Category: Collection Highlight

New Acquisition: World War I Vignette Collection

In recognition of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, we are highlighting a recent acquisition of two short sketched vignettes in watercolor documenting University of Oregon student life during and after World War I.

“Over Here: A Striking Scenerio [sic] of Present Day Events,” 1918 (18 pages)

A vignette of a day in the life of a young woman living in Eugene during World War I. The sketches depict a morning routine, Villard Hall, the Rex Theatre.

 

“When the Boys Came Home: A Scenario in One Act,” 1919 (11 pages)

Depicts the expectations and realities of soldiers returning to campus. Each page contains a perception of those on the home front and the actual scenario of soldier reintegration into civilian life. The sketches include Eugene City Hall, and Obak Amusement Co. (a student favorite for billiards and bowling).

 

—Lauren Goss, Accessioning and Processing Archivist

New Acquisition: A Sammelband of Four Works by Johann Joachim Becher, 1680

Special Collections and University Arvhives is pleased to announce the acquisition of a collection of works by the German polymath Johann Joachim Becher (1635-1682), including Experimentum Chymicum Novum: Quo Artificialis & Instantanea Metallorum Generatio Et Transmutatio, Nochmaliger Zusatz über die Unter-erdische Naturkündigung, Oedipus Chymicus oder Chymischer Rätseldeuter, and Trifolium.

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Oregon Country Fair in the Local News

Ever since the annual Oregon Country Fair commenced in 1969, it has remained a communal space for self-expression, environmentalism, food, music, art and all other forms of creativity imaginable. SCUA’s KEZI-TV/Chambers Communication collection is home to outtakes, B-roll, and news segments of the fair dating back to the 1970’s. Held in Veneta, Oregon just outside of Eugene, this is an event which strongly embodies the spirit of the region. Examining this collection has taught me how unique and deeply-rooted western Oregon’s multifaceted brand of forward-thinking truly is.

-Michael O’Ryan, Curatorial Assistant

New Digital Collection: John Yeon Drawings

Special Collections and University Archives and Oregon Digital have recently published the John Yeon architectural drawing digital collection featuring the work of Oregon architect John Yeon (1910-1994).

Residential house plan.
Series LIX: Watzek House, Portland, OR, 1937, Coll 333, University of Oregon Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, OR.

Yeon was an Oregon architect, landscape architect, and conservationist best known for his role in developing the Northwest regional architectural style. The collection consists of architectural drawings for projects, both built and unrealized, including plans, sections, elevations, details, tracings, and blueprints.

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Collection Highlight: Vanport City, Oregon Photo Albums

Vanport, Oregon was a wartime public housing project built to shelter Kaiser Shipyard employees working in Portland and Vancouver, Washington. The city was destroyed in May 1948 when a 200-foot section of the dike holding back the Columbia River collapsed during a flood, killing 15 and leaving its population of largely African-American inhabitants homeless.

Two photo albums regarding the history of Vanport have recently been made available in Special Collections and University Archives. The Vanport, Oregon construction photograph album (PH203_064) and the Vanport, Oregon flood photograph album (PH203_025) document the city before and after the disaster.

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