The Rosenbach is pleased to announce that American Voyager has been extended and will be on view to the public between October 20-December 21, 2020.
Few American writers have achieved the cultural impact of Herman Melville, author of the eternal classic Moby-Dick, yet he died unrecognized by his contemporaries for his genius. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Melville’s birth, The Rosenbach’s new exhibition will explore the life, works, and legacy of this iconic but under-read author. Making use of The Rosenbach’s extensive Melville holdings and numerous loans from partner organizations, including rare manuscripts and first editions, the exhibition will examine how Melville fled to the watery fringes of 19th-century life to grasp core truths about American society—and even human nature itself. The exhibition will challenge visitors to consider what Melville’s writings have to say about modern America through the lens of marine conservation, globalization, social justice, and LGBTQ+ identity.
Take a deeper dive into AmericanVoyager! Join us for an upcoming program with themes related to the exhibition. See the full calendar here.
“Call Me Ishmael” lithograph from Benton Spruance & Lawrance Thompson, 1968.
Advertisement of “George W. Carr, Manufacturer of Whalebone & Rattan.” Independence Seaport Museum.
W.H. Rease and Wagner & M’Guigan. Advertisement for “Mitchell & Croasdale.” Independence Seaport Museum.
Inscribed copy of Pierre: Or, the Ambiguities, presented by Melville to Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne, 1852.
John F. Martin, page from the logbook of the whaler Lucy Ann. Delaware Historical Society.
Rare copy of Timoleon in the Rosenbach collection.
John F. Martin, title page of the logbook of the whaler Lucy Ann. Delaware Historical Society.
John Martin, page from logbook of the whaler Lucy Ann, showing right and sperm whales. Delaware Historical Society.
“The Bachelor” lithograph from Benton Spruance & Lawrance Thompson, 1968.
Inscribed copy of The Whale, presented by Melville to his father in-law Lemuel Shaw, Chief Justice of the Mass. Supreme Court.
John F. Martin, seascape, inside the logbook of the whaler Lucy Ann. Delaware Historical Society.
Herman Melville, The Whale. London: Richard Bentley, 1851. AL1 .M531mo 851a.
Herman Melville, autograph letter signed to the Hon. W.L. Marcy, Lansingburgh, N.Y.: June 6, 1846.
Herman Melville, Narrative of a Four Months’ Residence among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesas Islands… London: John Murray, 1846. AL1 .M531t 846a.
Herman Melville, The Whale. London: Richard Bentley, 1851. AL1 .M531mo 851a.
Major support for American Voyager is provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The McCausland Foundation, Susan Tane, and Clarence Wolf.
Title graphic rights courtesy of Plattsburgh State Art Museum, State University of New York, USA, Rockwell Kent Collection, Bequest of Sally Kent Gorton. All rights reserved.
Lithographs from Benton Spruance and Lawrance Thompson, Moby Dick, the Passion of Ahab (Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers, 1968) courtesy of the Benton Spruance Estate.
