Poetry Month # 7: May Swenson’s “The Totem”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

Poetry Month #8: Philip Lamantia’s “Voice”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem.  Arion Press, 1981.

Behind the Scenes: Preservation at the SFPL

In celebration of National Preservation Week we invited Vanessa Hardy to write about her work in the library's Preservation Department. For several years she has been devoted to improving the condition of our materials, thus extending the life of the books, periodicals, and ephemera that our readers need for their research. Vanessa's focus is the conservation of the library's special collections: the Grabhorn Collection on the History of Printing & the Development of the Book, the Harrison Collection of Calligraphy & Lettering, the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, the Little Maga/Zine Collection, and the collections of the San Francisco History Center. Today we take you "Behind the Scenes" with Vanessa as she describes the conservation process for some of our French wit and humor books.

Calembourgs de Madame Angot (1800)
Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, SFPL

Among the items I have been working on recently, I have particularly enjoyed some little French books from the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor. They have mostly been in wrappers, dating from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, so they are quite fragile.

 

Calembourgs de Madame Angot (1800)
Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, SFPL



Sometimes the sewing is just a single stitch. I suppose they were issued this way by the publishers because they would either be read and tossed, or securely bound into a collection of similar works for long-term keeping.



This work was at one stage bound with other pamphlets.

You can see the remains of the sewing tapes.

And the curve of the spine echoes
the rounded back of the volume
from which this work was once a part.



Images: Michel Mourgues. Recüeil d'Apophtegmes [1694?]

Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, SFPL

Given the ephemeral nature of these items we are lucky to have so many in the original state. At the same time, they present quite a conservation challenge. Ideally, we would keep them as they are, despite the inadequate sewing and binding, because they speak so much of their time. Practically, if a patron handles them in their current state, they will be further damaged, perhaps irreparably.


 

We decide to compromise. Often the most fragile area is the spine of the wrapper, which tends to crack off. 

Images: Poggio Bracciolini. Les Facéties de Pogge (1878)
Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Hunor, SFPL

 



The torn spine and back cover of this book
have been removed in preparation for conservation.

Images: Maurice Sailland. Le Bonheur du Jour (1938)
Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, SFPL

The spine of the wrapper has been consolidated
onto Japanese tissue, and tissue has been laid
down on the spine of the book to strengthen it
 and support the sewing.









Then I hinge the consolidated wrapper back over the spine, attaching it at the joints, but leaving the wrapper free to flex as the book is opened. Some dry cleaning and paper repair, if necessary, then a card sling to protect the book in its envelope, and the work is done.



The wrapper's spine has been reattached
and it now flexes as the book is opened
to prevent further cracking or flaking.



The tissue attaching the wrapper

 has been dyed to match.



The card sling supports the book
when it is inserted into the envelope.
All conservation materials are acid-free.

Épigrammes Françaises [1911?]
Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor, SFPL 



Behind the Scenes is an occasional series of blog posts featuring the work of the San Francisco Public Library staff.



Poetry Month #6: Man Ray’s “Sound Poem”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

Preservation Week Clinic

The San Francisco Public Library Preservation Department, Magazine & Newspapers Center, and the Marjorie G. & Carl W. Stern Book Arts & Special Collections Center in association with the American Library Association, will present a  

Preservation Week Clinic this coming Saturday, April 28th from 1-3 PM! 

Cracked spines, dirty pages, loose hinges, dog ears?  Bring a damaged book for evaluation and possible treatment - and learn how to do your own repairs!   

 This Old Book : Simple repairs you can do at home -

will be a two-hour clinic held in the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room A, 

Main Library, Lower Level on Saturday, April 28th from 1-3 PM.  

We are also celebrating Preservation Week with hands-on digital scanning demonstrations that will help you learn how to capture and protect your own family history!  If you have old photographs, negatives, slides or clippings, bring your keepsakes to the library and we will assist you in preserving the past with our high resolution digital scanners!

This New Scanner : Digitally preserve your family heirlooms -

will be a two-hour clinic held in the Magazines & Newspapers Center, Microfilm Room,

Main Library, 5th Floor on Saturday, April 28th from 1-3 PM. 

Celebrate Preservation Week: Pass It On: Saving Heritage and Memories

This Old Book & This New Scanner, Saturday, 1-3pm

Cracked spines, dirty pages, loose hinges, dog ears? 

Bring a damaged book for evaluation and possible treatment and learn to do your own repairs.  

Old photos, negatives, slides or clippings? 

Bring a family keepsake and preserve it for always with our high resolution digital scanner.

Enjoy the opportunity to consult with SFPL’s very own experts and celebrate Preservation Week too: Pass It On: Saving Heritage and Memories, sponsored by the American Library Association.

Poetry Month #5: Gertrude Stein’s “A Rose Is A Rose”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

It Came From the (Photo) Morgue: Dick Clark

In honor of Dick Clark - we went to the Photo Morgue.

