Horace Howard Furness Legacy, 19th Century

Introducing theater at facsimilium... with a delicious collection of 19th Century American theatrical posters from the 1890s and -some of them- images from the collection of the Charlotte Cushman Club and mainly from the Horace Howard Furness Collection, hosted at University of Pennsilvanya dedicated to the study of Shakespeare and his contemporaries and, more generally, to the English Renaissance and the history of Shakespearean theatrical presentations.

The Furness Image Collection comprises more than 2,000 prints and photographs. The majority date from the nineteenth century, but the Collection also holds earlier and later images. These images illustrate and interpret Shakespeare's plays and also document theatrical performers and performances of works by Shakespeare and other dramatists.

Horace Howard Furness (1833–1912) collected in a single source 300 years of references, antecedent works, influences and commentaries about W Shakespeare opus. Member of  the WS Society of Philadelphia and also lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, was the intendent of the "New Variorum" editions of Shakespeare. He Studied at Germany and after returning to the US, married Helen Kate Rogers, sister of Fairman Rogers, and heir to an enormous ironmaking fortune. His son Horace Jr. donated his father's Shakespearean collection to the University of Pennsylvania, whose Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library honors both.  

Ancient Fauna of Nebraska, 19th Century

Oreodont specimen 

Joseph Leidy (1823 – 1891) was an American paleontologist, professor of anatomy and natural history at University of Pennsylvania and later on the Swarthmore College. Very prolific, wrote several treatises about extinct fauna in North America and was a pioneer on paleontology: named and studied –although discovered by William Parker Foulke- the first complete fossilized skeleton of a dinosaur ever recovered.

Mr. Leidy also announced discoveries on the field of Parasitologism and Protozoologism: In 1846 revealed that trichinosis was caused by a parasite in undercooked meat and published “Fresh-water Rhizopods of North America” in 1879. This codex is a masterpiece, still referenced and studied today around the world.

But probably the most amazing fact on his bio arrived in 1846 as a forensic innovator:  Mr. Leidy became the first person ever to use a microscope to solve a murder mystery, analyzing blood on suspect clothes that finally confessed when Leidy demonstrated the truth.

About the "Ancient Fauna of Nebraska", is a 126 page monograph presenting information on 20 new fossil species, most of these were unique to North America and differed dramatically from known European forms. After a brief introduction of the state of American mammalian paleontology, Leidy presented detailed descriptions and illustrations for a total of 15 mammals and 5 tortoises. Featured among these are an early camel (Poebrotherium wilsoni), an oreodont (Merycoidodon culbertsonii), two rhinos (Hyracodon nebraskensis and Subhyradocon occidentalis), and a sabertooth (Hoplophoneus primaevus).

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).

Native north american rhino.

Turtle casing

Introduction and description of Bad Lands (Nebraska). See map below.

Astronomy calculations, 16th (?) Century

Original title for this rare codex is "Kitab hisab al-nimar wa huwa fi 'ilm al-nujum", that could be translated into English as "On the calculation of numbers in the science of astronomy". I found this nice example of arabic caligraphy in a collection of ancient manuscripts from the desert libraries of Timbuktu, Mali the legendary city founded as a commercial center in West Africa nine hundred years ago.

The codex explains mathematical calculations and their use in astronomy and astrology, and is a nice example of Arabic script, style developed in Timbuktu and the surrounding regions of Mali and West Africa. As far as I could investigate, manuscripts are digitized and published mainly thanks to Mr. Abdel Kader Haidara, Owner and Director of the Mamma Haidara Commemorative Library. A complete catalogue of selected manuscripts from the exhibition is available on the web page, under "publications" directory. Looks like they're continuously working to complete digitized materials and a big work to do: another location in Mali, Jenne (in the Inland Niger Delta region), was like Timbuktu also part of the trans-Saharan trade route and became an important centre of Islamic scholarship, with a huge legacy of recent found islamic ancient books.

This codex, "On the calculation of numbers in the science of astronomy" is part of the Timbuktu Manuscripts family. The collection includes more than 700,000 medieval African documents, ranging from scholarly works to short letters, that have been preserved by private households in Timbuktu. The manuscripts were passed down in Timbuktu families and are mostly in poor condition. Some of the manuscripts date back to the 13th century.

In 2009, the French/German cultural TV channel ARTE produced a feature-length film about Timbuktu's manuscript heritage called (French) "Tombouctou: les manuscrits sauvés des sables" or (German) "Timbuktus verschollenes Erbe: vom Sande verweht". So far it's available online as part1, part2 and part3. Film was directed by Lutz Gregor.

“Human muscles” 19th Century

This collection of human anatomy drawings was issued by German Architect (¿?) and Painter Anton Hallmann (1812 - 1845). The original manuscript is located in Nuremberg, but I couldn’t find information about Hallmann’s bio, probably because he died young, was only 33.

