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The Ohio Medical College: Collotype, Chromolitho, or Hand-colored Silver Gelatin

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Old Print, Medical College of Ohio, c. 1852

Huh?

A researcher recently asked if we had any images of the first building to house the Medical College of Ohio. Turns out we do not. Or if we do, we’re not sure where to find them. That said, we did find a beautiful image of the Medical College when it was on Sixth Street near Vine in downtown Cincinnati.

Daniel Drake founded the Medical College of Ohio in 1819 in Cincinnati and it has the distinction of being the oldest medical college west of the Allegheny Mountains. In addition, it is the second-oldest public college of medicine in the United States. The first classes at the college were held above a pharmacy reportedly owned by Drake himself. Drake left the school in 1823 and a series of different locations for the college followed.

In 1852, the college built on property it had purchased on Sixth Street and it would stay at this new address for the next forty-four years. As many already know, the Medical College of Ohio eventually became, along with the Miami Medical College, the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

So that ‘s the very brief story of the school depicted in the photograph, but what about the image itself. At least for us at the Winkler Center it is rare to come across a photograph this old with so much color. Unfortunately the image is in a very nice frame along with two other images pertaining to Drake. Since we are unaware of the item’s provenance we are reluctant to remove the images from the frame. If we could, it would be easy to see what kind of image specifically it is.

As the Archivist/Curator here, I am by no means an expert on photographic processes of the 19th century, so I consulted with some friends who are.  The answers I have been given are:

A) If the photo is post-1880s, it could be a hand-colored silver gelatin print. Under a microscope I would see no paper fibers in the photo. For more info on silver gelatin prints see http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=337.

If it was done prior to 1880, say during the 1870s, it could be a printing process that was hand colored.  Under magnification perhaps we would see the worm like pattern of the collotype print. http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=168? Or maybe a letterpress halftone checkered pattern.(http://www.graphicsatlas.org/guidedtour/?process_id=102)?

Regardless, it looks like we won’t find out until we remove it from the frame and put it under a microscope. In the meantime we’ll just enjoy it for what it is, a great, colorful piece of history. We’ll keep you posted.

UC Libraries and the Digital Scholarship Center Host Third Annual THATCamp May 1-3

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thatcamp
Registration is now open for THATCamp University of Cincinnati 2017, scheduled for May 1-3 in the Walter C. Langsam Library Digital Commons space on the 4th floor.

THATCamp (The Humanities and Technology Camp) is an unconference – an open meeting where humanists and technologists of all skill levels and interests gather to learn and to build together in sessions proposed on the spot. THATCamp University of Cincinnati 2017 is free and open to all, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff as well as scholars, archivists, museum professionals, developers and programmers, K-12 teachers and administrators from within and outside UC who have an involvement or interest in digital humanities. THATCamp’s are open and online. Participants make sure to share their notes, documents, pictures and other materials from discussions before and after the event on the web and via social media. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about UC’s first Digital Scholarship Center, a newly launched partnership with UC Libraries and the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), with co-directors Arlene Johnson and James Lee. Continue reading →

UC Press Joins Association of American University Presses

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press logo

The University of Cincinnati Press has been accepted as an introductory member of the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) effectively immediately.

Founded in 1937, the Association of American University Presses (AAUP) is a membership organization of nonprofit scholarly publishers located around the world. The mission of the AAUP is to “assist its members through professional education, cooperative services, and public advocacy.” AAUP advocates for university presses on matters of free speech, academic freedom, copyright, and other core issues.

“The publishing industry continues to change as supply chain and user needs become increasingly varied. Having a resource as specialized as AAUP will provide the University of Cincinnati Press with unparalleled support as we move forward with our publishing program,” said Elizabeth Scarpelli, press director. “The network of directors and press staff that we join provide a level of professional support and expertise that surpasses even the largest publishing organizations today.” Continue reading →

Annual Cecil Striker Society Lecture May 4 to Highlight African American Doctors in Cincinnati

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cecil striker

The Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions and the Cecil Striker Society for the History of Medicine will host the Cecil Striker Society Annual Lecture from 5-7:30 p.m. on Thurs, May 4, in the Kresge Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, 231 Albert Sabin Way.

This year’s lecture will consist of a panel discussion by prominent African American physicians and is titled “African American Physicians in Cincinnati: Past, Present and Future.”  Moderated by Dr. Elbert Nelson, the panelists will include Drs. Chester Pryor, Charles Dillard, Camille C. Graham and Christopher Lewis.

