Newberry Library

05/30/2026

The Newberry recently hosted former Latvia President Egils Levits for a collection presentation and tour of our exhibition, "The Declaration of Independence and the Words That Made the United States." It was especially fitting as Mr. Levits wrote the declaration of restored Latvian independence in 1990. The Newberry's President and Librarian Astrida Orle Tantillo joined Mr. Levits in the Hanson Gallery, and collection presentation participants included curators Jill Gage and Suzanne Karr Schmidt and Robert Blumberg, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in the State of Illinois. Materials included contemporary works as well as the first example of printed Latvian outside of Latvia, featured in the 1550 Münster Cosmographia (the "Our Father," visible at the center of Slide 6). Mr. Levits served as the tenth president of Latvia from 2019 to 2023.

05/29/2026

Late last week, the Associated Press featured the Newberry's Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection as part of an article investigating large-letter postcards and the mid-twentieth century American optimism and idealism they embodied.

In the piece, Will Hansen, the Newberry's Curator of Americana, reflects on these postcards, saying, "They’re very optimistic looking. That is sort of in tandem with how Americans are thinking about America at that time — that this is a country on an upward trajectory, that we have more money to spend, that we’re able to travel freely in ways we couldn’t before."

The article is a part of the Associated Press' America 250 series, "American Objects," which examines the materiality of American life through quintessentially American objects, from the baseball and blue jeans to even ranch dressing. Click the link to read the whole story, which has now appeared in 173 news outlets across the US and Canada and in a few locations like the UK and New Zealand: https://apnews.com/article/america-250-objects-postcards-df352f5524ec904a032cb6a85b9ec51e?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

The Newberry is home to the largest public collection of postcards in the United States. Stop by the library to browse our collection or visit collections.newberry.org to view digitized postcards.

Postcards emblazoned with “Greetings from” a state, city or tourist attraction advertise more than just the tiny scenes squeezed into 3D letters.

05/28/2026

Earlier this month, the winners of the inaugural Newberry Medieval Minicomic Book Prize, Audrey Avril (not pictured) and Eli Estrella Pérez (left), appeared at Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) held at the Irish American Heritage Center. The artists engaged in a comic reading and a conversation with the Newberry's Chris Fletcher and cartoonist Marnie Galloway (right)!

After winning last year's Minicomic Prize, Avril and Pérez were commissioned by the Newberry's Center for Renaissance Studies to develop comics that incorporated medieval artistic elements. The artists discussed this experience and how comics can create new opportunities for contemporary audiences to understand and engage with the art, ideas, and culture of the Middle Ages.

05/26/2026

Earlier this month, Director of Teacher Programs Kara Johnson received the 2025-26 Certificate of Excellence for Outstanding Engagement at the Communities in Schools of Chicago End-of-Year Appreciation Event.

Through the Newberry's program partnership with CIS, the Newberry was able to reach more than 90 CPS teachers: a new record high! Educators assembled at the Newberry to engage with a diverse array of seminar topics, including "Race and Book History," "Indigenous Chicago," "Teaching Critical Issues in Asian American History," and more.

05/26/2026

This year at the Newberry Library, we are celebrating 100 years of Route 66– America’s “Mother Road” that connects Chicago to Santa Monica. The Newberry’s James R. Powell Route 66 Postcard Collection contains more than 4,000 postcards depicting the motels, diners, tourist attractions, and natural wonders of the highway’s golden age.

Fun fact: The American Meteorite Museum closed in 1953, but many of the original meteorite specimens can be found at Arizona State University.

Tag your friends, comment which iconic Route 66 landmark matches your vibe, and dive deeper into the highway’s visual history in person at the Newberry!

05/22/2026

On July 9, 1776, General George Washington assembled a crowd of American colonists at the New York City Commons for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The words of this document, which had only been adopted five days prior, served as a rallying cry for civilians and soldiers alike and solidified the values of the revolutionary cause. Shortly after Washington’s speech, a crowd of incensed patriots marched down Broadway to tear down a statue of British Monarch King George III. The lead sculpture was later melted down to produce American bullets.

