CHICC are pleased to announce we have begun the digitisation of John Henry Cardinal Newman’s vast archive. The project is a collaboration between ourselves, The National Institute for Newman Studies, in Pittsburgh and Birmingham Oratory where the archive is kept.
A new blog is now live, following the progress of the digitisation project make sure to follow for regular updates!
A while ago, CHICC carried out some interesting digitsation work of the Rylands copy of the Mainz Psalter, and a Gutenberg Indulgence for book which is now available.
Stan Knight has now published HISTORICAL TYPES, from Gutenberg to Ashendene, which is available from Oak Knoll here.
From Oak Knoll: “Historical Types stands a step above other books on the history of type because of the size and quality of its reproductions and its straightforward and clear exposition. For these reasons, it should soon become a favorite text for teachers and students of type design, as well as anyone interested in the history of the book.”
Die erste Handschrift aus England konnte heute in die Virtuelle Klosterbibliothek Lorsch integriert werden. Es handelt sich hierbei um ein Evangeliar mit einem prachtvoll illustrierten Bild des Evangelisten Markus. Neben weiterem Buchschmuck enthält der Codex in Gold geschriebene Titelseiten.
Manchester, John Rylands Library
Latin MS 9
Evangeliarium
Lorsch, 2. Viertel 9. Jh.
Wissenschaftliche Beschreibung
Mehr Informationen zum Evangelistenbild aus Manchester finden Sie auch auf unserer Seite zur „
You may remember a while ago, David Foster and Kinjiro Amano from the Sensing, Imaging, and Signal Processing Group in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Manchester visited the Library and carried out hyperspectral reflectance imaging work on 3 of the Rylands treasures.
The Results have now been published online, and can be found here.
The John Rylands Library has been exploring the Supernatural in collaboration with Dr Sasha Handley, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Manchester.
As part of The University of Manchester Library’s Digitisation Strategy, the Heritage Imaging Team have digitised and published online a wide range of material which provides a unique insight into supernatural belief and practices in the early modern period.
The Methodist Collection provides one of the most famous accounts of supernatural activity in Britain. Epworth Rectory, home of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and their children, reportedly experienced poltergeist activity for a brief time from 1716-1717. John Wesley himself was inquisitive about the events, so much so, that he took it upon himself to speak to all those in the house at the time of the disturbance.
The accounts from his family and servants tell of a disturbing and violent series of events that included eerie groaning noises, doors flying open and mysterious knocking on walls and doors. John Wesley’s handwritten account of these events was subsequently reproduced in various Methodist publications, including ‘The Arminian Magazine’.
Also included for digitisation were primary sources from the library’s Printed collection, including beautifully illustrated astrological figures from the 16th century ; accounts of miraculous healing by Valentine Greatrakes, a 17th century healer and complete texts containing magical remedies and herbal healing.
The material will be used in teaching as a set of primary source materials to support undergraduate teaching but will also be of interest to the general public and researchers.
Gareth Lloyd, archivist at The John Rylands Library has brought to light a scrapbook containing pamphlets, photographs and various other ephemera related to Buffalo Bill and his wild west shows in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th century. Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody) first brought his wild west show to London in 1887 during the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
The scrapbook was put together by Alfred J. Hipkins and John Hipkins for Jane Souter Hipkins. The introduction to the scrapbook, written by Edith J. Hipkins records that: ‘this collection of odds and ends are a memento mori of an exhibition of real life held in London some years ago. Collected by my brother and carried out by my father for our mother’s amusement’.
From initial research it appears that Alfred J. Hipkins (1826-1903) was a writer on musical instruments and Jane Souter Hipkins was his second wife. Their daughter Edith J. Hipkins was a portrait painter and their son, John (1851-1933) was a wood-engraver. A portrait of Alfred J. Hipkins painted by his daughter Edith can be found on the National Portrait Gallery’s website.
The Hipkins family became friendly with Buffalo Bill and the performers in the Wild West Show, whilst they stayed in London. Edith J. Hipkins in the introduction to the scrapbook writes of spending a Sunday with Luther Standing Bear, who was part of the show when it came to London.
The scrapbook provides a wealth of research for those interested in history, anthropology, American Studies, race, imperialism and the rise of mass entertainment.
Selected images of pamphlets, postcards and photographs from the scrapbook are now available to view in The University of Manchester Library’s image collection: Buffalo Bill Scrapbook
The original storage box for the Textus Roffensis
The project will use the cathedral’s currently inaccessible and nationally significant archives as a catalyst for the development of exhibitions and workshops in the crypt and library. These architecturally impressive spaces will be sympathetically opened up to allow access for all. The Textus Roffensis, older and considered by some to be a more significant document than the Magna Carta, is currently locked away for safety in the archives of Medway Council. The project will make the Textus the jewel in the crown of an imaginative and dynamic treasury. For more info click here.
