The Edwin Remsberg and Human Being Productions collections document Maryland folklife
What do stuffed ham, Brazilian cavaco music, and blacksmithing have in common? All are examples of living cultural traditions in Maryland that have been recognized in recent years by the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council. Maryland Traditions hires photographers to document these and hundreds of other traditions in vivid detail every year.
Shelley Ensor, singer and choir director, leads students in the gospel choir at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Ensor was a 2022 Heritage Award winner. Photo by Human Being Productions.
Edwin Remsberg served as the official photographer of Maryland Traditions from 2007 to 2021. In addition to photographs and audio recordings, Remsberg produced “sound books” combining still images and audio for each Folklife Apprenticeship team. The following sound book showcases a 2017-2018 Cambodian pin peat music apprenticeship with Chum Ngek and Suteera Nagavajara.
Human Being Productions has served as the official photographer of Maryland Traditions since 2021. When the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland was named a Heritage Award winner in 2022, Human Being Productions photographers captured the festival’s competitions and demonstrations. You can see a selection of those images below. Contact us for information about viewing the full collection!
Post by Acadia Roher, Maryland Traditions Archivist
This blog post analyzes romance comic selections from Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics (1979). The compilation book and other standalone romance comic titles can be found in Special Collections’ comic book archive, which offers an assortment of other genres such as superhero, western, horror, and more! Click here to see more information about this collection and how to access its materials.
Today’s conceptions of romance comics range from appreciation for their bright, nostalgia-evoking aesthetic appeal and dramatic flair, to derision for their cheesy, shallow nature. But at one point in time, young women and girls across America were voracious consumers of these stories, and it’s no wonder why so many were once enthralled with them. Despite the stigma attached to the romance genre, love as a motif in American media has been ubiquitous and pervasive throughout time. As love is a concept that many can relate to—or, at least, hope to relate to—romance comics offered their audience a way to secondhandedly engage with the positive and negative experiences associated with love in a highly entertaining manner. Popular media has also served as a significant vehicle through which the masses learn social scripts. For this demographic, romance comics acted as somewhat of a soft form of propaganda, as they helped express and reaffirm notions of gender and sexuality that were dominant in the given era.
Scott, Naomi. Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics. A Fireside Book. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1979. Rosenfeld (Science fiction) PN6726 .H4 1979
While the tumultuous years of World War II saw women increasingly assume social and economic roles beyond what traditional femininity would normally allow in order to make up for the large absence of men, the postwar years called for a swift rebound back to what was considered safe, normal, and stable (that is, in the imagination of white, middle-class, heterosexual America.) After the war, American youth were transitioning into adulthood at an accelerated rate: a young woman could find herself going from being a student to a fully-fledged homemaker almost instantly! At the same time, though, came the rise of a definitive youth culture marked by rebellion that evoked anxiety within the older generations. For young women, immoral behavior was primarily defined by sexual impropriety, and the promotion of traditional values was thought to be the solution to curbing such. Romance comics mirrored this sentiment, with the heroines’ woes usually being rooted in their failure to measure up to standards of traditional femininity (ex. Disappointing her breadwinner husband by not being a proficient housewife). Though these comics could be considered progressive in the sense that they weren’t hesitant to show the heroines struggling to grapple with their newfound responsibilities and communicate how difficult these standards truly were to live up to, conflict is ultimately always resolved by the heroines miraculously finding it within themselves to conform nonetheless. Take, for example, the conflict and resolution presented in these two strips:
In “Impatient Heart” struggling dater Irene contemplates the prospect of marrying the first man who shows her interest lest she end up like her “old maid” unmarried sister (who, by the way, is only thirty years old…) As Irene and Dennis’s relationship progresses, she begins to have second thoughts about whether or not she truly loves him. Her apprehension is confirmed when her sister manages to find her own true love, and she notices the stark differences between their two relationships. Irene ultimately decides to call it off with Dennis, but her happiness is not achieved by overcoming the fear of being an “old maid” and finding security in being single, but rather, continuing the pursuit of finding a husband and eventually securing “the one.”
