All Work and No Play

Students using the Business Library over the summer exam season may, whilst taking a small break from revising, have noticed the display has changed from the subject of electricity to one probably closer to their hearts: the harsh reality of working life (albeit for children in the 18th and 19th centuries).  The concept of childhood we have today is largely a modern …

Meet Nottinghamshire’s People

Nottinghamshire’s People – Ancestral Stories from the Archives celebrates the lives of Nottinghamshire’s people and their communities. Family history is enormously popular despite – or perhaps because – tracing ancestors can be quite a challenge. Genealogists often use the classic family history sources, such as parish registers and the census, without exploring the other documents …

“Hitler is kaput!”: Soviet war poster victory celebrations

As Victory Day (Thursday 9 May) is marked across Europe, the celebratory sentiments of some of the Soviet propaganda posters featured in the online exhibition Windows on War, are still powerful, even though almost 70 years has passed since the war ended. The posters appeared almost daily in the windows of TASS, the Central Telegraph …

Saving the Soviet War Posters

I have recently finished working to conserve eight Russian posters; these plus many more posters can now be seen on our Windows on War online resource. The TASS posters were created during the difficult war years between 1943-45, although production ran from 1941 to 1946. They are known as TASS posters because they were produced …

Windows on War – guest blog by Laura Todd

Among the archives of Manuscripts and Special Collections, is the University’s rare collection of Soviet war propaganda posters, dating from 1943-1945. The collection was a gift from one of the University’s Professors of English, Vivian de Sola Pinto (1895-1969). The collection of posters is the largest in the UK and covers an array of different …

Water! is turned on

Water is an essential part of our everyday life, but most of us take the ability to turn on taps and flush away waste for granted. Water also has the power to destroy, which we were reminded of recently when floods caused damage and disruption to our local communities. A new exhibition, Water!, opened at …

Wollaton’s Virtual Antiphonal on display

Ticket holders to a special ‘Tombs and Tunes’ event at St Leonard’s Church, Wollaton on Monday, 26th November will discover more of the history of this Nottinghamshire parish church and will have an opportunity to hear about the 15th century Wollaton Antiphonal, which is on display in virtual form in the church. Dating from about …

Balls, Boots and Players goes live

Visitors to the Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts Centre, on University Park have a rare opportunity to see the stunning foundation charter of Nottingham High School, dating from 1512 and signed by Henry VIII.  The charter gave Sir Thomas  Lovell and Dame Agnes Mellers permission to found a school in Nottingham, ‘ever more to endure’, for …

Displaying D.H. Lawrence

Residents and visitors to Nottinghamshire are enjoying a fortnight of activities and events related to D.H. Lawrence, featured as part of Broxtowe Borough Council’s annual Lawrence Festival, which was launched on Wednesday 5 September.   The 1920s themed opening event included a preview of this year’s Festival exhibition, entitled ‘D.H. Lawrence Controversy on Canvas, The Warren Gallery, London, …

Manuscripts at Mayfest

Before May Fest, which took place on the 19th May, can become a distant memory, we’ve been having a review in Manuscripts and Special Collections of how the day went for us.  We had on offer presentations and interactive activities at two different venues on University Park, in Trent Building and at the D H Lawrence …