The hand-engraved image depicting this event (entitled “La destruction de la statue royale à Nouvelle Yorck”) is known as a "Vues d'optique," "Perspektivansichten," or “Perspective Print.” It was intended to be viewed inside of a peep box through a concave lens and mirror(a device known as a zograscope) that makes the scene appear three-dimensional. This image is a German artist’s interpretation of the statue’s removal, with inaccurate portrayals of colonial American architecture and clothing, but it illustrates a growing European interest in the revolution abroad.
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This print notably depicts a multiracial crowd of colonists, with free and enslaved Black men participating in the statue’s demolition. This detail possibly reflects the hope that enslaved African Americans might also win their freedom through the Revolutionary War.
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This artifact, as well as other coveted documents from early American history, is currently displayed at the Newberry Library’s Free and Independent exhibition. This exhibition is open and free to the public until July 18, 2026.

05/21/2026

The Newberry is pleased to share that it has acquired the collection of Poetry Slam founder Marc Kelly Smith, who started the long-running poetry series in Chicago in 1984. The collection consists of over 30 linear feet of programs, publicity, audiovisual materials (cassettes, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes), artifacts, and administrative files (physical and digital) documenting the history of the Poetry Slam and its predecessors such as the Chicago Poetry Ensemble.

Smith coined and founded the Poetry Slam, performing first at the Get Me High Lounge in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood in 1984, and then moving it in 1986 to the larger stage at the Green Mill Lounge in Uptown, where it is still held to this day. It is the longest running show at the Green Mill, and the longest running poetry series in the United States. Poetry Slams have become an international phenomenon, occurring on stages, coffee shops, and bars worldwide, across ages and demographics, and taught from grade schools to universities.

Read the full story at the link in our comments!

05/21/2026

The Newberry is pleased to share that it has acquired the collection of Poetry Slam founder Marc Kelly Smith, who started the long-running poetry series in Chicago in 1984. The collection consists of over 30 linear feet of programs, publicity, audiovisual materials (cassettes, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes), artifacts, and administrative files (physical and digital) documenting the history of the Poetry Slam and its predecessors, such as the Chicago Poetry Ensemble.

To honor the acquisition, a celebration will take place at the Newberry on July 25, the 40th anniversary of the first slam event at the Green Mill. Click the link to learn more about the collection and upcoming events: https://www.newberry.org/news/the-newberry-has-acquired-the-marc-kelly-smith-poetry-slam-collection

05/19/2026

Join us for a day-long set of America 250 activities on Saturday, June 6. Danielle Allen and Scott Stephenson will take a deep dive into the history, impact, and contemporary resonance of the Declaration of Independence in this hour-long conversation. The discussion will be followed by a book signing of Dr. Allen’s latest book, "Radical Duke." Dr. Allen recently authored an op-ed in the New York Times where she reflected on the Declaration and positive trends in civics education across the United States. Click the link to read her article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/opinion/civic-education-return.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.EJHw.ZjCZVBxa6qPD&smid=url-share

The day kicks off at 10am with a living history experience in Washington Square Park, directly across the street from the Newberry. The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Illinois and the Museum of the American Revolution will be coming together to display the Museum's hand-sewn replica of General George Washington's dining tent in the park.

About our speakers for this free public program (registration required):

Dr. Danielle Allen is a Professor of Political Philosophy, Public Policy, and Ethics at Harvard University as well as a distinguished author and mom.

Dr. R. Scott Stephenson is the President and CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution.

05/13/2026

Alex Lorenz is our Conservation Specialist and our unofficial bug guy. He monitors more than 100 traps systematically laid out across the Newberry as a part of Conservation's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) process. By monitoring consistently, we can identify when there are abnormal outbreaks of pests in specific areas of the library and take steps to protect the collection in response.