New Acquisitions for April 2013
Photograph of rock art in Panther Cave. MS 413 Zintgraff (Jim) Rock Art Collection. UTSA Libraries Special Collections.
Manuscript Collections:
New:
- MS 413 Zintgraff (Jim) Rock Art Collection, 6 boxes of photographs, negatives, slides, and transparencies taken by Jim Zintgraff of Native American rock art in the Lower Pecos region of Southwest Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico.
- MS 412 Caragonne (Alexander) papers, 7 linear feet of materials from this San Antonio-based architect who founded the firm Reyna/Caragonne Architects. Includes drawings, sketches, slides, a copy of his work Texas Rangers, and an unpublished manuscript on teaching architecture.
Additions:
- MS 404 National Association for Bilingual Education records, 22 boxes of NABE records from 1977-2009 containing correspondence, administrative files, legislative lobbying materials, audio-visual materials, and materials relating to the administration of its conferences.
- MS 405 Chapa (Francisco A.) Family papers, .1 linear foot consisting of copy of Ernest Marks naturalization certificate, 1856; two news clippings; and two bumper stickers used to demonstrate against destruction of the Rivas house.
Rare Books: 15 titles [April Title List]
Highlights
- La Cocinera de Todo el Mundo… (1843-44), published by Juan Nepomuceno del Valle in Puebla, Mexico (2 volumes bound as 1).
The vast majority of 19th century Mexican cookbooks were published in Mexico City. However, this title, issued just 12 years after the very first cookbook published in Mexico, shows that not all culinary publications emerged from the capital.
As was usual for this time period, La Cocinera de Todo el Mundo orients itself towards Europe, advertising its inclusion of the best recipes at the least cost from the cuisines of Spain, France, Italy, and England, as well as the recipes of Mexico. Among its hundreds of recipes is the ubiquitous mole poblano and more than two dozen variations of salsa. Chapters on carving and alcoholic drinks are also included, as well as a discussion of seasonal foods, organized month-by-month. Tomatoes are particularly recommended for January, while March is the time for garlic. This seasonal guide is especially interesting because the cookbook was published in Puebla, rather than Mexico City, suggesting that the recommendations may be specific to the geography and agriculture of its region of origin.
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month was formally recognized in 2006 and pays tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society. A listing of national exhibits and collections can be found on the Jewish American Heritage Month website.
On the local front, there are a variety of materials found within UTSA Special Collections that document Jewish life in San Antonio, including oral histories, photographic materials and manuscript collections.
Ben Adler, owner of Adler Food Market at 2002 Broadway, 1933, MS 359
Oral Histories:
The Institute of Texan Culture’s extensive oral history collection contains several interviews with Jewish Texans, including Tillye Hahn Adler. Ms. Adler was born in San Antonio in 1894 as the daughter of a Jewish immigrant who peddled goods on foot for years before opening San Antonio’s finest grocery and delicatessen. In the interview, Adler tells of her life in the food business. She married groceryman Benjamin Adler and the couple took over her parents’ business and continued catering to the most socially prominent San Antonio families of the early 1900s.
Exterior of Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas, circa 1877, MS 362
Photographs:
The 4 primary photograph collections include over a 150 images documenting Jews and Jewish life in Texas. Quite of a few of the images concern San Antonio’s Temple Beth-El, which was founded in 1874 and is one of the oldest synagogues in South Texas. The digital repository includes several images of the Temple, as well as portraits of 19th century temple presidents and rabbis from 1897-1976.
The Councillor newsletter cover, December 1955, MS 50
Manuscript Collections:
From collecting efforts that were part of Archives for Research on Women and Gender project in the 1990s, Special Collections maintains several manuscript collections that document Jewish women’s organizations, including:
- Bella Glasberg Papers regarding San Antonio Jewish women’s organizations, 1936-1972 - Bella Glasberg was an active member of several Jewish women’s organizations in San Antonio.
- National Council of Jewish Women, San Antonio Section, Records, 1907-2006 - dedicated in the spirit of Judaism to furthering human welfare in the Jewish and general communities on a local, national and international level.
