Exhibitions & Events: Current exhibitions
It is the role of the Lilly Library to stimulate the intellectual curiosity of both the dedicated researcher and the casual visitor. In order to achieve this, the Library promotes a wide range of activities including exhibitions and special events such as poetry readings, musical performances and receptions, as well as lectures, tours, and class presentations.
Main Gallery
"Conducted by Charles Dickens: An Exhibition to Commemorate the
Bicentennial of His Birth"
January 23 through May 5, 2012
Charles Dickens is one of the most beloved and well-known authors in the English language. The stories of characters such as Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield have moved beyond the pages of fiction and into the realm of popular myth.
The Lilly Library will display an exhibition from January 23 to May 5, 2012 commemorating the bicentennial of Charles Dickens’s birth. The title of the exhibition refers to the way in which Dickens denoted his editorship of his periodicals Household Words and All the Year Round: “Conducted by Charles Dickens.” Like the conductor of a train or an orchestra, Dickens masterfully channeled the cultural currents of his age into works of literature that still resonate with readers today.
The exhibition showcases the Lilly Library’s eclectic holdings relating to Charles Dickens’s life, literature, and the Victorian world from which he drew inspiration. Highlights include first editions of Dickens classics such as The Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, and Great Expectations as well as examples of Dickens novels issued in serial monthly parts. The exhibition also explores Dickens’s love of theatre, the novels and stories that inspired him as a child, the numerous illustrators with whom he worked, and practices of Victorian readership and publishing. One section is devoted to the colorful and chaotic world of Victorian London, featuring London “low life” and the social reform movements which were such an integral part of Dickens’s fiction.
Lincoln Room
"The Portuguese-Speaking Diaspora"
January 13 - April 30, 2012
The materials in this exhibit, curated by Darlene Sadlier, represent five centuries of the Portuguese-speaking diaspora with emphasis on history, literature, religion and the arts. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Portuguese-speaking diaspora stretched from Brazil and the mid-Atlantic territories of the Azores and Madeira to Africa, India, China, Southeast Asia and Japan. The majority of the items on display are from the Lilly Library Charles R. Boxer collection.
Slocum Puzzle Room
"A World of Puzzles"
A selection of puzzles from the world's largest collection of mechanical puzzles. Read more about these intriguing objects in the Guide to the Collections: Slocum Puzzle Collection.
