By Adrienne Rusinko
May winds the semester down, but the stickers are sticking around! A limited run of stickers are now available at Special Collections Firestone, Special Collections Mudd, and the Princeton University Library (PUL) Makerspace.
神風倭国功 / 十返舎一九著 ; 歌川貞房画, PL797 .J56 1829, East Asian Library Rare Books
When placed side-by-side, the covers of the two volumes of 神風倭国功 (Divine Wind of Wakoku) connect to show a curious creature resting on someone’s kimono. Minjie Chen, Metadata Librarian for Cotsen Children’s Library’s non-Roman collections, and Nao Satake, Japanese Metadata Assistant for Cotsen Children’s Library, suggested this creature could be a hakutaku, the Japanese name for the Chinese bai ze, or a kirin, similar to China’s qilin.
The hakutaku is an auspicious yokai (supernatural creature) that is said to bring good luck. The most well-known account of the hakutaku is its visit to Huangdi, China’s legendary Yellow Emperor, where it explained the 11,520 types of yokai and how to deal with them.
Kirin, often described as a combination of a deer’s body, an ox’s tail, and the head and/or scales of a dragon, are most often associated with nobility, specifically with leaders who are wise and virtuous, only appearing during times of peace.
Book of Hours (Use of Rome) with Inclusion of Primer, 46825 ManuscriptsQ, Cotsen Children’s Library
This fly was pulled from one of several hundred illuminated border designs within a book of hours created in Bourges, France, in the 1490s. A book of hours was a Christian prayer book used to pray the canonical hours, the set times for specific prayers. The manuscript was created for a member of the Ferrière de Presle family, likely Jean I de Ferrières (d. 1497), Seigneur de Presle.
What is most unique about this book of hours is the inclusion of a primer, an early form of textbook, indicating that this text was intended for both adults and their children.
Les Interets de L’Angleterre, Mal Entendus Dans La Guerre Presente / l’Abbé Du Bos, Lapidus 5.22, Rare Books
While the title of this 1704 book translates to “England’s Interests Mistaken in the Present War,” it is, in fact, an original text written in French by abbé Jean-Baptiste Dubos. The armillary sphere, an early astronomical device used to model the sky, is the headpiece of the title page.
Laelio-Cattleya, Callistoglossa Excelsa, 2006.02217, Graphic Arts
The Victorians’ love for flowers is well known, but orchids were so beloved that terms like orchidelirium and orchidomania were used to describe the obsession with them. Artist James Laird MacFarlane found his niche taking commissions from wealthy orchid growers and collectors, amassing a portfolio of various species.
This Callistoglossa Excelsa orchid was painted in 1901 by, and is one in a series of his 180 orchid illustrations in the Graphic Arts Collection. This specific variety of orchid hybrid was registered with the Royal Horticultural Society by Veitch Nurseries in 1882.
Class of 1927 Bric-A-Brac, ca. 1926, Princeton University Publications Collection (AC364), Princeton University Archives
Pulled from the Class of 1927 Bric-A-Brac, the University’s activities yearbook first published by the Class of 1875, this art deco illustration is the title page for the drama clubs, which were comprised of the Triangle Club and the Theatre Intime.
The Triangle Club produced an original musical comedy, “The Scarlet Coat,” in 1925, which was touted as “one of the best productions that the Triangle Club has staged since the War.” They toured the show in 15 cities, including Trenton, Boston, New York, Louisville, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
The Theatre Intime put on at least 12 productions that year, both original works from people connected to the University and published works. Two German editions of Shakespeare, Romeo and Julietta and Fratricide Punished (Hamlet), were lauded as the most outstanding of the season.
Digitized copies of all Princeton University yearbooks, excluding those published within the past 5 years, are available through the University Archives.
Decalcomania is a limited monthly release of stickers made available at Special Collections Firestone, Special Collections Mudd, and the PUL Makerspace. All images are selected from materials held by Special Collections. Check out the Special Collections website for information about visiting our reading rooms.
Did we run out of your favorite sticker? Do you want to make your own? Head over to the PUL Makerspace! Design your own or reprint a Decalcomania sticker using the cutting machines. Digital images of some of the materials in Special Collections can be found in the catalog and finding aids. Our blogs and Digital PUL have collection highlights.
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