- San Antonio Chapter of Hadassah Records, 1921-2011 - a non-profit Zionist organization supporting the improvement of health services in the Jewish homeland of Israel.
- Esther Vexler Papers, 1950-2008 - Esther Vexler did volunteer work with Jewish charities and was the first female president of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.
UTSA Special Collections recently received records that document the Institute of Texan Cultures’ Student Intern Research Project. Also known as Field Work Internship Program, the Student Intern Research Project was chaired by James C. McNutt, the Director of Research and Collections for the Institute of Texan Cultures. From 1983-1992, interns at the Institute worked on folklife projects that documented life among different cultural and ethnic groups in Texas. Each intern took summer fieldwork with the Institute of Texan Cultures to further cultural understanding of different traditions, ceremonies, and customs in Texas that inspired each intern to design an independent research proposal.
Carmela Rodriguez intern files, Amistad Sin Frontera mural in Del Rio, Texas, 1993
Carmela Rodriguez intern files, Untitled mural at Holly St. power plant, San Antonio, Texas, 1993
The research conducted by interns eventually became the basis for content in many of the Institute’s productions, publications, exhibits, educational activities and audiovisuals. For example, Tim Davis, Dan Gelo, and Michael Stone’s research aided the Institute of Texan Cultures’ reconstruction of a turn of the century adobe house on the Institute’s grounds. Other notable intern projects included field studies of Vietnamese refugees in Texas, Tejano and Conjunto music in South Texas, Hill Country dance halls, and Trinidadian culture in Houston.
Shari Powell intern files, Crider, Texas rodeo, 1984
Shari Powell intern files, Crider Cafe, Crider, Texas, 1984
The Student Intern Research Collection includes 11 linear feet of memoranda, personal and administrative correspondence, oral history recordings and transcripts, research files, research reports and photographic materials pertaining to independent student research conducted for the Institute of Texan Cultures from 1983-1992.
A finding aid for the collection is now available on line.
National Poetry Month
National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Highlighted below are a selection of our author and literary collections that feature original poetry.
Juggling Names poem, February 4, 1980, Naomi Shihab Nye Papers, MS 159
Nye has has published writings for children, the young adult novel Habibi and several collections of original poetry, including Different Ways to Pray, 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, A Maze Me: Poems for Girls (originally titled Sweet Sifter in Time) and Honeybee. Some of her poetry compilations include I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You: Paired Poems by Men & Women, The Tree is Older Than You Are, and Is This Forever, Or What?: Poems & Paintings from Texas.
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Draft of “Working the Stone” page 13 with edits, Bryce Milligan Papers, MS 169
Milligan is the author of five collections of poetry: Daysleepers & Other Poems , Litany Sung at Hell’s Gate , From Inside the Tree , Working the Stone ), Alms for Oblivion andLost and Certain of It ). Milligan is also the author of four historical novels and short story collections for young adults, including With the Wind, Kevin Dolan , which received the Texas Library Association’s “Lone Star Book for Young Adults” award.
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“Valentine’s Day” with edits, Bárbara Renaud González Papers, MS 321
Bárbara Renaud González is a free-lance writer, journalist and activist. Her book, Golondrina, Why Did You Leave Me? was published in 2009 making her the first Chicana author to be published by UT Press. Since 1997, González has focused on her writing, which includes journalism, essays, investigative articles, opinions, poetry and fiction.
San Antonio GLBTQ Publications: A Portal to the City’s Queer Past, Now Available Online
As interest in queer history grows, the need to provide broad access to GLBTQ publications has intensified efforts to digitize queer materials. Last year, UTSA Libraries Special Collections began ongoing digitization of queer periodicals housed in its repository as well as those held by the Happy Foundation Archives. You can now begin exploring San Antonio’s queer past through the city’s GLBTQ serials at UTSA Libraries Digital Collections. This post highlights a few of the featured periodicals.