“Forbidden Future.” Girls’ Love Stories #15, January-February 1952
“Forbidden Future” features Della Martin, a divorcee who returns to her hometown on the receiving end of everyone’s scorn. At a social gathering, an old acquaintance named Bill Waters attempts to overstep Della’s sexual boundaries under the presumption that she is promiscuous due to her divorcee status. Handsome heartthrob Dr. Alan Marshall steps in to save her, and after getting to know each other, they quickly fall in love. However, Della is worried about damaging Alan’s goodwill in the neighborhood with her own poor image and intends to skip town, forgoing any thoughts of marrying him. On the drive out of town, Della happens to come across a school bus crash and manages to change everyone’s mind about her after she saves the children from the burning bus — a nurturing, maternal act that practically epitomizes upstanding femininity. With her womanhood restored in the eyes of the public, Della now feels confident enough to pursue a future with her newfound beau!
Often times, romance comics would include features aside from the strips such as self-quizzes and advice columns. If avid readers ever had a burning question on their minds, these columns existed to guide them in the right direction: “What can I do to become prettier? Do you have any tips on navigating the social scene? How do I get my dream man? Am I even the right one for him?” But while they appeared to be written by women for women, similar to the strips, they were in fact…mostly written by men. Because of this dissonance, it would be within good reason to call into question the validity of the advice provided in these columns. Fortunately for the pictured column, the man masquerading as “Julia Roberts” doesn’t provide the worst advice possible. In the first Q&A section, a thirteen year old under the alias “Discouraged” ponders why she and her friends aren’t popular with the boys in her neighborhood, and he first advises her to “stop worrying about boys and start having fun!” (though, it is a bit ironic that this is immediately followed up with advice to emulate other teens and follow beauty trends in order to improve their social standing…)
“One Man in a Million.” Girls’ Love Stories #66, November 1959.
Romance comics had a relatively stable run all the way into the ’70s, but their true golden age occurred during the late ’40s to early ’50s. One simple reason for the decline in their popularity would be the combination of market oversaturation and the audience’s gravitation towards other formats such as television to consume romance media. But more salient would be the disconnect between the messages relayed in these comics and the evolving social and political ideology of its audience. While these comics would be considered incredibly tame and even regressive from a contemporary viewpoint, they drew ire from anti-comic critics who feared that the content was negatively influencing the minds of the public and encouraging delinquent tendencies. Thus, the 1954 Comics Code was enacted, which strictly censored the portrayal of any content that did not promote morality (i.e., representations of women and romance that did not adhere to conservative, patriarchal standards.) As a result, romance comics would fall out of favor because they couldn’t keep up with the ever evolving world. Their depictions of love were no longer relevant, relatable, or realistic enough for readers who were experiencing social revolutions and countercultural movements in real life. By the time restrictions were beginning to loosen and romance comics were able to incorporate more progressive and contemporary themes, the heyday of this genre had already long passed. However, even as much as we’d like to think we’ve progressed, some of the tropes and cliches present in these comics can still be seen in other popular media formats today, thereby reinforcing how deeply ingrained traditional notions of gender and sexuality truly are in our collective culture.
This post was written by Kayla Brooks, Special Collections intern currently enrolled in the historical studies graduate program.
Bibliography
Belliveau, Renée. “‘These Are Not Normal Times’: Masculinity and Femininity in Romance Pulps from the Second World War.” Journal of American Culture 44, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 22–32.
Gardner, Jeanne Emerson. 2013. “She Got Her Man, but Could She Keep Him? Love and Marriage in American Romance Comics, 1947–1954.” The Journal of American Culture 36 (1): 16–24.
Scott, Naomi. Heart Throbs : The Best of DC Romance Comics. A Fireside Book. Simon and Schuster, 1979.
Wherry, Maryan. “Introduction: Love and Romance in American Culture.” Journal of American Culture 36, no. 1 (March 2013): 1–5.
It should come as no surprise that the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War remains one of the most complicated times in American history. Three separate amendments were added to the constitution, three civil rights acts were passed (although one was later deemed unconstitutional), and innumerable pieces of legislation made their way into committee. These laws primarily served two purposes: firstly, to free enslaved peoples and provide for them assistance, and secondly, to ease tensions between the North and South. One of the most important legislative acts during Reconstruction was the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill, which established a governmental agency within the United States Army to serve as a relief system for formerly enslaved peoples under the thirteenth amendment. The Bureau were to provide clothes, shelter, and supplies to formerly enslaved peoples and to protect them from Southern whites who sought to keep them extrajudicially.