The evening will include the talk from 5-6 p.m., followed by Q&A and a reception at 6:30 p.m. In addition, an exhibit of the same name will be on display in the Lucas Board Room in the Winkler Center.

The Cecil Striker Lecture is free and open to the public, but RSVP’s are requested to (513) 558-5120 or chhp@uc.edu. Continue reading →

New Exhibit, “Writing UC’s Past,” Combines Flash Fiction with Historic Photographs

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class lecture

From the Archives and Rare Books Library

A new exhibit on display on the 5th floor lobby of Langsam Library features original pieces of flash fiction describing historic images from the collections of UC’s Archives and Rare Books Library.

Flash fiction is a term to describe writing that is extremely brief, typically only a few hundred words or fewer in its entirety. The three pieces in the exhibit average only 300 words but are rich in content. Continue reading →

And the Winners Are…Edible Books 2017

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birth of photography

Best Overall – Capturing the List: The Birth of Photography by Ashleigh Schieszer

The University of Cincinnati Libraries celebrated the International Edible Books Festival for the 15th year on April 4, 2017.

Twenty-one students, librarians, and staff submitted entries that ranged from children’s books to literary classics to popular fiction and were made of cakes, cookies, candy, and even beans. Each entry was judged and awarded a bookmark. The winners are:

  • Most Photogenic – Ten Little Ladybugs by Melissa Cox Norris
  • Most Original – City of Bones by Michelle Burhans
  • Most Humorous – How to Eat Fried Worms by Tate Snyder
  • Most Whimsical – One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Sami Scheidler
  • Most Creative – The Manual of Detection by Jenny Mackiewicz
  • Most Beautiful – Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead by Elaine Ignatius
  • Most Magical – Charlotte’s Web by Michelle Wagner
  • Most Honorable – Lord of the Rings: One Ring to Rule Them All by Nicole Beletis
  • Most Adorable – Green Eggs and Ham by Sara Mihaly
  • Most Clever – The Creature from the Black Legume by Linda Newman
  • Most Gruesome – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Jack Norris
  • Most Deadly – Girl on the Train by Holly Prochaska
  • Most Surprising – Twisted by Olga Hart
  • Most Mysterious – Heart of Darkness by Ben Kline
  • Most Scandalous – Fifty Shades of Grey by Jessica Burhans
  • Most Checked Out – Pizza for Breakfast by Lorna and Jerry Newman
  • Most Fun – Me Cookie by Sam Norris
  • Best Overall – Capturing the Light: The Birth of Photography by Ashleigh Schieszer
  • Best Student Entry – I Spy by Tate Snyder

Attendees enjoying the treats at Edible Books

Congratulations to all the edible books creators. View the entries and the winners on the UC Libraries Facebook page. See you next year for Edible Books 2018!

 

UC Data Day 2017 Featured its First Student Poster Session

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The major focus of UC Data Day is to build community around best practices for data and to provide a forum for discussion about challenges and opportunities in data management, data sharing, reproducible research and preservation.

At the first UC Data Day held in 2016, faculty panelists began the conversation and highlighted the diverse and broad approaches to these challenges.  For the second UC Data Day, we wanted to include a student voice as well.

Continue reading →

Welcome, Nick Wantsala, Technology and Equipment Specialist

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We are pleased to announce that Nick Wantsala joined the Research, Teaching and Services (RTS) Department on March 27 as the technology and equipment specialist for The Desk @ Langsam.

Nick Wantsala

Nick Wantsala

Nick comes to UC…from UC. Nick joined the old Circulation and Multimedia Services Department in 2011 as a student assistant. He was promoted to senior student assistant during his time with the department and helped many fellow student assistants throughout the strategic merge of departments that resulted in The Desk @ Langsam. Nick has interned at Fox19 and was the president of the UC African Students Association. After graduating in 2015 with a degree in communications, Nick joined RTS as a temporary student supervisor, then became the temporary employee for the old equipment assistant position.

As the technology and equipment specialist, Nick will manage daily operations of the circulating equipment collection and the Center for Excellence in eLearning’s faculty and staff mobile technology collection. His primary responsibilities will be the circulation, maintenance, inventory, and the education of and communication with users in relation to these materials. Nick will also be collaborating with librarians working on eLearning and digital literacy, as well as providing user services Monday-Friday at The Desk @ Langsam. He will work with staff in RTS, ILS, the STRC, Library IT, and CEeL to further investigate and curate new technologies and devices that will best aid our students as they engage in cutting edge learning.