The Calendar, May 21 1982
Published beginning in 1982, the Calendar served as the communication conduit for the San Antonio Gay Alliance (SAGA), established by Michael Stevens, former UTSA professor turned gay activist. The publication began its six-year run as a diminutive bi-weekly periodical that fit easily into the back pocket on pair of jeans. That came in handy as the Calendar’s “Community Directory” listed local queer businesses and organizations and advertisements for gay and lesbian bars pointed the way to the city’s thriving queer social scene. Short articles and editorials covered news and events of interest to gays and lesbians. As the 80s marched on and AIDS gripped San Antonio’s LGBTQ community, the disease, its casualties, and attempts to mitigate the destruction it wreaked, dominated the pages of the Calendar. Sadly, AIDS decimated SAGA’s board, taking the lives of eight board members including Stevens and ending publication of the Calendar. [1]
Between the years of 1988 and 1991, several queer pubs were available in local bars, clubs, and businesses: Bar Talk (San Antonio Tavern Guild), River City Empty Closet, and Out in San Antonio were born to keep San Antonio’s queer community informed and entertained. Most were short-lived, sometimes lasting only a few months.
The Marquise, July 1995
In 1992 The Marquise cranked out its first volume and began connecting San Antonio’s queer residents to the rest of the LGBTQ world. The publication covered news stories from coast to coast and often featured headlines from abroad in its “International News Roundup.” Local happenings were reported by Gene Elder, contributing writer and Archivist at the Happy Foundation Archives. The Marquise tackled issues important to the city’s LGBTQ community: gay marriage, lesbians and gays in the military, hate crimes, queer parenting, AIDS, and anti-gay legislation. While the Marquise did carry advertisements for local gay and lesbian bars, activism and serious news stories supplanted tales of drag divas and bar features so popular in local publications during the 1980s.
The Marquise ceased publishing in 1997 and once again, local queer serials came in fits and spurts, a trend that continued through the early 2000s. One of the periodicals briefly seen on shelves around the city was San Antonio Community News. It’s approach was local and regional, showcasing news and events around San Antonio and throughout Texas.
San Antonio Community News, December 1999
While UTSA’s Digital GLBTQ Publications collection features primarily San Antonio periodicals, issues of queer serials from elsewhere are also represented. Several issues of One magazine, the nation’s first homosexual publication, are housed at the Happy Foundation Archives and are part of the UTSA’s Digital collection.
One, July 1955
Ongoing digitization of GLBTQ materials will facilitate wider access to these collections than has previously been available. Donations of records and papers from local and regional LGBTQ organizations and individuals, such as Lollie Johnson, the Rainbow Garden Club, San Antonio Lesbian Gay Assembly, and the Texas Lesbian Conference, augment UTSA Special Collections digital holdings of LGBTQ publications and offer research opportunities for scholars, students, and members of the community.
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[1] Toby Johnson, “Michael Steve[n]s & Patrick Kerr and San Antonio’s Gay Community in the early 1980s” [http://tobyjohnson.com/michaelstevens.html], accessed April 17, 2013.
[2] One: the Homosexual Magazine, Volume III, No. 7 (July 1995), 2.
New Acquisitions for March 2013
Farm Homes In-Doors and Out-Doors (1882) by E. H. Leland. UTSA Libraries Special Collections.
Manuscript Collections:
New:
- MS 409 Petri (Lucie) papers, .5 linear feet of scrapbooks containing photographs, WOSL materials, and newsclippings
- MS 408 Rogers (Charles) photograph collection, 4 inches of photographic prints and slides
- MS 407 Duggan (Margaret) papers, 1 box of WOSL materials, photographs, and newsclippings
Additions:
- MS 108 National Coalition of 100 Black Women San Antonio Chapter records, 1 box of Reports, programs and administrative records; 4.38 GB (65 files) electronic records
- MS 022 Women’s Overseas Service League records, 1 envelope of materials from the Omaha Unit
- MS 127 HemisFair Memorabilia and Memories Collection, 3 inches of photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera from HemisFair ’68 donated by Ann Nelson
University Archives:
Additions:
- UA 07. UTSA. College of Business Records, 1 box of minutes and agendas of the University Assembly; Council on Graduate Education Minutes; 1991 graduation list.