Unknown Photographer. Ex-Slave Children and Mrs. Edwards, c. 1863-1865. UMBC Special Collections, 76-13-001
Another key role of the Bureau was that of education. As enslaved peoples were not allowed formal education, it was essential that, once freed, they had access to some form of learning. Without education, African Americans in the South had no way to develop new trades and skills, and were far more vulnerable to violations of their rights. Teachers from the North volunteered through organizations such as the National Freedman’s Relief Association, Gloucester Freedmen’s Aid Society, and numerous religious-based organizations, to move to the South and operate schools for formerly enslaved peoples, known as Freedmen’s schools.
Unknown Photographer. Three ex-slave children, c.1863-1865. UMBC Special Collections, 76-13-014
Funding for these schools proved a much greater challenge than founding them, however, and nationwide fundraising efforts were established, to varying degrees of effectiveness. One of the most effective means, however, is represented by photographs in the Ronald Rooks Collection, housed in UMBC’s Special Collections. Under direction of the National Freedman’s Relief Association, dozens of photographs of formerly enslaved peoples, especially children, along with their teachers, were made and distributed for sale as cartes de visite across the northern United States with the proceeds supporting the Freedmen’s schools.
Anderson, S. Portrait of a young woman, c. 1863-1865. UMBC Special Collections, 76-13-010
A carte de visite is a small photographic print on a paper mount, designed for a large quantity of production. They were inexpensive and didn’t require any sort of special viewing device, and so they proved incredibly popular during the Civil War and early Reconstruction. They functioned not unlike a calling card or trading card, and so they quickly became a very powerful means of propaganda. Photographs of politicians and celebrities could be distributed widely as cartes de visite, and abolitionists such as Sojourner Truth also used them to fundraise and to spread messages about the horrors of slavery. One of the most important images of the time was that of Gordon, who escaped enslavement and allowed his back to be photographed, showing the extensive scarring from whippings endured from slave owners. This image became infamous when it was distributed as a carte de visite and reproduced in the illustrated news magazine Harper’s Weekly. Printed on the verso of the carte de visite was Gordon’s story, which confronted Northern viewers with the true barbarity of his treatment. Pro-slavery propaganda had convinced many Northerners that enslaved peoples were only mistreated if they were disobedient, but Gordon’s story proved that to be a lie. The image and accompanying text proved to be a powerfully persuasive tool in the abolitionist movement, garnering support for the Union Army’s cause.
Seaver, C. Jr. The Peculiar Institution, c. 1863-1865. UMBC Special Collections, 76-13-002.
Some of the cartes de visite sold in support of the Freedmen’s schools were intended to draw sympathy from philanthropic Northern whites, and none proved more effective than those depicting the so-called white slaves. These were children who were born into slavery, but who appeared to be white. Much of the popularity of these images stemmed from Northern fears that should slavery continue unabated, whites would soon become enslaved alongside blacks. As noted by historian Mary Niall Michell, “their images appealed to Victorian sentiments about white rather than black or ‘colored’ girlhood.” Nonetheless, these images provided an immense amount of fundraising for the schools for Freedmen.
Paxon, Charles. A Slave Girl from New Orleans, c. 1863-1865. UMBC Special Collections, 76-13-015.
Art as propaganda has existed for millennia, but photography and mass production took things to a new level, as clearly demonstrated by the carte de visites of Reconstruction-era America. It is impertinent to say that they single-handedly changed the hearts and minds of northerners, but it is also undeniable that they had an impact on our history.
Post by Ben Rybczynski, former Special Collections intern and Gallery Assistant, written Fall 2020.
Bibliography
Mitchell, Mary Niall. “‘Rosebloom and Pure White,’ or so It Seemed” American Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 369-410, accessed March 25, 2020, https://www.jstor.org/stable/30042226
Leisenring, Richard. “Philanthropic Photographs: Fundraising during and after the Civil War” Military Images, Vol. 36, No. 2 (SPRING 2018), pp. 44-57, accessed May 28, 2020, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26348670
Parment, Robert D. “SCHOOLS FOR THE FREEDMEN”, Negro History Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 6 (OCTOBER, 1971), pp. 128-132, accessed April 30, 2020, https://www.jstor.org/stable/24766513
The Special Collections department at UMBC includes the Edward L. Bafford Photography Book Collection; researchers can access historical technical manuals, pamphlets, exhibition catalogs, and photography books that show to development of photography from the 19th century to today. Photobooks as a distinct publication type – typically highlighting photographs with supplemental text as opposed to using photographs as illustration for the main text and with an emphasis on design elements – accelerated in production in the early 20th century with increased publication and distribution methods. Women photographers, and especially women of color, were not given the same access to publication as their male counterparts, and it is not until after secondwave feminism in the 1970s that we see a larger number of photobooks by women.
The examples currently on display through May 10, 2023, were all published in the 1930s and 1940s. These early photobooks show the wide range of photographic style and methods used by women photographers, from pictorialist in the early 1900s to photomontage, documentary style, and even action shots for dance photography. The photographers on display include:
Exhibit case with Anne Brigman photobooks
Berenice Abbott (1898-1991)
Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971)
Anne Brigman (1869-1950)
Claude Cahun (1894-1954) and Marcel Moore (1892-1972)
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965)
Barbara Brooks Morgan (1900-1992)
Join Special Collections librarians on Wednesday May 10 from 12-2pm for a hands-on tour of the photobooks. Or visit the Special Collections reading room to work directly with UMBC’s photobook collection!
One of my favorite things about working at Special Collections is the amount of strange and fascinating items around every corner. A little over a year ago, I had no idea who George Cruikshank was, let alone that Special Collections houses so many of his oddest and most interesting works. George Cruikshank was a famous illustrator and caricaturist in 19th century Britain. Among his best known works are illustrations for George Dickens’s Oliver Twist and William Harrison Ainsworth’s Rookwood. While Cruikshank was respected for his craft, he was also considered by many to be eccentric and contentious. His fervent support for the Temperance Movement often appeared in his work, for which he received much criticism. But despite his controversial reputation, Cruikshank’s legacy as an influential and talented artist has endured through the centuries.
Letters on demonology and witchcraft, addressed to J.G. Lockhart, esq., by Sir Walter Scott, bart. BF1531 .S5 1830Verso of Manuscript by Cruikshank, “The Fairy Library” and “Hop O’my Thumb” on recto, and “Cinderella” on verso Coll315_01-32-001_v
In 2020, Lindsay DiCuirci, associate professor of English, Beth Saunders, curator and head of Special Collections, and Susan Graham, Special Collections librarian, were awarded an Adaptation Grant through the Hrabowski Innovation Fund, for their project, “Digitizing the Funny Papers: A Student-Led Digital Humanities Collaboration with UMBC Special Collections.” This project culminated in the creation of a digital exhibition built by students in English 416/616 in Fall 2022. The collection required hundreds of scans of items in the Merkle Collection of 18th and 19th century English graphic satire, home of our Cruikshank materials. Digitizing collection materials is an important part of both access and preservation, but it can be very challenging. My colleague Gabe Morrison and I were tasked with scanning the materials, and there were many days when it felt like the world was conspiring against us. Books wouldn’t stay open, the scanner kept crashing, photoshop wouldn’t load — you name it, we probably ran into an issue with it. As fun as working at Special Collections is, some days are just hard. But the pressure was on: the exhibition had to be completed by the end of the Fall semester.
(Scan 15) The adventures of Oliver Twist; or, The parish boy’s progress. By Charles Dickens. With twenty-four illustrations on steel, by George Cruikshank. PR4567.A1 1846(Page 20) Scraps and Sketches, by George Cruikshank. To be continued occasionally. NC1479.C9S3 1828
It took two semesters of digitization work to make this project possible. Gabe and I each spent many hours hunched over a computer, cropping and rotating each scan with care. When working with large tomes, even simple tasks could become unruly and overwhelming. Sometimes it can feel like our work would disappear to viewers of the collection, but, ultimately, that’s the goal: we wanted use of the digital collection to feel natural and effortless. Flipping through scans should feel as close as possible to flipping through pages in a book. We wanted Cruikshank’s illustrations to be the star of the show, not our labor.
The relentless support of our colleagues at Special Collections and Dr. DiCuirci reminded us that every challenge was a worthwhile effort. It is a privilege to work with the odd and beautiful items in our collection, to share objects that inspire so much wonder and fascination. We hope you enjoy the online exhibition, “Digital Cruikshank: Etching & Sketching in Nineteenth-Century England” — we’re so proud of how it turned out.
(Page 22) Scraps and Sketches, by George Cruikshank. To be continued occasionally. NC1479.C9S3 1828
Thank you to Dr. Lindsay DiCuirci and the students of English 416/616 for their hard work and support. You can view the Cruikshank books and illustrations in the online exhibition and in person at Special Collections in the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery. This post was written by Special Collections student assistant Sarah Nove ‘24, English.
