Identifying and Describing the Trumbull Prime Scrapbook "Hidden Collection"

This project involves the identification and description of a large collection of early European woodcuts, engravings, and etchings contained in more than forty scrapbooks assembled by William Cowper Prime in the 19th century and held by Watkinson Library at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. The contents of these scrapbooks range from woodcuts produced during the earliest period of printing in western Europe (15th century) to engravings and etchings made in the 18th century and include works by Durer, Cranach, Holbein, Rembrandt, and many others. These scrapbooks constitute a largely hidden collection within Watkinson that we are eager to make known and accessible to Trinity faculty, students, and outside researchers.

Students will work both to identify the contents of the individual scrapbooks and to produce a finding aid for the collection using ArchiveSpace. This will include producing a biographical note about the collection’s creator, detailed scope and contents notes, subject headings and more.

Since creation of a finding aid is one of the goals of this project, interested students should ideally have some familiarity with ArchiveSpace.

NOTE: This is an on-site project that requires students to work with the materials in the Watkinson Library reading room. Watkinson Library is open M-F from 8:30-4:30.