Among the items are an early example of Black women’s history from the perspective of a Black woman- The Work of the Afro-American Woman by Gertrude Bustill Mossell (1855–1948)-as well as others related to key moments and figures-from the Civil War to Josephine Bruce (1853–1923) to the Little Rock Nine-all of which point to a multigenerational political project of resistance and respectability. Drawn from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, these artifacts explore the Black community’s persistent struggles for emancipation, enfranchisement, and the right to quality education, highlighting how these efforts have intersected during the past two centuries. These selections, which rotate three times a year, provide an opportunity for Morgan curators to spotlight individual items in different ways-to consider their historical and aesthetic contexts, and some of the stories behind these artifacts and their creators.īelow are some highlights of the current rotation, including a special installation in the Rotunda entitled Fighting to Learn: Black Enfranchisement and Education in the Gilder Lehrman Collection.

Pierpont Morgan’s library reflect the past, present, and future of building collections in four curatorial departments, comprising illuminated manuscripts from the medieval and renaissance eras, five hundred years of printed books, correspondence and literary manuscripts, as well as printed music and autograph manuscripts by composers.

Embrace the Dawn by Kathleen Morgan