Rare Books: 11 titles [March Title List]
Highlights
UTSA Special Collections holds several dozen books of houseplans documenting home design from about 1880 to 1945, with the bulk of materials from 1900-1930. Many of these later materials are actual catalogs, from which readers could order blueprints and even ready-packaged building materials, but as illustrated by two of this month’s acquisitions, architect-authors in the 1880s still placed a great deal of emphasis on personally consulting and architect to make specific plans to fit clients’ needs.
- Cottages : or hints on economical building, containing twenty-four plates of medium and low cost houses, contributed by different New York architects (1884), compiled and edited by Arnold William Brunner.
- Farm homes : in-doors and out-doors (1882) by E.H. Leland.
Arnold Brunner draws a medical comparison in the first chapter of Cottages, writing, “It is by no means claimed that the drawings here given are sufficient for constructing the houses…Sensible people, when they are ill, consult a physician and not an apothecary; and when they wish to plan a house, they take the advice of an architect and not a builder”(8) Although he emphasizes economy, Brunner is clearly writing for a wealthy class of Americans who can afford “country houses,” and desire libraries, billiard rooms, and indoor plumbing. Despite saying that it is for homeowners “to say what they want; and how it is to be done, is the architect’s province”(9) Brunner provides a quite of bit of information in a small space on both large decisions such as selecting a site and building material, and small considerations such as the proper way to hang a door and the proper dimensions of certain pipes necessary for indoor toilets. The many pages of advertisements for books on architecture, drainage, and interior design, which might suggest that Cottages‘ target audience might have included provincial architects as well as their clients.
Writing two years earlier, E.H. Leland doesn’t even include drawings of house layouts or exterior prospects. Farm Homes, in fact, is less a book about designing farm houses than about establishing an ideally arranged and managed farm household, with chapters on interior furnishings, the butter and cheese making, flower and vegetable gardens, and even one on the “Rearing and Training of Children.” Like Brunner, Leland clearly expects his readers to consult an architect, or at least a carpenter, but he also strongly encourages householders, and especially women, to involve themselves in the design, saying that women, “they, who live so constantly within doors, should have a controlling voice in all interior arrangements” because “they will be naturally more thoughtful…of all details pertaining to comfort, and the easier carrying on of household routine…the one best place for the pantry-window, or the extra door that saves so many steps for tired feet”(12).
Next week we observe the 65th anniversary of the Fiesta Flambeau Parade as an annual event during Fiesta San Antonio. Over 700,000 spectators are expected to watch the floats, marching units, horseback riders, and musical groups pass along the downtown streets.
In early 1948, the Fiesta Association announced that a new parade would be added to the list of Fiesta events. The addition was made in response to numerous requests from people who remembered the popular illuminated automobile parades held during Fiesta in 1911 and 1924. Reynolds Andricks, parade chairman, found participants among various civic and social organizations, commercial establishments, and the military. The parade would be called simply “Illuminated Night Parade” and serve as the Fiesta grand finale. Over 100,000 spectators came that evening, insuring that it would be held again the following year. With a growing list of participants, the Fiesta Association announced in 1951 that the night parade would have a new name: Fiesta Flambeau.
These photographs are from The San Antonio Light Photograph Collection (MS 359). They were taken on April 24, 1948 by Light staff photographer Robert Jean Osborne. Special Collections also houses the San Antonio Light staff photographs of Fiesta Flambeau each subsequent year through 1992.
ROTC cadets carry torch sparklers to light the way for marchers. (MS 359: L-3560-B-1)
Joske’s of Texas float featuring a helicopter pilot roping a Texas steer. (MS 359: L-3560-C-1)
Decorated convertibles going west on E. Houston Street. (MS 359: L-3560-D-3)
Painting and Decorating Contractors of America float. (MS 359: L-3560-C-3)
Ferd Staffel Feed Company float. (MS 359: L-3560-C-5)
Army and Air Force float with costumed soldiers representing the fighting men of 1776, 1836, and 1948. (MS 359: L-3560-C-6)
Boysville entry with a miniature storm-tossed galleon. (MS 359: L-3560-C-4)
