A First Class Fool March 23, 2025
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Art exhibit, Grolier Club, Mark Twain, NYC, photography, Samuel Clemens
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Mark Twain remains a national treasure. This wonderful exhibit at the Grolier Club of the private collection of Susan Jaffe reminds us of Mark Twain‘s brilliance and charm. A First-Class Fool: Mark Twain and Humor examines the humorist Samuel Clemens, who crafted the great “Mark Twain” persona. Twain identified as a “first-class fool,” capturing his dual literary role as a simple, folksy author and speaker on the one hand, and an intelligent, cultured, and nuanced literary craftsman on the other. Twain worked carefully to construct his public persona, and his legacy continues to influence humorists to the present day. With more than 120 works drawn from the private collection of Susan Jaffe Tane, A First-Class Fool presents first and rare editions of Twain’s published works, including presentation copies, first periodical appearances, and uncommon variants; books from Twain’s library and other personal effects; autograph letters and manuscripts; photographs; and a wide variety of ephemera. This free exhibit is on through April 5th.
Be All You Can Be October 8, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Be all you can be, books, Grolier Club, libraies, NYC, photography, US military
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The Grolier Club on East 60th Street is a hidden gem in NYC. I try to see each exhibit they present. The latest one is called ‘The Best-Read Army in the World’ and is fascinating. It just opened and will be on exhibit thru December. The NY Times coincidentally had a terrific article in yesterday’s paper about this exhibit. It is about the power of books at a time of censorship and repression and tells the story of how the US military fought against propaganda and promoted free thought by disseminating more than one billion books, magazines and newspapers to 16 million troops during WW2 across the world. 
You are what you eat August 20, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, art exhibitions, Grolier Club, Henry Voight, Menus, NYC, photography
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This ‘delicious’ show, which was at The Grolier Cub and was fascinating. It idiosyncratically and chronologically told the story of American gastronomy, and the country itself—in menus. It seems menus came into general use n the 1840’s when only the upper class dined outside the home. The exhibit included menus from restaurants, banquets, soup kitchens, private yachts, and even houses of ill repute.“It’s like a 15-degree slice of history,” said menu collector Henry Voigt, who adroitly curated the show. “You’re looking from a different perspective. It’s not just what people were eating, but what they were doing, with whom they were doing it, and what they valued. It’s a mirror of society. Yes, it runs along class lines, but it represents all classes in various ways. They’re minor historic documents that reflect everyday life. The QR codes that one gets in restaurants these days is depressingly dull. The New Yorker did a piece on Henry Voigt, the collector. You can read it here. The Grolier Club is closed in August but I look forward to seeing their upcoming exhibits in the fall. 
No shit, Sherlock February 27, 2022
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, Grolier Club, no shit sherlock, NYC, photography, Sherlock Holmes
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I am a big fan of the character Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The expression No shit, Sherlock is believed to have originated between the 1940’s to 1950’s. I remember using that term while in high school to state the obvious. One of the first known uses of the expression in popular culture was in the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors. Sherlock Holmes in 221 Objects draws upon the preeminent collection assembled by Glen S. Miranker, rich in bibliographic rarities, manuscripts, books, correspondence, and artwork, all with fascinating stories to tell. Named for the address of the detective’s Baker Street lodgings, the exhibition presents items that will intrigue bibliophiles, Sherlockians, and general audiences and is running until April 16 at the Grolier Club on East 60th Street. Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed literary human character in film and television history, having appeared on screen 254 times as of 2012. Here is a list of actors who have played Sherlock Holmes. 
While at the Zoo 