The CHICC team would like to send a huge congratulations to the team at Rochester Cathedral, on what promises to be a very exciting project!
(see below for a selection of image taken by CHICC at Rochester Cathedral – click on the thumbnails to see larger images)
St. Christopher Woodcut being imaged using Osiris camera
On Tuesday 15th January 2013 the Rylands were very pleased to welcome Rachel Billinge, from the National Gallery, and Ed Potten, Head of Rare Books at the University of Cambridge for some very exciting imaging.
Rachel brought with her an Osiris camera for high-resolution infrared reflectography. The camera was developed by Opus Instruments based on a prototype that was designed and built by the National Gallery‘s Science and Conservation departments. The Osiris camera records infrared light wavelengths from 900-1700 nanometres, reaching further in to the infrared light spectrum than a standard CCD sensor could. The camera takes many images of an item and automatically stiches each ’tile’ together, saving hours of post-processing time.
St. Christopher Woodcut being imaged using Osiris camera
View of Osiris capture as it happens, the camera automatically stitched together each ’tile’ to create a full high-resolution image of the page
Rachel Billinge from the National Gallery working on a capture of the St. Christopher Woodcut using an Osiris camera
Rachel produced images of the St. Christopher Woodcut, in a bid to produce a legible image of the watermark to confirm, or otherwise, the dating of the Woodcut. The St Christopher woodcut, 1423, is the earliest dated example of European printing. It is preserved as an endpaper in a manuscript dated 1417 from Bohemia, the ‘Laus Virginis’. Rachel also imaged the Annunciation Woodcut, although no watermark is believed to be present in this print.
Members of staff from across the Library were on hand to support and analyse the images as they were produced. We await the results with bated breath… we will share the findings with you in a follow up post as soon as we possibly can.
Analysing the results… watch this space!
Marley’s Ghost, from Alan Tabor’s beautifully illuminated manuscript of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Click to buy the eBook for only £1.99!
It hardly seems a year ago that CHICC were wishing everyone the best over the holiday season, but here we are again!
What a fantastic and eventful year it has been! We have seen some extremely exciting projects take place over the last 12 months, Historic Maps of Manchester going online, our initial experiments with Spectral Imaging, working with more amazing partners, including Blackpool Illuminations and the National Trust. There have been many books and manuscripts digitised from our own collections too of course, all freely available on LUNA.
We already have some fantastic projects coming in the New Year, so make sure you keep an eye on the blog for the latest news!
So, From all at CHICC, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Over 300 historical maps spanning 200 years of Mancunian history have been digitised and published by The University of Manchester Library.
The collection of maps and plans of the city from the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century, mostly from the Library’s Special Collections, will be freely available, allowing users to zoom into street level.
Also digitised by the Library are a series of maps from Manchester City Council – not seen in public for 60 years- showing the extent of bomb damage to the city during WW2. Images can be accessed via this link: Record of location of aerial bombs on the City of Manchester
The work, carried out by the Library’s Centre for Heritage Imaging and Collection Care (CHICC), comprises maps by private surveyors, detailed Ordnance Survey maps, and plans of the Manchester Ship Canal.
Included is the first large-scale map of Manchester, produced by William Green in 1794, and Joseph Adshead’s Victorian map of the Township of Manchester.
A selection of plans show the development of Manchester Ship Canal, and a street map collection from 1750 to 1930 shows Manchester and Salford’s explosive growth.
The Library’s Map Librarian, Donna Sherman, said: “These maps provide a fascinating visual resource, giving a wealth of information to the public, historians, sociologists, architects, and archaeologists.
“Thanks to CHICC, we’re delighted they are now available for free on The University of Manchester Library’s website.”
Manchester City Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, Councillor Rosa Battle, said: “By collaborating with The University of Manchester to make this fascinating collection of maps freely accessible online, we will give historians and Manchester residents alike real insight into how our city has developed over the centuries and how it was affected by bombing during the Second World War.”
The bomb maps were put together using intelligence from the Chief Constable, who sent telegrams detailing the damage to the city engineer’s office.
It was the office junior’s job to colour the map, showing fire bombs as red dots, high explosives as blue dots and line mines as green dots.
Red shaded buildings represent demolished buildings while pink shaded buildings were damaged but still standing.
