Category Archives: 19th century

How a Civil War Farmer’s Letters Changed My View of Independence Day

I’ve been an archivist at the American Heritage Center for almost 25 years, and I thought I knew our collections pretty well. But as I was searching for the perfect topic for this year’s Independence Day blog post, I found … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, American history, Civil War, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Murder, Memory, and Victorian Gender: The Florence Maybrick Case

“Deep in the heart of the American Heritage Center lies a small but rich series of archival puzzle pieces that tell the story of Mrs. Florence Maybrick, the American lady found guilty of murdering her husband in 1889 Victorian England.” … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Student projects, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Laboratory-War Zone: Natural Knowledge and Frontier Violence in the American West

The “Skull of [a] Medicine Man” sits among 728 photographs in William Henry Jackson’s Descriptive Catalogue of the United States Geological Survey of the Territories produced between 1869 and 1873. This seemingly unremarkable catalog listing obscures a disturbing reality – … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, American history, American Indian history, Anthropology, Colonialism, Photography, Racism, Uncategorized, Western history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prints Profoundly Proper: Unveiling the Works of George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank (1792-1878) was an English caricaturist known for creating political satire pieces and famous illustrations for notable authors like Charles Dickens. While taking printmaking classes, I came across his name multiple times. This piqued my interest to learn more … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Artists, Authors and literature, Book history, Interns' projects, Toppan Rare Books Library, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How the Library of a 19th Century Club for Elites Ended Up at the University of Wyoming

In the Toppan Rare Books Library, there are several sub-collections of books. These sub-collections reflect where the Rare Books Library acquired the books, whether it was by donation, a transfer from a different part of the University of Wyoming, or … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Authors and literature, Book history, Toppan Rare Books Library, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Room at the Inn: Owen Wister Encounters Wyoming, July – August 1885

In July 1885, Owen Wister visited Medicine Bow in Wyoming Territory as part of his tour of the region, only to discover there were no rooms available in town to sleep. Instead of moving on when he arrived on July … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Book history, Uncategorized, Western fiction, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Loving Frank: Romance on the Transcontinental Railroad

It might surprise you to find romance amid the story of the back-breaking and dangerous labor involved in building the transcontinental railroad. But we have one for you. We’re commemorating the anniversary of the joining of the Central Pacific and … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Biography and profiles, Railroad History, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The End of the Line for George Parrott

George Francis Warden, aka “George Parrott” and “Big Nose George,” was an outlaw in Wyoming and Montana in the late 1800s. Although he wasn’t a very successful bandit, he became famous in Wild West history due to how his outlaw … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Crime, outlaws, Outlaws--West (U.S.), Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preserving History, One Negative at A Time

The American Heritage Center is home to nearly 90,000 cubic feet of historically significant collection material, representing centuries of cultural heritage within a wide range of subject matter. Whether it be a paper document, work of art, three-dimensional artifact, analog … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, American Heritage Center, Archival preservation, behind the scenes, Digitization techniques, Historical Preservation, Photographic collections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Margaret Bryan: A Scientist Ahead of Her Time

April 23rd, World Book Day, is an ideal opportunity to showcase one of the AHC Toppan Rare Books Library’s books. Lectures on Natural Philosophy by Margaret Bryan is but one sample of the many rare books the AHC has to … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Authors and literature, Science, Toppan Rare Books Library, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment