University of Pittsburgh Library System

Late playwright and Pittsburgh native son August Wilson is best known for his unprecedented American Century Cycle- ten plays that convey the Black experience in each decade of the 20th Century. Materials on display in this exhibit will rotate periodically to showcase the breadth of the August Wilson Archive.

Bebe Moore Campbell (1950-2006) was an award-winning author, journalist, teacher and playwright whose professional works reflect African-American experiences in the United States. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Campbell graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. Several of her fictional works appeared in New York Times bestseller lists. The papers document Bebe Moore Campbell's professional life with a specific focus on the creative and administrative process of publishing in the late 20th and early 21st century. This display includes drafts and revisions of her writings (including radio and magazine pieces), as well as correspondence, promotional activities, and documents related to her work as an advocate for mental healthcare.

Curated by Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement & Outreach Librarian

Whether you’re a professional chef or a college student subsisting on ramen, cooking is inescapable. The University of Pittsburgh Library System materials in this display provide insight into past culinary trends, allowing us to trace the evolution of the American dinner table throughout history. They reveal how the development of modern appliances changed cooking in profound ways, and they illustrate how America’s home cooks have adapted in the face of shortages and abundances alike. These materials provoke curiosity, delight, and disgust, prescribing recipes for dishes that have long since gone out of vogue – for better or worse. But most importantly, they capture the complex social, political, and cultural significance of cooking in our daily lives and in our society at large.

Curated by Eva Philips, Archives & Special Collections Assistant

Each year, Archives & Special Collections adds hundreds of rare books, newspapers, manuscripts, and audio and video recordings to its collections. Our staff of librarians and archivists use their expertise to identify materials for sale at bookstores and auction houses specializing in rare and special materials. They also develop and maintain relationships with a variety of people and organizations who may wish to donate materials, such as writers and artists, Pitt-affiliated clubs, and local community members.

We add to our collections in order to support Pitt and Pittsburgh communities in addition to a growing national and international community of researchers. New (to us) materials enhance existing collecting areas, such as local history or horror studies; fill collecting gaps, such as women in the history of science and medicine; and support emerging or popular areas of research.

The items on display were acquired since 2022.

Curated by Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement & Outreach Librarian; Rachel Lavenda, Rare Books Librarian; and Eva Philips, Archives & Special Collections Assistant

Explore the deep symbolism of animals in Chinese culture, from ancient beliefs to modern conservation efforts. Through prints, postage stamps, and art objects, this exhibition showcases how animals have been revered, protected, and symbolized throughout Chinese history.

Curated by Shuyang Shi, PhD student, Department of History, University of Pittsburgh and Runxiao Zhu, Head of the East Asian Library 

While it is common to differentiate artworks from archival materials and rare books, these categories don’t always do justice to the qualities, both visual and historical, of collections. What differentiates a museum’s collection from an archive’s? The question of which objects are given to museums, and which are given to the archive is an interesting, and in some ways, determinative one. To some, an object’s placement in the archive marks it as “not art”—or else, wouldn’t it be in a museum? In this display, we present several objects from the archives for you to consider. The quality of being “art” is a subjective one.

Curated by Caillie Williams Kracht, University of Pittsburgh History of Art and Architecture & Museum Studies Undergraduate, Archives & Special Collections Fall 2024 intern; Anaïs Grateau, Preservation Coordinator for Archives & Special Collections; and Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement and Outreach Librarian

The Horror Studies Collection at the University of Pittsburgh Library System is comprised of rare books, pulps, comics, and film and literary archives. Included is the George A. Romero Archival Collection, documenting the life and work of the independent filmmaker best known for Night of the Living Dead (1968). Materials on display in this exhibit will rotate periodically to showcase the breadth of the Horror Studies Collection.

Curated by Ben Rubin, Horror Studies Collection Coordinator

The Latin American Postcard Collection offers an extensive historical and visual record of 20th-century life and culture of Latin American countries as well as a perspective on the people who produced them and the cultural mores and attitudes of the time. This display highlights postcards from Cuba, Mexico, and Panama, specifically featuring imagery of the Panama Canal. A smaller selection of postcards from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and other Latin American countries is also included.

Curated by Martha E. Mantilla, Librarian for Latin American Studies and the Eduardo Lozano Collection

Modern cartography, or the science or art of making maps, emerged with the age of European maritime exploration that began with the Portuguese in the 14th and 15th centuries. Cartographers’ impressions of the Earth were deeply informed by information from ships’ captains of chartered waters, with assumed regions beyond those formally navigated often marked terra incognita on contemporaneous maps. In this exhibit, explore how maps reflect societal worldviews and political power. For example, Mercator's 1569 projection distorts landmasses, exaggerating polar regions and visually prioritizing Eurasia and North America over the Global South. The exhibit features maps from three historical atlases in the Darlington Memorial Collection: De zee-atlas ofte water-wereld (1668), The American Atlas (1776), and Cary’s New Universal Atlas (1808).

Curated by Dan Pennell, Curator for Slavic, European, and Eurasian Studies

Explore a selection of rare poetry books and magazines from Archives & Special Collections at the University of Pittsburgh Library System! This display includes work by Pittsburgh authors such as Toi Derricotte and Gerald Stern, classics such as Sappho and Beowolf, poetry anthologies, and experimental publications that challenge the book form and printed word.

Curated by Alexa Silverman, Archives & Special Collections Student Employee and Graduate Student in the School of Computing and Information Sciences, and Megan Massanelli, Archives & Special Collections Engagement & Outreach Librarian

Selections from the George A. Romero Archival Collection features props, publicity, and production materials from across the career of George A. Romero, an independent horror filmmaker best known for Night of the Living Dead. Materials document both some of his most famous films as well as unrealized projects. Materials from the Horror Scripts and Ephemera Collection, Joe Kane “Phantom of the Movies” Collection, and periodicals collection are also on display.

This exhibit highlights Japanese woodblock prints donated to the University of Pittsburgh Library System by the late Pitt Professors Mae and Richard “Dick” Smethurst. Beginning in 1956, Dick was stationed in Tokyo, Japan for four years as a U.S. Army intelligence officer. Mae joined him as a teacher at the American School. After moving back to the U.S., the Smethursts went to see Noh and Kabuki performances and collected prints whenever they visited Japan. Their collection includes 218 single-sheet prints and two sets of print books, Nōga Taikan (A Great Collection of Prints of Noh Plays), 5 volumes of 200 prints, and Kyōgen gojūban (Fifty Kyōgen Plays). In this exhibit, you will see prints depicting Noh and Kyōgen plays, Kabuki actors, women, and wartime scenes by artists Tsukioka Kōgyo, Matsuno Sōfū, Kōgyo's disciple, and Taniguchi Tōsen. Visit the gallery to see more prints collected by the couple whose generosity contributed to the Art of Noh digital collection and subsequent exhibits!

Curated by Hiroyuki N. Good, Japanese and Korean Studies Librarian

Thanks to the generous donation of Pitt alumni Barry and Elizabeth Rosensteel, this collection is now home to 300 Ukiyo-e woodblock prints. This exhibit presents a series of prints by famous Edo period artists such as Utagawa, Ichirakutei, Katsukawa, and Totoya depicting portraits of Kabuki actors (yakusha-e) and women (bijinga). It also includes a set of privately published prints (sumimono), which were popular among wealthy merchants.

Ukiyo-e is an art form that originated in Japan in the mid-17th century. As the Tokugawa Shogunate unified the nation and Edo (Tokyo) enjoyed stable development, the notion of "ukiyo = hedonistic lifestyle" began to spread among wealthy merchants. As a sign of acceptance of society and customs, the spread of this hedonistic ethos had a significant impact on Edo culture. Edo artists widely adopted ukiyo-e and its style. It became an important trend in image production, such as theater posters and portraits of popular actors or women. This exhibition will show the evolution of ukiyo-e with a focus on these early and rare prints, which have been recently added to the Barry Rosensteel Japanese Print Collection.

Curated by Hiroyuki Good, Japanese Studies Librarian.

This exhibit introduces woodblock prints by Tsukioka Kōgyo (1869-1927), who was an outstanding modern graphic artist of the Noh and Kyōgen theatres, found in our special collections. Noh and Kyōgen, originating in the fourteenth century, were associated with samurai culture. Users can explore Kōgyo's prints depicting different scenes from the same Noh plays by interacting with the digital wall.

“The copycats make money, but they’re not the ones making their own vistas,” Sam Rivers said in a 1999 interview. “I’m into making vistas.”

This exhibit chronologically documents some of the major moments in Samuel Carthorne Rivers' (1927-2011) life and career, using his own words and quotes from those who knew him best. These come from from interviews in a variety of sources documented in Rick Lopez's book The Sam Rivers Sessionography. Images from the Sam Rivers Archive at the University of Pittsburgh are also featured.

Curated by Kathryn Haines, Center for American Music

Celebrate August Wilson's (Apr 27, 1945-Oct 2, 2005) 80th birthday with this exhibit of archival documents & August Wilson Society (AWS) history! See intimate glimpses into Wilson's work that don't usually see the limelight: his poetry, drawings, & items he collected. See how his legacy is uplifted with the creation of the AWS, a multidisciplinary community of educators, visual and performing artists, students, theatre professionals & theatre lovers dedicated to commemorating Wilson's legacy.

Curated by Dr. Michelle Cruz, Board Member, and Lolita Horne, Former Board Member, of the August Wilson Society

The Archival Scholars Research Award (ASRA) is designed to facilitate undergraduate research utilizing the distinctive collections housed across the University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS). Mentored by an archivist or librarian and a faculty member, students are supported along their research journey. Students apply with a research question in mind and then see where the materials lead them--sometimes right to where the student hoped and other times to new questions and lines of inquiry.

Curated by Archival Scholars Research Award Winners for 2025

The Cathedral of Learning has captivated the Pitt community from its inception and has become a focal point of university and student activity. This exhibit highlights some of the building's milestones.

In this exhibit you will learn about selected Grimm Fairytales and how they reflect folkloric beliefs, as well as societal values. You will learn about the interconnection between fiber arts and oral storytelling. Special focus is given to how changes occur in iterations and repetitions of a story, estranging it from itself. The research process was accompanied by the production of original art—I created illustrations to reflect my research. The exhibit highlights holdings from A&SC along with my own work.