Morris at Iowa: The William Morris Archive and the Kelmscott Press
Channel: Special Collections & Archives, UIowa Libraries
Date: 2021-11-18

Iowa Bibliophiles is a group for book lovers and enthusiasts of all kinds. Join us each month as we bring in a guest speaker to talk about some aspect of book collecting, book history, book making, and more. 
 
On November 10th, Florence S. Boos, a professor of English at Iowa and the general editor of the William Morris Archive, reflected on some of the many stages of the Morris presence at Iowa.

 Boos explains why this pioneering nineteenth-century writer, designer, and political figure remains of contemporary relevance, demonstrating the Archive’s internal structure and use, and identifying some of its unique features. The talk also recounts some of the Archive’s complicated sixteen-year history and the behind-the-scenes processes which enable its database and search features.

The University of Iowa Libraries is a fitting home for the Archive, due to the many Morris letters, Kelmscott Press books, and other related items housed in Special Collections & Archives. Boos describes the importance of these materials, and then identifies some of the natural design features of Morris’s first, widely influential fine arts press, using examples from our collection as well as the magnificent Kelmscott Chaucer.

Check out the online William Morris Archive here: https://morrisarchive.lib.uiowa.edu/

#iowabibliophiles
#florenceboos
#williammorris

The University of Iowa Acknowledgement of Land and Sovereignty:
The University of Iowa is located on the homelands of the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe (Chippewa), Báxoǰe (Iowa), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Omāēqnomenēwak (Menominee), Myaamiaki (Miami), Nutachi (Missouri), Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), Wahzhazhe (Osage), Jiwere (Otoe), Odawaa (Ottawa), Póⁿka (Ponca), Bodéwadmi/Neshnabé (Potawatomi), Meskwaki/Nemahahaki/Sakiwaki (Sac and Fox), Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda (Sioux), Sahnish/Nuxbaaga/Nuweta (Three Affiliated Tribes) and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nations. The following tribal nations, Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa), Póⁿka (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), Meskwaki (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa), and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) Nations continue to thrive in the State of Iowa and we continue to acknowledge them. As an academic institution, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the sovereignty and the traditional territories of these tribal nations, and the treaties that were used to remove these tribal nations, and the histories of dispossession that have allowed for the growth of this institution since 1847. Consistent with the University's commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, understanding the historical and current experiences of Native peoples will help inform the work we do; collectively as a university to engage in building relationships through academic scholarship, collaborative partnerships, community service, enrollment and retention efforts acknowledging our past, our present and future Native Nations.

To learn more about the four tribal nations still thriving in the State of Iowa, please check out these sites: 

Meskwaki (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa):  
https://iowaculture.gov/history/educa... 
https://www.meskwaki.org/​ 

Umoⁿhoⁿ  (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa): 
https://nebraskaeducationonlocation.o... 

 Póⁿka (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska):
 https://www.poncatribe-ne.org/​ 

Ho-Chunk (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) Nations:
 https://ho-chunknation.com/