This collection of anatomy sketches is really inedited: most of Hallmann well known drawings are architectural paintings in oil like Fossa Nuova Monastery in Roma (1841), The King of Prussia Villa (1844) and several monuments and buildings in Munich, St. Petersburg, London and Paris. I found some of his drawings at askart.com (direct link with 2 examples, auctioned?), and also at artnet.com -see oil on canvas arabic scene, auction pending for around 7000 EUR / 9100 USD, but for me the best drawing of all collection, issued one year before he died- on direct link here. My surprise arrived when I found a Hallmann's drawing on arcadja.com -direct link here- auctioned on March this year 2012 for only... 700 EUR (900 USD).

Some of the sketches available on this manuscript are: facial and neck muscles structure, sore muscles, trunk muscles, upper/lower arm muscles, forearm muscles, pelvic, high/lower leg muscles, foot muscles, several back & oblique views, etc.

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).

"Civil Architecture" by Eduard Mezger; 19th Century

Missing Architecture at facsimilium? At least I really was... This amazing collection of civil architecture sketches were drawn by Friedrich Eduard Mezger (1807–1894) a German Architect, Professor and civil Officer of the Royal buildings administration. Mezger studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich (direct link to the academy as it is today founded in 1948, but this Bavarian Academy of fine Arts can be considered as the revival of the "original" Royal Academy, established in 1808). During this period at the academy, Mezger took part in some monumental works in Athens, Greece; promoted by the Academy. After his return in 1833 from Greece, He became professor in civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich (link here to the TUM as it is today), and then in 1846 became "Oberbaurat", that can be literally understood as "Top Architect Officer".

Apart of his sketches, Mezger's collection of aquarelles really impressed me first time I saw it. Following my investigation, I could find that some of them were auctioned by Sotheby's in May 2004, with an average price of around 5.000 EUR (6.500 USD)... fair isn't it? More info see Arcadja web page, link here. Type "Eduard Mezger" on search by artist window (3 results). I couldn't obtain same results by a direct search on Sotheby's (¿?).

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).

Amazing aquarelle, see left hand side light entry effect, mixed with colour -turquoise- intensity on top..

The amazing "Book of Hours from Rouen", 15th Century

Three Living and Three Dead

Facsimilium goes back to its origin. We started this biblio-adventure last September (2011) with an amazing example of a traditional -lavish illuminated- european Book of Hours ("Horae Beatae Mariae Virginis cum calendario", 14th Century), link to the post here. And we continue today with probably one of the most amazing Book of Hours I could ever find in any University or digital library available on the internet: The rare Book of Hours from Rouen, France. Why amazing? It has two unusual characteristics. First, was enterely produced and illuminated by a local woman from Rouen, Normandy (but no other information about the author, is a mistery). Second, the codex can be considered as a high detailed chronicle of European gents during medieval ages, as contains several representations of season labors on traditional european farms and villages (shop of money exchange, pruning vines, activities like haymaking, reaping, threshing, treading grapes, baking, feeding pigs, slaughtering of a pig, etc).

Baking

Feeding pigs

Slaughtering a pig (November)

As any other Book of Hours, this codex includes the traditional calendar, Office of the Virgin, Penitential Psalms, Litany, Hours of the Cross, Hours of the Holy Spirit, and the Office of the Dead. It has a large amount of lavish illustrations like the Annunciation, with roundels of Adam and Eve with the serpent, the meeting of Mary's parents at the Golden Gate, the marriage of Mary and Joseph, the Visitation (page 34), the Nativity, with roundels of shepherds with musical instruments (page 45), The Angel and shepherds (page 49), presentation in the Temple (page 55) flight into Egypt (page 57), coronation of the Virgin (page 62), King David and the prophet Nathan, with roundels of David and Goliath and the Last Judgment (page 67); Crucifixion (page 83); Pentecost, (page 86); Three Living and Three Dead (image at the top of this post), etc.

Jonah and the whale (see detail below). Entire codex has been digitized with an amazing resolution, caption below was done with a 400% zoom.

Jonah and the whale (detail)

Flight into Egypt

Presentation at the Temple

Crucifixition

Histoire naturelle des colibris, 19th Century

A male "ruby topaz" specimen from New Guinea

Original title for this codex is "Histoire naturelle des colibris : suivie d'un supplément à l'Histoire naturelle des oiseaux-mouches : ouvrage orné de planches dessinées et gravées par les meilleurs artistes : et dédié A.M. le Baron Cuvier".

Author was René Primevère Lesson (1794-1849), a French surgeon, naturalist, and ornithologist, who served as pharmacist and botanist on Duperrey's round-the-world voyage of La Coquille (1822–1825). During this trip, was the first naturalist to see live birds of paradise in the Moluccas and New Guinea. On returning to Paris, he spent seven years preparing the vertebrate zoological section of the official account of the expedition "Voyage au tour du monde sur La Coquille (1826–39)". Very prolific author, he also produced Manuel d'Ornithologie (1828), Traité d'Ornithologie (1831), Centurie Zoologique (1830–32) and Illustrations de Zoologie (1832–35), several monographs on hummingbirds, and one book on birds of paradise. Lesson received the Légion d'honneur in 1847 (Established by Napoleon Bonaparte, this is the highest decoration in France).

 I found a web page (link here) that offers a facsimil edition of Duperrey's round-the-world voyage of La Coquille.

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).