Dick Clark on of the American Bandstand, August 1957

Copy on the back: Exclusive to you in your city. Dick Clark emcees "American Bandstand," new five-a-week series starting on the ABC-TV Network Monday, August 5 (3-4:30 PM , EDT). It features interviews with recording stars, guest performers, audience participation and dance contests. (photo courtesy of ABC Television Network Photo Division)

Dick Clark, actor,  June 13, 1958

Dick Clark with McGuire Sisters & Johnny Mathis, June 1959

 

Images and captions from the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue are courtesy of the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, San Francisco Public Library. 

[Box P136, Folder: Clark, Dick (TV)]
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The San Francisco Public Library owns the photo morgue of the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, a daily newspaper that covered the time period from the 1920s to 1965. Much of the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection comes from the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue. However, the morgue also includes statewide, national, and international subjects and people that have not been digitized or cataloged. When researchers order scans from the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue,selections are cataloged and added to the online database.

Looking for a historical photograph of San Francisco? Try our online database first. Not there? Come visit us at the Photo Desk of the San Francisco History Center, located on the sixth floor at the Main Library. The Photo Desk hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. You may also request photographs from the San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue.

Poetry Month #4: Guillaume Apollinaire’s “Necktie”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

The Poetry of Provenance, or, Where Did That Clipping Come From?

Remember  Miss Rhoda Thomson, the "Girl Star Gumshoer" featured in one of the newspaper clips posted last month from an as-yet-to-be-revealed SFPD scrapbook source?

Well, I think she offers an object lesson in how archives convey meaning through context. The woman and the clipping are interesting in and of themselves, but they get even more interesting as we broaden the frame of reference until we see the set of San Francisco Police Department scrapbooks in which this clipping appears.

San Francisco Police Department scrapbooks

The scrapbooks pictured here (despite the labels, they're not invoices) are from a set of eight surviving out of at least fourteen volumes kept by artist, photographer, criminal investigator, and handwriting expert Theodore Kytka from 1897 through 1917. Here he is in his San Francisco laboratory, amidst his special photography equipment and blown-up handwriting documents. You can see what are probably the scrapbooks in the background:

Theodore Kytka in his laboratory

Why are these scrapbooks here with the San Francisco Police Department archives? Because chief among Kytka's many clients worldwide was the SFPD. Kytka was appointed a special police officer in the Detective Department in 1909 (see the Municipal Record v. 2 1909, pg. 467). He worked as an investigator and expert witness in many high-profile San Francisco cases, including the Black Hand extortion rackets.

Theodore Kytka Scrapbook / Black Hand

Theodore Kytka Scrapbook

Kytka's professional life was eclectic, and his scrapbooks reflect that. He immigrated to the US from Vienna in 1887, arriving in San Francisco from the Midwest in the early 1890s. Beginning as an artist and photographer, he set up a studio and worked for local newspapers such as the San Francisco Chronicle, The Wasp, and City Argus. On the page pictured at right, you can see letters of reference from former employers in Chicago and St. Louis, along with a portrait photograph from 1890.

His shift towards criminal investigation began sometime in the late 1890s, close to when the surviving scrapbooks begin. They span almost his entire career as an investigator and handwriting expert, including the years he spent with the SFPD. He developed giant cameras like the one shown in the photograph above, as well as determining a method for transferring fingerprints from one object to another. Since he often found himself in life-threatening investigative situations, he was a crack pistol shot; his target practice sheets are interspersed throughout the scrapbooks. Here's one from 1914:

Theodore Kytka's target practice sheet, 1914

 He also raised wild ducks in his backyard at home on Union Street.

Theodore Kytka Scrapbook

According to his obituary in the Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology v. 10 no. 2 (which you can find from home on JSTOR on the library's website by using your library card), Kytka died in 1919, two years after his surviving scrapbooks leave off.

The Theodore Kytka Scrapbooks are part of the San Francisco Police Department Records (SFH 61). Because the collection is still being processed, some volumes are not yet available for public use. Please contact the San Francisco History Center with questions at 415-557-4567.

Theodore Kytka Scrapbook

Theodore Kytka Scrapbook

All images are from the Theodore Kytka Scrapbooks in the San Francisco Police Department Records (SFH 61), courtesy of the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Poetry Month #3: Lewis Carroll’s “The Mouse’s Tail”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

Spring Means Baseball and April Means Poetry

In honor of Opening Day and Poetry Month enjoy Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Baseball Canto.

Baseball Canto by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, illustrated by Mark Ulriksen.

You can read more about "A Day In The Bleachers" and other great baseball books at last year's post:

"Let's Go Giants!" 

Poetry Month #2: Robert Angot’s “Lute”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.

Poetry Month #1: Guillaume Apollinaire’s “Il Pleut”

To celebrate Poetry Month we are offering a sampling of concrete poems from Arion Press’s Shaped Poetry, edited by Glenn Todd with a companion volume by Glenn Todd and Andrew Hoyem. Arion Press, 1981.