University of Michigan.” Background image: Famous paintings. Cincinnati: Fireside Game Co., Cincinnati Game Co., successors. 1897.
October 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
The Clements Library is thrilled to welcome our new Head of Reader Services, Joshua Sulser! 📚

In this Q&A, we got a chance to learn more about his path to the Clements, his research interests, and his personal collections.

Read the interview here: myumi.ch/G28wp
Q&A with Joshua Sulser, New Clements Head of Reader Services - UM Clements Library
The Clements Library is thrilled to welcome our new Head of Reader Services, Joshua Sulser! In this Q&A, we got a chance to learn more about his path to the Clements, his research interests, and his p...
myumi.ch
October 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
denisekiernan.com
Latest newsletter is live. American Revolution. Microphotography. Worldbuilding.
You know. The usual.

#writingcommunity #history #booksky #amwriting
Denise Is Curious: A Little Bit of News, But Not Too Much, From From Denise Kiernan
Exploring curiosity, creativity, and culture with weekly insights and thoughtful perspectives on writing, history, and living an intentional life.
newsletter.denisekiernan.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
umichlibrary.bsky.social
10/16 4-6pm: At next week's Third Thursdays at the Library, our monthly open house, view spooky items from our collections! Collect a stamp from each of the four Hatcher locations—Asia Library, Clark Library, International Studies, & Special Collections Research Center—to win a prize! myumi.ch/egXd2
Three Philippine amulets and a character from a 13-14th century scroll.
October 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
clementslibrary.bsky.social
The Fortune Teller: A Novel and Exciting Game (Milton Bradley Co., 1905) utilizes a spinning wheel to reveal players’ fortunes, relying on chance to ensure that no two plays were alike.
Exhibit Spotlight of “Fortune Teller: a Novel and Exciting Game. Springfield, MA: Milton Bradley Co. 1905.” from the ‘For All Ages’ exhibit at the Clements Library.
October 8, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by William L. Clements Library
umichlibrary.bsky.social
For #BannedBooksWeek, October 5-11, join us in reading and advocating for the freedom to read diverse literature. We'll even share a few book titles to get you started: https://myumi.ch/9pQyg
Censorship is so 1984. Read for your rights.
October 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM