VOICES OF INFLUENCE

Poster introducing the "Voices of Influence: War and Propaganda Through the Ages" exhibit from Special Collections and University Archives at Virginia Tech University Libraries. It features a U.S. Navy recruiting poster showing a World War I era airplane.

During the summer of 2024, our outreach assistant, Sterling Bryant, curated an exhibit on propaganda before leaving to pursue his Master’s degree with Virginia Tech’s Department of history. He did a spectacular job and this has been one of our most popular exhibits. This blog post translates the exhibit into digital form so that we can share it more easily online.

This exhibit explores the powerful role of propaganda as it was used during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The items featured here include pamphlets, posters, books, and artifacts which illustrate how governments, political parties, social movements, and others employed propaganda to sway hearts and minds during some of the most tumultuous periods in history.

Curated By

Sterling Bryant, SCUA Outreach Assistant; Master’s Student, Department of History
Anthony Wright de Hernandez, Archivist


Sections


American Civil War

Union Recruitment Poster

Broadside poster recruiting for the Union Army
Date1861
CreatorUnited States Army
PublisherIngalls, Brockway & Beebee Printers
CollectionHomer E. Davis Papers (MS.2001.051)
DescriptionRecruitment posters like this one were used by the United States Army during the American Civil War. They were designed to recruit Americans to join the Union Army by stoking fears of a Confederate invasion of Washington D.C. This poster is a replica from the New York Historical Society.

George F. Doyle Scrapbook

A scrapbook page featuring some political cartoons, American flags, and the music and lyrics for "The Massachusetts Line"
Datecirca 1861
CreatorsGeorge F. Doyle
PublisherNone
CollectionGeorge Doyle Scrapbook (Ms.1989.096)
DescriptionScrapbooks like this were compiled during the American Civil War. Some contained information on the 1860 election or memorabilia on the Confederate States of America. This scrapbook was patriotic to the Union and contains music and images that can be recognized by Americans today. The full scrapbook can be viewed online.

World War I

Thrift and Economy

A poster showing a statement signed by the Council of National Defense and the Advisory Commission of the Council.
Datecirca 1917 or 1918
CreatorsCouncil of National Defense
The Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense
PublisherUnited States Food Administration
CollectionWorld War I Food Posters (Acc.2021.094)
DescriptionPosters like this were common during the First and Second World Wars. They urged Americans to conserve resources so that they could be used by the military in the war effort. This poster depicts a signed statement by the Council of National Defense and the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense encouraging citizens to avoid all unnecessary expenditures to help the war effort.

Sugar Means Ships

Poster featuring a line drawing of a woman drinking from a straw in a cup. The bottom of the cup is pulling water with cargo ships labeled "Sugar" away from their path toward Europe. Rising above Europe is a black cloud labeled "War".
Datecirca 1917
CreatorFuhr, E. (Ernest), 1874-1933
PublisherUnited States Food Administration
CollectionWorld War I Food Posters (Acc.2021.094)
DescriptionSugar rationing for commercial uses began in fall 1917, reducing production of ice cream, sodas, and other treats which had become popular in part thanks to their promotion as alternatives for alcohol by the Temperance movement in the United States. Rationing for civilians did not begin until 1918; however, the United States was not capable of producing enough sugar domestically to meet demand. This led to calls for people to reduce sugar consumption so ships could be used for the war rather than to ship sugar.

Baker Recruitment Poster

Datecirca 1917
CreatorUnited States Army
PublisherNational Printing and Engraving Company, New York
CollectionWorld War I Baker Recruitment Poster (Ms.2021.029)
DescriptionRecruiting posters were a necessity during the World Wars. Conscription could only add so many specialties to the military, meanwhile specialists like bakers were greatly needed. This baker recruitment poster likely dates to New York City in 1917 and gives a quota on how many bakers are needed to support the United States Army.

Food Saving and Sharing

  • Yellow book cover with the title Food Saving and Sharing. In the center is a circular seal with the words "America's food pledge 20 million tons" above a stars and stripes shield. Wheat stalks wrap around the words and shield as a border.
  • A book's title page.
  • Line drawing in green ink showing a young woman and young man filling a picnic basket bearing a U.S. coat of arms with food.
Date1918
CreatorsTappan, Eva March, 1854-1930
United States Food Administration
United States Bureau of Education
United States Department of Agriculture
PublisherDoubleday, Page & Company, Garden City, New York
CollectionRare Books Collection (TX367.U6 1918)
DescriptionSubtitled “Telling how the older children of America may help save from famine their comrades in allied lands across the sea.” Toward the end of the First World War, famine began affecting families around the world. The United States Food Administration published literature urging families to conserve and share food with their neighbors so that comrades in allied lands across the sea could be saved from starvation.

Japanese Coronation Prints: Emperor Taishō

These lithograph prints were created to commemorate the enthronement of Yoshihito, later known as Emperor Taishō, to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. The ceremony, held in November 1915 while Japan fought alongside the Allied forces in World War I, was the first of its type held as a public event and with foreign leaders in attendance.

Emperor Seated Upon the Throne in Shinshinden Palace

Lithograph depicting Emperor Taishō seated on a throne inside a blue-curtained structure with many embellishments that is atop a raised platform.
Date1915 (Taishô 4), Nov. 5 (printed)
1915 (Taishô 4), Nov. 8 (published)
CreatorRyôzô, Tanaka
PublisherShôbidô Tanaka
CollectionJapanese Coronation Prints, Emperor Taishō
DescriptionHis Majesty the Emperor Seated upon the Throne in the Shinshinden Palace at the Enthronement Ceremony. The ‘Takamikura’ H.i.M. The Present Emperor’s coronation ceremony at ‘Shinshinden.’ From the series commemorating the Imperial Ceremonies.

Emperor Passed Through the Royal Gate

Lithograph showing a red horse-drawn carriage passing through a large gate as part of a procession while soldiers stand in formation along the sides of the roadway watching it pass.
Date1915 (Taishô 4), Nov. 18 (printed)
1915 (Taishô 4), Nov. 20 (published)
CreatorRyôzô, Tanaka
PublisherShôbidô Tanaka
CollectionJapanese Coronation Prints, Emperor Taishō
DescriptionHis Majesty the Emperor passed through the royal gate to perform the official ceremony. From the series commemorating the Imperial Ceremonies.

Red Scare: Communism in America

These pamphlets published between the 1930s and the 1950s vary in support or opposition to the working class in the United States who may be identified as “communist” or “socialist” by the United States Government. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the United States was experiencing something called the “Red Scare” and there were federal investigations to determine if individuals were spies for Soviet Russia.

The Un-American Dies Committee

  • Cover for a pamphlet titled "The Un-American Dies Committee"
  • Pages 16 and 17 of a pamphlet titled "The Un-American Dies Committee" which describe the actions and reason for the existence of the Dies Committee.
Date1939
CreatorsLapin, Adam
PublisherWorkers Library Publishers, Inc.
CollectionBlack History Pamphlet Collection (Ms.2012.066)
DescriptionOn May 26, 1938, the House Committee on Un-American Activities was established to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities of private citizens, public employees, and organizations suspected of communist or fascist ties. It was chaired by Martin Dies Jr. (D-Tex.). This pamphlet describes the activities of the committee and its apparent willingness to believe any accusation of communist tendencies.

The Plot to Gag America

Date1950
CreatorsGurley-Flynn, Elizabeth
PublisherNew Century Publishers
CollectionBlack History Pamphlet Collection (Ms.2012.066)
DescriptionWritten by a member of the National Committee of the Communist Party and a leader in the American labor movement, this pamphlet argues against the Mundt-Nixon Bill, formally called the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1948 that would have required all members of the Communist Party of the United States to register with the Attorney General.

Let the People Know

  • Cover for a pamphlet titled "Let the People Know: The Truth About the Communists Which the Un-American Committee Tried to Suppress"
  • Pages 10 and 11 of a pamphlet titled "Let the People Know" which describe the Rankin Bill (H.R. 1884) and the Sheppard Bill (H.R. 2122) from the perspective of the American Communist Party.
Date1947
CreatorsDennis, Eugene, 1905-1961
PublisherNew Century Publishers
CollectionBlack History Pamphlet Collection (Ms.2012.066)
DescriptionThis pamphlet subtitled “The Truth About the Communists Which the Un-American Committee Tried to Suppress” was written by the General Secretary of the American Communist Party and lays out arguments against the Rankin Bill (H.R. 1884) and the Sheppard Bill (H.R. 2122) which were both intended to curb or outlaw the Communist Party in the United States.

World War II

War Bond Poster

Date1944
CreatorsUnited States Treasury
PublisherUnited States Government Printing Office
CollectionRalph Minthorne Brown Papers (Ms.1970.002)
DescriptionWar Bonds were integral to funding the United States military during World War II. Posters like these went up to urge Americans to buy bonds that would later be paid back to the purchaser at value plus interest after the war.

Make America Strong Posters

Date1941
CreatorsExtension Service, United States Department of Agriculture
PublisherUnited States Government Printing Office
CollectionMake America Strong Poster Collection (Ms.2008.012)
DescriptionBefore World War II, the science of nutrition was not well understood. Scientists knew that protein, energy, and minerals made for a healthy diet, but they did not know the specifics. With the approach of World War II, the government was very concerned about malnourishment among the citizenry following the Great Depression. The “Make America Strong” poster campaign was created by the United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service and included thirteen posters promoting the importance of dietary needs, healthy eating habits, and ways to fight food insecurity. Three of the thirteen posters were featured in the exhibit.

The first poster in the series shows an idealized depiction of masculine strength and sets the tone for the campaign.

In the middle of the series is a poster encouraging meals that are ample, well prepared, and rich in “protective foods.” Included under the label “protective foods” were milk, leafy vegetables, eggs, fish, and organ meats.

The final poster serves as a rallying cry for Americans to get to work making a positive change.

More Production

Ad from General Cable Corporation urging more production and showing smokestacks from numerous factories.
DateMay 1942
CreatorsGeneral Cable Corporation
PublisherArmy & Navy Journal (John Callan O’Laughlin)
CollectionRare Books Collection (D769.U55 1942)
DescriptionThis special issue of the Army and Navy Journal, titled “United States at War December 7, 1941 – December 7, 1942,” was sponsored by General Cable Corporation. The advertisement from that company on the inside front cover supports the “More Production” war effort. The rest of the journal contains letters and reports by government employees and military commanders detailing the first year of the war effort.

England and Normandy in Seabee Roads to Victory

  • Cover of the book "Seabee Roads to Victory" featuring battalion badges from U.S. Naval Construction Batallions.
  • Map of England and Normandy from "Seabee Roads to Victory"
  • Descriptive text and image captions for the England and Normandy map in "Seabee Roads to Victory"
Date1944
CreatorsMetzl, Ervine, 1899-1963 (maps)
Huie, William Bradford, 1910-1986 (text)
PublisherE.P. Dutton & Co.
CollectionRare Books Collection (D769.U55 M4)
DescriptionThe Seabee Roads to Victory serves as recruitment propaganda for the United States Navy. The Seabees, still around today, are the construction wing of the Navy. During the Second World War, the Seabees constructed bases, staging areas, and training facilities in the Mediterranean and Northern Africa. Featured here is the book’s account of Seabee involvement in landing operations in Normandy during World War II.

Paper Bullets: Great Propaganda Posters, Axis & Allied Countries WWII

Cover of "Paper Bullets: Great Propaganda Posters, Axis & Allied Countries WWII" featuring a poster of a woman holding a baby with shadowy, clawed, hands bearing Japanese and Nazi symbols reaching toward them. It is a propaganda poster promoting Victory Bonds.
Date1977
CreatorsLerner, Daniel, 1917-1980
PublisherChelsea House Publishers, Distributed by Whirlwind Books
CollectionRare Books Collection (D743.25 P36)
DescriptionThis book contains various propaganda posters from the World War II era. Seven were featured as part of the exhibit.

Ecco I “Liberatori”!

A poster showing a skeletal Statue of Liberty removing a mask to reveal her skull while standing over a burning city.
Date1944
CreatorsArtist Unknown
OriginItaly
DescriptionThis poster comes from Italy in 1944 and suggests that the Allied forces coming through Italy were leaving a trail of destruction behind them. The text reads “Here are the ‘liberators’!”

Соревнуйтесь На Лучшую Помощь Фронту!

Poster with Cyrillic writing that shows a young man proudly holding a red flag bearing the faces of Stalin and Lenin. In the background is an industrial plant and an airfield launching many planes.
Date1942
CreatorsKorkorekin, Alexei Alekseevich (Кокорекин, Алексей Алексеевич)
OriginUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics
DescriptionUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics World War II propaganda poster. The text reads “Follow this worker’s example. Produce more for the front!”

這個美國空軍把日本人趕出了中國的天空ー援助他!

Leaflet with Chinese writing that depicts a heavily armed American airman stamping on a cowering Japanese soldier.
Datecirca 1945
CreatorsUnited States, Office of War Information
OriginUnited States of America
DescriptionA Pro-American leaflet in Chinese showing a heavily armed American airman stamping on a cowering Japanese soldier. The text reads “This American airman drives the Jap from China’s Skies –Give him your help!”

人人敌忾,步不设防,坚强壁垒,制敌死命

A poster divided into four sections each with its own line drawing in red ink. One shows soldiers marching. Two shows stone walls with guns sticking from the top. Three shows multiple gun barrels. Four shows Japanese Emperor Hirohito on the ground.
Datecirca 1937
CreatorsJunshi weiyuanhui zhengxunchu (军事委员会政训处)
OriginChina
DescriptionA Chinese woodcut poster. The text reads “Everybody must hate the enemy, defenses must be constructed step-by-step, fortifications must be strengthened, the enemy must be exterminated!”

der Fuehrer’s Face

Date1942
CreatorsWalt Disney Studios
OriginUnited States of America
DescriptionPromotional poster for the animated anti-Nazi propaganda short film “der Fuehrer’s Face.” The film was originally titled “Donald Duck in Nutziland” or “A Nightmare in Nutziland.” It was released in 1943 and attempted to lift the spirits of Americans experiencing rationing as the country shifted toward a war footing.

Holding The Line

Datecirca 1942
CreatorsGuigmon, Henri
OriginUnited States of America
DescriptionThis United States poster caricatures Winston Churchill as a British bulldog to highlight the tenacity of the British people holding the line on the European front in World War II.

Anti-German Postcard

Date1944
CreatorsUnknown
OriginBelgium
DescriptionThis Belgian postcard from 1944 features the allied forces represented by a winged depiction of the Roman goddess Libertas or “Liberty” who is holding the flags of the allied nations as she defeats Germany.

China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Mao Quotation on Study Classes

Datecirca 1969
CreatorsArtist Unknown
PublisherUnknown
CollectionAlice Langley Hsieh Papers (Ms.1979.004)
DescriptionEnglish translation: Holding study classes is a good method; many problems can be solved in study classes. During China’s Cultural Revolution, posters containing “Chairman Mao’s Latest Instructions” were published regularly and were celebrated by the people.

Mao Quotation on Revolutionary Committees

Datecirca 1969
CreatorsArtist Unknown
PublisherUnknown
CollectionAlice Langley Hsieh Papers (Ms.1979.004)
DescriptionEnglish translation: Erect revolutionary committees of three unions, do great criticisms, clean up the revolutionary ranks, consolidate the Party organization, simplify the structures, reform irrational regulation systems, send the administrative staff to the countryside, struggle, criticize, correct in the factories, in the main go through this process a few times.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics During the Cold War

Pamphlets published by Russia’s state-owned domestic news agency. Sovinformburo (Совинформбюро) was founded in June 1941 and operated under that name until 1961 when it became the Novosti Press Agency (APN). It underwent a series of name changes and reorganizations from 1990 to 2013 and was absorbed into the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, known as Roskomnadzor (RKN).

Towards Freedom and Progress

Cover of a pamphlet titled "Towards Freedom and Progress"
Date1970
CreatorsKhamid Sharapovich Inoi︠a︡tov
PublisherNovosti Press Agency Publishing House, Moscow
CollectionSoviet Propaganda Literature (Acc.2011.040)
DescriptionThe Soviet Union experienced ups and downs within its tenure as a world power. This pamphlet lays out a plan to continue their rise and grasp over world affairs.

Anti-Sovietism – Profession of Zionists

Cover of a pamphlet titled "Anti-Sovietism - Profession of Zionists"
Date1971
CreatorsVladimir Viktorovich Bolʹshakov
PublisherNovosti Press Agency Publishing House, Moscow
CollectionSoviet Propaganda Literature (Acc.2011.040)
DescriptionThis propaganda piece discusses how Zionism is anti-Soviet.

Soviet Sport: The Way to Medals

Two page spread from a book. One page has a photograph of a stadium with many people outside it. The other has photos of a man supervising a young child climbing a rope ladder and a group of men practicing water polo in a small section of open water cut into some ice while two skiiers watch.
Date1988
CreatorsAleksandr Rostislavovich Lavrov
PublisherNovosti Press Agency Publishing House, Moscow
CollectionSoviet Propaganda Literature (Acc.2011.040)
DescriptionThis pamphlet showcases the athletic talent of Soviet athletes in the 1980s. The Soviet Union also published propaganda for events like the Olympics, to display their legitimacy on the world stage.

We Are Building A Long-Term Policy Speech

Cover of a printed English language copy of Gorbachev's 1988 speech "We Are Building a Long-Term Policy"
Date1988
CreatorsMikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev
PublisherNovosti Press Agency Publishing House, Moscow
CollectionSoviet Propaganda Literature (Acc.2011.040)
DescriptionSubtitled “speech on the occasion of the meeting in Moscow of the US-USSR Trade and Economic Council, April 13, 1988.” Pamphlets like these were common in the Soviet Union throughout their time as a world power. Gorbachev was very notorious for pushing them out in the late 1980s as their empire looked as if it were ready to crumble.

Viet Nam

South Viet Nam in Struggle

Cover page of a newspaper
Date1971 Nov 29
CreatorsNational Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Mặt Trận Dân Tộc Giải Phóng Miền Nam Việt Nam)
PublisherNational Liberation Front of South Vietnam Information Commission
CollectionBlack History Pamphlet Collection (Ms.2012.066)
DescriptionThis paper was written for an English-speaking audience to demonstrate to the world that the United States was not dampening the spirit of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (also known as the Viet Cong).

Peacetime in America

Our Most Important Unit

Newspaper page featuring a recruiting ad for the U.S. Army
Date1996 Apr 8
CreatorsThe Army Times
PublisherThe Army Times
CollectionJohn A. Coulter Collection on Richard T. Shae, Jr. Newspaper Articles (Ms.2000.090)
DescriptionIn The Army Times, this picture advertises how the family unit is the most important unit in the United States military. Its purpose is to recruit people who may have a spouse and children. It details benefits available to Army spouses and children such as spousal employment assistance and assistance locating childcare.

Additional Content

Following the creation of the exhibit, Sterling began work on a related project during his first year of graduate school. This project will conclude with three live presentations on his Twitch channel and content about the exhibit materials on his website.

Twitch schedule

Join Sterling’s live presentations about this material in late November 2024 at https://twitch.tv/Strlang.

Part ITuesday, November 26 at 9:00 pm
Part IIWednesday, November 27 at 7:00 pm
Part IIIFriday, November 29 at 7:00 pm

“The Words of Children” April 16th Remembrance Exhibit

Displayed on Newman Library’s 2nd floor now through April 22 during the library’s open hours, “The Words of Children” exhibit highlights items that Virginia Tech received following the tragic events of April 16, 2007. It features children’s letters, drawings, condolence books, and objects from elementary, middle, and high school students from around the world. The more than 150 items are filled with messages of love, hope, and peace, many of which have not been displayed for exhibition before.
 
A complimentary digital exhibit includes the letters and drawings on display as well as memories of those affected by April 16th collected in the April 16, 2007, Oral History Collection and from VT Stories. The digital exhibit is available at https://tinyurl.com/April162022Exhibit.
 
The exhibit is one of many events honoring the 23 Hokies we lost 15 years ago. Visit the Remembrance website at https://www.weremember.vt.edu/ for more information.
 

We continue to remember the 32 victims:

Ross A. Alameddine
Christopher James Bishop
Brian R. Bluhm
Ryan Christopher Clark
Austin Michelle Cloyd
Jocelyne Couture-Nowak
Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva
Kevin P. Granata
Matthew Gregory Gwaltney
Caitlin Millar Hammaren
Jeremy Michael Herbstritt
Rachael Elizabeth Hill
Emily Jane Hilscher
Jarrett Lee Lane
Matthew Joseph La Porte
Henry J. Lee

Liviu Librescu
G.V. Loganathan
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan
Lauren Ashley McCain Daniel
Patrick O’Neil
Juan Ramon Ortiz-Ortiz
Minal Hiralal Panchal
Erin Nicole Peterson
Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.
Julia Kathleen Pryde
Mary Karen Read
Reema Joseph Samaha
Waleed Mohamed Shaalan
Leslie Geraldine Sherman
Maxine Shelly Turner
Nicole Regina White

Addressing difficult topics can be stressful and cause anxiety, difficulty concentrating, sleep loss, and even concerns about safety. If you or a loved one needs help, visit https://www.weremember.vt.edu/ for available resources.

We Are Better Than We Think: April 16th remembrance exhibit online

Metal piece by artist Eric W. Schuttler, VT Class of 1993, inscribed “We are better than we think, and not quite what we want to be.” (H00203, Ms2008-020)

Every year Special Collections and University Archives, in partnership with the University Libraries and Virginia Tech Student Engagement and Campus Life, hosts annual remembrance exhibits to highlight the outpouring of love and support the university received in the aftermath of the tragedy of April 16, 2007. Although we are unable to host substantial physical exhibits this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued the remembrance exhibit online.

The exhibit We Are Better Than We Think: Selections from the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives highlights the items Virginia Tech received following the events of April 16th. It features artifacts, children’s letters, poems, and more with messages of love, hope, and peace, most of which have not been displayed for exhibition before.

Visit the exhibit online at https://tinyurl.com/April162021Exhibit.

The title piece of the exhibit, “We Are Better Than We Think” by Eric W. Schuttler (pictured above) is on display in Newman Library near the 2nd floor entrance, April 12 thru April 23 during the library’s open hours. (No other items are on display.)

For more information on the university’s remembrance events, including the virtual 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance, please visit https://www.weremember.vt.edu/.

Unknown Origin: April 16th remembrance exhibit online

“We will never forget” poster with pictures of Norris Hall and a black VT ribbon, a poem, and the names of the 32 victims. (P00526, Ms2008-020)

Every year Special Collections and University Archives, in partnership with the University Libraries and Virginia Tech Student Engagement and Campus Life, hosts annual remembrance exhibits to highlight the outpouring of love and support the university received in the aftermath of the tragedy of April 16, 2007. Although we are unable to host physical exhibits this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued the remembrance exhibit online.

The exhibit Unknown Origins: Anonymous gifts in the April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives highlights the messages Virginia Tech received from unknown individuals, organizations, or places following the events of April 16, 2007. It features anonymous donations and gifts of unknown origin, paying homage to those who want to be part of the mourning and recovery process but do not necessarily want to be known. 

Visit the exhibit online at https://tinyurl.com/April16Exhibit.

For more information on the university’s remembrance events, including the virtual 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance, please visit https://www.weremember.vt.edu/.

A Complete, Balanced Breakfast: Battle Creek, Cookery, and the Kellogg Legacy

This week, I put up a new exhibit titled “A Complete, Balanced Breakfast: Battle Creek, Cookery, and the Kellogg Legacy.” This idea has been on my board for months now, for better or worse, and I’ve finally had an opportunity to dive into it. There’s a fair bit I did not include about John Kellogg’s belief and medical practices to save visitors the sometimes weird or disturbing details, but there is plenty of reading out there for those interested. Given our penchant for food & drink history here at Special Collections and University Archives, it’s no surprise we might have some material on the Kelloggs and breakfast cereal. More than will fit in our display cases, as is often the case. So, there are two main parts to this story: The works of John and Ella Kellogg, which were largely instructive texts or published lectures and the history and advertising of the food companies that came from the Battle Creek legacy. If you can’t visit us in person, here’s a little virtual tour!

John and Ella Kellogg

John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) was born in Tyrone, Michigan in 1852. His family moved to Battle Creek in 1856. Raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist, the church shaped much of his early life, his medical education, and much of his medical career–in particular, the teachings of Ellen G. and James Springer White. In 1876, after graduating from the NYU Medical College at Bellevue Hospital, Kellogg returned to Battle Creek and took over the Western Health Reform Institute, which he renamed the Battle Creek Medical Surgical Sanitarium. There, he preached a vegetarian, caffeine/alcohol/tobacco-free diet, among his varied–and often controversial–practices and beliefs. Over the course of his life, he wrote more than 50 books and at least as many articles, pamphlets, and lectures detailing his views on health, nutrition, hygiene, sex, and raising families and children.

Part of the Kellogg display: books by John Kellogg relating to health, diet, sex, and family.

Ella Eaton (1853-1920) studied at Alfred University and with an interest in sanitation and hygiene, she enrolled at the Sanitarium School of Hygiene in Battle Creek in 1876, where she met John Harvey Kellogg. They married in 1879. Over the course of her lifetime, Ella would break ground in a variety of ways. She was an early founder of what we now consider the field of dietetics; she founded a cooking school and a school of home economics; she was a prolific book and article editor and author; at various times, she led organizations focused on childcare, motherhood, dietetics, hygiene, temperance, and social purity; she supported womens suffrage; and she helped raise more than 40 foster children, several of whom she and John formally adopted.

Her most well-know work was the 1892 Science in the Kitchen: A Scientific Treatise on Food Substances and Their Dietetic Properties, Together with a Practical Explanation of the Principles of Healthful Cookery, and a Large Number of Original, Palatable, and Wholesome Recipes (picture here in the front right).This extensive book was a reflection of her career and went through five editions by 1910. It was heavily illustrated and was Ellas essential guide to everything domestic. Special Collections and University Archives has two editions of this book available digitized and online (http://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu). In addition, we house copies of Healthful Cookery (1908), Every-Day Dishes and Every-Day Work (1896), and an 1893 edition of Science in the Kitchen.

Part of the Kellogg display: Books by Ella Kellogg on dietetics, nutrition, cooking, and morality.

The Battle Creek Food Legacy

In 1897, brothers John and W. K. Kellogg founded their first food company, the Sanitas Nut Food Company (sometimes the Sanitas Food Company), which mainly sold nut butter-like products as a meat substitute. (John Kellogg is listed among those responsible for the creation of peanut butter precursors and he corresponded with George Washington Carver on the subject). In the mid-1890s, partially by accident, while working on their version of granola, they stumbled onto something else: wheat berry flakes. These flattened wheat berries would lead to–you guessed it–corn flakes! A patient at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, C. W. Post, witnessed the process for these products, and also jumped on board, launching the Postum Cereal Co. in 1895. Postum Cereal Co. made Grape-Nuts in 1897 and Post Toasties Double-Crisp Corn Flakes in 1904.

A disagreement between the two brothers led to a split. W. K. took the flakes and launched the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1906 (renamed the Kellogg Toasted Corn Flake Company in 1909 and the Kellogg Company in 1922). The company would continue to develop new products based on the brothers’ work and teachings, with a particular emphasis on vegetarianism and meat substitutes. The company would also develop divisions with broader interests, like quantity cooking for schools, camps, and even the military. Advertising materials for children’s products were created to target that audience.

Part of the Kellogg display: Materials from Kellogg’s and Postum Cereal Co. advertising for children, school lunch programs, and military meals.

Between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, the Kellogg Company and the Battle Creek Food Company (started by John to promote foods and supplements after the split between the brothers) created endless product- and recipe-based pamphlets advertising meat substitutes, cereals, nut butters, laxatives, and dietary supplements in particular. John Kelloggs beliefs included a hearty disdain for both tea and coffee. He considered caffeine, like tobacco and alcohol, to be a poison, going so far as to link all of them to moral deficiencies. Whether or not W. K. shared his brothers views (very likely), by the early 20th century, the Kellogg Company began producing Kaffee-Hag, a low caffeine coffee substitute. (John seemed to be against this alternative, too, and he wrote that [n]ature has supplied us with pure water, with a great variety of fruit juices and wholesome and harmless flavors quite sufficient to meet all our needs.) Some years earlier, in 1895, Postum Cereal Co. had already launched their coffee alternative, Postum.

Part of the Kellogg display: Ads for coffee alternatives from Kellogg’s and Postum Cereal Co., as well as pamphlets from Kellogg’s and the Battle Creek Food Company, advertising products and sharing related recipes.

I’ve previously written about the Kelloggs’ (John, his wife Ella, and his brother W. K.) on our food history blog, so if you’d like to delve a little deeper that’s a good place to start. That series has links to digitized books, other readings on this fascinating (and sometimes controversial) family, and more images.

And if all of this doesn’t satisfy your curiosity about the Kelloggs, C. W. Post, early breakfast cereal, or Battle Creek, feel free to visit us and learn more. There is a lot more to John Kellogg’s theories, inventions, and methods at the Battle Creek Sanitarium; to the early days of breakfast cereals; to corporate and family competition; and to the history of food advertising! We’ll be here and we’d love to share!

Holding the Light: April 16th Remembrance Exhibits on display April 8-18, 2019

Prayer flags were on display for a recent Day of Remembrance observance.
Prayer flags on display for a recent Day of Remembrance observance will be on display.

“Holding the Light,” is one of two exhibits that will be displayed on the second floor commons in Virginia Tech’s Newman Library as the university observes its 2019 Day of Remembrance.

The exhibit, on display Thursday, April 8 through Tuesday April 18, is a collaboration between the University Libraries and Student Engagement and Campus Life and honors those lost and injured on April 16, 2007. It features items of condolence from around the nation and world.

Among the artifacts on display will be an eight-pointed star quilt from St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana, large banners signed by people in Seoul, South Korea, a work of calligraphy from Japan based on the Buddhist Heart Sutra, and a painting by students at Rappahannock County High School. The exhibit will also include items from the State University of New York Morrisville, Florida State University, Virginia Tech Graduate Arts Council, Hillel, Living Buddhism, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the New River Valley.

Hand made quilt from Saint Labre Academy, in the April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives
Hand made quilt from Saint Labre Academy, in the April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives

A display in the windows of Special Collections on the 1st floor of Newman Library will also reflect the “Holding the Light” theme. Most of the items on display were either left at the Drillfield memorial in the aftermath of April 16th or from vigils at other places in remembrance of the victims and in honor of the survivors.

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Goggles placed at the VT Drillfield memorial site in the April 16, 2007, Condolence Archives, will be on display.

The second exhibit, “A Community of Learners, a Legacy of Achievement,” will feature photographs of each of the 32 victims and a selection of books that reflect their individual disciplines and interests.

In addition to these two exhibits, a small garden space for quiet reflection outside of Squires Student Center’s Old Dominion Ballroom will be available to the community. The garden features a large inscribed rock received from Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi, and stones from previous April 16 Perspective Gallery Exhibitions. Itawamba Community College planted a dogwood tree in honor of the victims, and this garden also includes a dogwood tree.

A small garden space outside of Squires Student Center. Photo by Robin Boucher
The Remembrance garden space outside of Squires Student Center is always open for quiet reflection. Photo by Robin Boucher.

For more information on the 2019 Day of Remembrance, please visit the We Remember website.

Expressions of Remembrance: April 16th 10th anniversary exhibits

As part of Virginia Techs annual observance of its Day of Remembrance, condolence items and artifacts received by the university in the days that followed April 16, 2007, will be displayed at several locations across campus. The displays are among several “Expressions of Remembrance” that will be located in Newman Library, Squires Student Center, Moss Arts Center, and Holtzman Alumni Center; they are free and open to the public.

Each year, in observance of the Day of Remembrance, University Libraries at Virginia Tech displays materials from the April 16 Condolence Archives and invites the community to reflect and remember.

Below is a list and photos of exhibits all around campus. For more on each, please see the press release and the We Remember website.

Sending You All Our Love

The exhibit will include materials received from other colleges and universities, as well as some of the large white boards and signs created on the Drillfield the week of April 16, 2007. Additional items include flags, t-shirts, and condolence books, and a quilt from the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance at State University of New York College at New Paltz. The exhibit title came from one of the quilt squares, each of which was made by a SUNY student.

This display can be seen April 8-16 in the Old Dominion Ball Room in Squires Student Center.

Remembering Those Lost

Artifacts include flags flown over the Statue of Liberty and at Tikrit Air Academy in Iraq by soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom; Farham Aboussalis painting Ceremonial Eternity; Carol Davis 32 hand-decorated eggs; Marilyn Rogges painting of a child releasing a red balloon; a KoKeshi Doll from the U.S. Navy Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan; and some of the paper cranes received.

This display will be held April 8-16 at Newman Library Special Collections (first floor). Part of the exhibit is in the windows of Special Collections onto the cafe, open during library hours. A second portion of the exhibit is inside Special Collections, open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.

A Community of Learners, a Legacy of Achievement

A selection of books will be displayed to honor of the students and faculty lost on April 16, 2007.

This display will be held April 8-16 at Newman Library Learning Commons.

Communities of Caring

A digital exhibit featuring community expressions of support from the April 16 Condolence Archives.

This display is available online at http://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/exhibits/show/april16/introduction.

Communities of Caring April 16th 2017 digital exhibit
Communities of Caring April 16th 2017 digital exhibit

April 16 Condolence Archive display

Items include cards and letters written to police and first responders; a display of the badges of police units who came to help Virginia Tech; Cheryl Thompsons painting, Remember the 32; condolence books; quilted squares from Union Village United Methodist Church; black marble laserworks by David Cunningham, and April 17th Hokies United by Miss Prices second grade class from Riverlawn Elementary, Fairlawn, Virginia.

This display will be held April 12-May 3 at the Holtzman Alumni Center.

Passages

A quiet, contemplative space for remembrance and reflection, this display will include prayer flags from the Virginia Tech Graduate Arts Council, Hillel, Living Buddhism, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the New River Valley and photographs from the community.

This display will be held April 12-16 at the Miles C. Horton Jr. Gallery and Sherwood P. Quillen 71 Reception Gallery in Moss Arts Center.

In Support of the Veterans in Society NEH Summer Institute

Masthead for the Veterans in Society Summer Institute website
Masthead for the Veterans in Society Summer Institute

For months, co-directors Jim Dubinsky of the English Department and Bruce Pencek of the Library, along with Heidi Nobles have been working to plan and seeking to provide for every detail necessary to make this three-week long NEH-supported Summer Institute for College and University Teachers a reality. This past Monday (the 11th) was the first day in a schedule that will have the 25 extraordinarily accomplished participants from all over the country in Blacksburg this week and in D.C. next week before returning to Blacksburg for the third and final week of the program.

The official name of the Institute is “Veterans in Society: Ambiguities and Representations.” The impressive list of faculty include Jonathan Shay, author of Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character and Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming. Among his other accomplishments, Shay has served as the Chair of Ethics, Leadership, and Personnel Policy in the office of the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and, in 2007, received a MacArthur fellowship for his work on trauma and the moral injuries of war. Jim Marten is past president of the Society of Civil War Historians, author many books, including Sing Not War: Civil War Veterans in Gilded Age America and the award-winning The Children’s Civil War. Donna Musil is a documentary filmmaker, writer and activist, whose film, Brats: Our Journey Home will be shown as part of a three-show film series that is open to the public. More about that in a moment. Actually, these are just three of the stellar faculty that are participating in the Institute along with Tech’s own Paul Quigley, Director of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and James I. Robertson, Jr. Associate Professor of Civil War History; Edward Fox, Professor of Computer Science; and David Cline, also from the History Dept. and who specializes in 20th century U.S. social movements, oral history, and public history. You get the idea . . . and I’ve left all kinds of folks out. For a complete list, see the Institute’s terrific website.

So, what is it that all these fine folks have come to Virginia Tech to discuss and study? Broadly speaking, they are defining the dynamic that may be leading to the emergence of a new interdisciplinary field, that of Veterans Studies. More specifically, the topics range widely, from the ways in which classical literature may play a part in understanding and assisting veterans to the role commemoration and monument building play in cultural memory and the process of reconciliation following war; from the ways in which stories of military service can be captured in oral history to a consideration of the unique perspectives offered by women veterans; from asking, “Who is a veteran?” and considering the social status of veterans to the effects of war on military children and the ways the voices of veterans emerge in music and literature . . . and everything in between and beyond. The reality is that the fact and aftermath of military service define threads that run through every culture, across the generations, and have an impact on the most significant aspects of life and society. Through the seminars, presentations, and activities listed on the Institute’s syllabus, the participants will seek to investigate these and other questions, while defining the beginnings of individual research projects.

Display of materials related to veterans at Special Collections for the Summer Institute
Display of materials related to veterans at Special Collections for the Summer Institute

On their second full day in Blacksburg, the members of the Institute had an opportunity to hear about collections of primary sources that may be of interest to them at Special Collections. We set up a display of a few documents and other items and, after a brief introduction, made that exhibit available to them, and to the library community for much of the week. While some of the materials have been displayed before, there were several items that have not been exhibited in recent memory.

Theophilus Cocke Letter, 1907, Ms2008-057
Theophilus Cocke Letter, 1907, Ms2008-057

For example, to the right is a scan of a letter written in 1907 by Theophilus Cocke of Carroll County, Virginia. Mr. Cocke was a veteran of the Mexican War (!) writing about the provisions of a new pension bill that would raise his allotment from $12 per month to $20.

In a letter written from Kansas in June 1865, H. E. Norton complained that veteran members of his Michigan Brigade were due to be mustered out following the end of the Civil War, but were instead sent west. He writes, “[I]t is Generally Believed that the Michigan Brigade was Basely sold by the Governor of the State of Michigan for we could never have been transfered to this Dept. if he had not consented to it.” Norton ended up in Nebraska Territory. Extended tours are, apparently, nothing new.

From the Conan W. Vaughan Papers, Ms1991-050: photographs from the European theater, 1945; a copy of Stars and Stripes; a French 10 franc note; and a piece of a German Ju-88 shot down over Iceland
From the Conan W. Vaughan Papers, Ms1991-050: photographs from the European theater, 1945; a copy of Stars and Stripes; a French 10 franc note; and a piece of a German Ju-88 shot down over Iceland

Once in Washington, the Summer Institute participants will spend a day at the Library of Congress and visit Arlington National Cemetery. They’ll talk about the LC’s Veterans History Project and stop at the Confederate memorial, Arlington House, and the U.S. Colored Troops graves. On the way back to Blacksburg, they’ll stop at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford.

Back in town, there will be more seminars, more opportunity to explore topics of interest, and to discuss ideas with the other participants. More time to check out primary sources.

Veterans In Society Summer Institute Presents Film Night
Veterans In Society Summer Institute Presents Film Night

There is also a public component to all of this. The Institute is sponsoring a Free Movie Night. The showing of Coriolanus has already gone, but on July 21st they will be showing The Best Years of Their Lives, a terrific, Oscar-winning movie about returning World War II vets, and on July 25th will be a showing of Brats: Our Journey Home, the documentary mentioned above, with writer and director Donna Musil on hand. These shows begin at 7PM in the MultiPurpose Room on the first floor of Newman Library. Again, the public is invited and admission is free!

Words of Comfort: An exhibit of letters from around the world in the April 16th Condolence Archives

Things have been busy in the University Archives of Special Collections this month, with two exhibits going up this and next week. The first is the memorial exhibit honoring the memory of the victims and survivors of the tragic day of April 16, 2007. Every year we commemorate that day with an exhibit of items from the April 16th Condolence Archives. Please read the press release below to find out more about this year’s event.

The second is an update to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association’s (VTAA) Alumni Museum, with whom Special Collections has worked for over a decade to provide university memorabilia for display. Several archivists and students have been selecting items to update the current display, which will be installed next week. There is no end date for the display of these items, as we plan to continue working with the VTAA for years to come. Also, if you are attending next weekend’s Black Alumni Reunion, you will get to see several additional photographs from the university archives of many pioneering Black female students and alumnae at Virginia Tech, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first six Black women to attend the university in 1966: Linda (Adams) Hoyle, Jackie (Butler) Blackwell, Linda (Edmonds) Turner, Freddie Hairston, Marguerite Laurette (Harper) Scott, and Chiquita Hudson. You can learn more about them at The Black Women at Virginia Tech History Project.

Words of Comfort: An exhibit of letters from around the world in the April 16th Condolence Archives

Day of Remembrance display in Newman Library shares words of comfort and hope

Following April 16, 2007, schools, fellow universities, children, community and religious groups, businesses, and other individuals from around the world sent words of comfort and hope to Virginia Tech. These cards, letters, signs, and other handwritten items expressed the world’s condolences and gave Virginia Tech a global community of support.

This week, on April 15-16, many of these items will be on display in the Multipurpose Room on the first floor of Newman Library at 560 Drillfield Drive in Blacksburg. The exhibit, “Words of Comfort: An exhibit of letters from around the world in the April 16th Condolence Archives,” is free and open to the public, and will be on display from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

These items represent over 40 countries and every continent, showing the outpouring of support from around the globe. Selected items on display include:

The materials are part of the Virginia Tech April 16, 2007 Condolence Archives of the University Libraries.

Campus visitors also left symbols of comfort and signs of support at memorials around Virginia Tech, which were displayed on campus for several months before being gathered and inventoried under the direction of the University Archivist. Together, the collection consists of more than 89,000 materials available through Special Collections in Newman Library.

In the summer of 2007, many items were digitally photographed for preservation and to share with the world. A large portion of the Condolence Archives of the University Libraries is now publicly available online.

The upcoming exhibit is organized and curated by LM Rozema, processing and special projects archivist for the University Libraries Special Collections, and Robin Boucher, arts program director for Student Engagement and Campus Life.

Free parking is available on weekends at the Squires Student Center and Architecture Annex lots along Otey Street. Before 5 p.m. on weekdays, a valid Virginia Tech parking pass is required to park in these lots. Find more parking information online, or call 540-231-3200.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact LM Rozema at 540-231-9215 during regular business hours prior to the event.

For more information and other expressions of remembrance, please visit the We Remember site.

Breaking News: You can follow us on twitter, @VT_SCUA!

Recently, our graduate student Rebecca asked about our twitter account – the question being why aren’t we on twitter yet?! Thanks to her prompting, we now are – check us out at @VT_SCUA!

Our twitter @VT_SCUA
Our Twitter @VT_SCUA

Our first post you will notice is about the exhibit currently on display in our reading room windows about the history of African American female students and student groups at Virginia Tech. And guess what….one of our student volunteers, Alexis, came up with the idea and put it together!

Part of exhibit on African American Women at Virginia Tech
Part of exhibit on African American Women at Virginia Tech

With millions of users on Twitter, it’s a great way to stay current with different Virginia Tech departments and other libraries. Also, we hope the website will encourage our users to engage with us by asking questions, sharing their ideas, or notifying us of relevant stories and news. Because of its nature – being only 140 characters per tweet, we’ll be able (we hope) to share with our followers and others a bit more frequently than we are able to just via our blogs. Some tweets to look for from us include photos of neat items from our collections; announcements of new finding aids, new exhibits, or digital exhibits; upcoming events; and new blog posts on either this blog or our food and drink blog, What’s Cookin’ @ Special Collections?!

We hope that you will enjoy this new way to interact with us at @VT_SCUA!