Written by Jessica Cebra, ICFA Departmental Assistant The Dumbarton Oaks Annual Report recaps the institution’s initiatives and achievements of the previous year, including exhibitions, publications, lectures, and fieldwork. The reports for the academic years 1957-1958 and 1960-1961 modestly note Robert Van Nice’s leave of absence to spend “several weeks on Mt. Sinai assisting the expedition … Continue reading »
As a treat to start off the new year, we are proud to present the international debut of the Basically Byzantine Singers. Over the holidays, Bob Ousterhout managed to find the original cassette recording of the Santa Sophia song that we highlighted in our last post. Bob recalled that the Basically Byzantine Singers included himself, … Continue reading »
In October, we had the pleasure of meeting Robert Van Nice, Jr. and his wife, Dee, who came to visit ICFA and view the Van Nice archive. You might remember Bob, Jr. from his youthful drawing of Hagia Sophia, which was somewhat more abstract than the precise and meticulous architectural drawings of Robert Van Nice, … Continue reading »
We’re using the last few weeks of summer to clean up projects before the beginning of the Fall term and the arrival of the new set of Fellows. During this relatively quiet period, I’ve finally had a chance to clear out the shelves in my office. Well, some of them – there are other long-standing … Continue reading »
Written by Aly DesRochers, ICFA Intern The Image Collections and Fieldwork Archives at Dumbarton Oaks holds (among other things) thousands of photographs from Byzantine sites throughout the world. Most of these have been catalogued, printed and made available for researchers. But our archive still holds some mysteries amid its shelves and cold storage freezers. One such … Continue reading »
Somehow, this is my last week at ICFA, and I have to wrap things up! My first sustained adventure in the world of archives is rapidly coming to an end, and I’m feeling very grateful for the opportunity to work so closely with the Van Nice Collection. It feels a bit like I’m leaving two worlds … Continue reading »
Just when I thought I was close to the finish line….this happened: Yep, these are new Van Nice records, acquired from a colleague and friend of Van Nice’s, George Majeska, who inherited some of Van Nice’s materials after his death. Majeska kindly offered them to us, and of course we accepted! Among the treasures are … Continue reading »
We received a charming letter from Robert Van Nice’s daughter, Molly, the other day. It contained this post card: And a note that read: “The first time I saw this post-card…Dad said ‘Mol, your old man posed for this.’ It does look like him. Usually, he would describe himself as looking like a taxicab with … Continue reading »
I’m getting ready to wrap things up here with the Van Nice project. My year-long internship at ICFA will be ending in a few weeks, and I’m trying to tie up as many loose ends as I can before I leave. Here’s where things currently stand: all of the materials have been re-organized, but not … Continue reading »
We were all interested in a recent series of articles that appeared in the Atlantic discussing the possibility of true “discovery” in archives. In the first article, found here, Suzanne Fischer expresses the annoyance many archivists feel when researchers or reporters describe “stumbling upon” items previously “lost” in “dusty corners” of archives. These particular turns … Continue reading »
