Welcome to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library blog! As the special collections and archives library at the University of Kansas, Spencer is home to remarkable and diverse collections of rare and unique items. Explore the blog to learn about the work we do and the materials we collect.
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Good luck on finals next week, Jayhawks!
Caitlin Klepper
Head of Public Services
Dog owners love their dogs. This was as true one hundred years ago as it is today. Below are some portraits from the Joseph J. Pennell Collection that feature human subjects who have chosen to include their dog – or dogs – in their photo portrait. If you pay close attention to things like body positions and facial expressions, you will see how these human subjects feel about their pets.
From the 1890s to the 1920s, Joseph J. Pennell photographed life in Junction City, Kansas, and the nearby Army base, Fort Riley. The strength of the collection, in my opinion, is that Pennell wasn’t content to just stay in his studio, taking portrait photography. He went out into the community to photograph its people, businesses, activities, groups, and families. And Pennell was inclusive of community members from diverse groups, revealing a fuller and richer story of Junction City. Because of his work, we are provided with a comprehensive view of life in a moderately-sized Midwestern army-post town on the Great Plains from the 1890s to the early 1920s.
Please enjoy this sample from the collection, and visit Kenneth Spencer Research Library’s website to see more.
Kathy Lafferty
Public Services
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Happy National Pet Day!
A KU student with her dog, 1911. This photo was taken the same year as the Lawrence tornado
featured on the blog earlier this week. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 71/0 1911 Negatives:
Student Activities (Photos). Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
Did you know that KU’s first mascot was a bulldog? For awhile, the Jayhawk and the Bulldog were both used as mascots. In November 1958, the Jayhawk became KU’s official, and lone, mascot.
The KU baseball team with the university’s bulldog mascot, 1903. University Archives Photos.
Call Number: RG 66/12 1903 Prints: Athletic Department: Baseball (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
You can see our previous “Dog Days of Summer” blog post from 2015.
Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services
Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!
National Dog Day is this Saturday, but you can celebrate a little early with this week’s photograph.
Boris, former mascot of KU’s Marching Band, 1968.
University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 22/1/m 1968 Prints:
Fine Arts: University Bands: Marching Band (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
Want more cute pictures of KU-affiliated dogs? Check out last year’s photograph of James Naismith with two adorable puppies.
Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services