I’m sure many of you have already seen last week’s post by my colleague Norie Guthrie in our What’s in Woodson blog, but if you haven’t this link will get you there. It’s about a collection of American Civil War pictures that was ably put in good order by our student archivist, young Trevor Egerton. Unsurprisingly, many of these photographs are quite disturbing, terrible and grisly depictions of the human consequences of all-out war.

Which is why I feel bad that this letter from the then head of the Woodson, Nancy Parker (Boothe) to Alice Pratt Brown, the donor of the collection, made me giggle. The image of Frank Vandiver, full of delight, showing them off to visitors was just too much for me:

Bonus: I’m sitting at the airport waiting to go to New York. I have a pretty packed schedule the next couple of days but a very interesting one, with visits to both Cooper Union and Yeshiva University. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post again but with luck when I’m back I’ll have something good.