Archives
Exhibit on Founding Faculty
The Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special
Collections Department is currently hosting an exhibit that pays
tribute to several founding faculty. Entitled "A Look Back at
Founding Faculty," the exhibit examines the lives and works of
three faculty members who were integral to the University’s
development: David Berkowitz (History/Political Science), Milton
Hindus (English) and Ludwig Lewisohn (Comparative Literature).
Typical of the original group of 13 faculty, Berkowitz, Hindus,
and Lewisohn left behind established careers to test their mettle
at a brand-new, unaccredited university. Although a risky venture -
particularly for the younger scholars, Berkowitz and Hindus - the
move to Brandeis offered these men a unique opportunity to combine
their interests in the traditional Humanities with the newer
discipline of Judaic Studies. All three were fascinated by the
study of Jewish history, life, and culture. As interdisciplinary
scholars, they were encouraged to pursue their polymathic interests
in an experimental environment.
Drawing from the men’s personal papers, which are housed
in the University Archives, the exhibit comprises photographs,
correspondence, draft and final publications, notes, and publicity
materials that shed light on the scholars’ academic,
administrative, and avocational pursuits. Highlights include:
correspondence from e.e. cummings and William Carlos Williams (to
Hindus) and from Thomas Mann and Chaim Weitzmann (to Lewisohn), as
well as materials related to Berkowitz’s work with the former
Brandeis Bibliophiles, a group committed to expanding and promoting
Special Collections within the Brandeis University Libraries.
The exhibit is located on Level 2 of the Goldfarb Library and is
open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact the University Archivist at
x64701.
- Karen
Adler Abramson, University Archivist
In Memoriam
Frank E. Manuel (1910-2003)
Manuel, a longtime member of the Brandeis faculty (History,
1949-65; 1977-86), was among the most respected European
intellectual historians of the twentieth century. Known primarily
for his scholarship on utopias of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, Manuel wrote (with his wife, Fritzie P.) the
award-winning work, Utopian Thought in the Western World
(1979). Upon his retirement from Brandeis in 1986, Manuel became
Professor Emeritus, a title he retained until his death earlier
this year.
New Research Collections
What do Albert Einstein and former professor, Leo Bronstein,
have in common? Both have collections of personal papers that are
now available for research in the Robert D. Farber University
Archives & Special Collections Department.
Albert Einstein Papers
This rich collection of personal and professional correspondence
(1896-1952) was donated to Brandeis University by Einstein's
stepson, Rudolph Kayser, who taught German Language and Literature
at Brandeis in the 1950s. Much of the correspondence is with the
American Jewish leader, Stephen Wise. Other correspondents include
prominent scientists such as Fritz Haber, Paul Habicht, Hendrik
Lorentz, Max Planck and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. The letters
are written in German and English, and most contain original
signatures.
For more information on the collection, consult the online
finding aid at:
http://library.brandeis.edu/specialcollections/
FindingGuides/special/xml/einstein.xml or contact the Special
Collections Librarian at 781-736-4697.
Leo Bronstein Papers
A former Professor of Fine Arts and Near Eastern Civilization at
Brandeis, Leo Bronstein (1902-1976) arrived at the university in
1952 after spending twenty years at the Iranian Institute of Art
and Archaeology in New York. A scholar of Near Eastern and Asian
art and culture who spoke nine languages, Bronstein was known for
his passionate teaching style. After his final lecture in the
spring of 1967, his students gave him a surprise farewell party.
The celebration has continued ever since, and is now known as
Bronstein Weekend.
Bronstein’s papers (1926-2000) include teaching notes and
research materials, personal and professional correspondence,
published and unpublished writings, memorabilia, photographs,
artwork for plates, and memorial events. Of note is
Bronstein’s correspondence with Richard Ettinghausen, among
the worlds’ former leading scholars in Islamic art, and
materials related to Bronstein’s various publications,
including Five Variations on the Theme of Japanese Painting
(1959) and the posthumously published Kabbalah and Art
(1979).
For more information on the collection, please contact the
University Archivist at 781-736-4701.
- Steven
Butzel, Archives Assistant, and
Karen Adler Abramson,
University Archivist
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