Exhibits

Current

Center for American History, Reseach and Collections, Austin
Fighter pilot 1st Lt. Bill Grosvenor.	"Last Best Hope: A True Story of Escape, Evasion, and Remembrance" On exhibit at the Center for American History Research and Collections, Reading Room Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 2 The University of Texas at Austin Through April 2008 “Last Best Hope” explores the moral courage expressed by ordinary Belgian citizens, disenfranchised by Hitler’s brutal fascist regime, who came together in extraordinary ways to aid one downed American fighter pilot during the Second World War. At the heart of the story is Abilene, Texas, resident Bill Grosvenor, a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot who fell from the skies over Belgium and into the hands of the Resistance in 1943. Nearly 60 years later, Grosvenor was reunited with his helpers in Belgium who fought against tyranny and oppression in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in the streets of Brussels. Through painstaking research, the film’s producers located dozens of individuals in Belgium who helped Grosvenor during his period of evasion. Much of the film was produced on location in Belgium and includes interviews with Grosvenor’s helpers in the Resistance. During a July, 2001, production, a group of aviation archeologists excavated Grosvenor’s P-47 from the meadow where he crashed in 1943, and the filmmakers were there to capture this historic event on camera. Original footage shot for the film as well as documentation and photographs amassed during the film’s research phase will be archived at the Center for scholarly research purposes. The exhibit is free and open to the public. exhibit hours and directions For more information e-mail Lynn Bell or call (512) 495-4452.
Center for American History, Reseach and Collections, Austin
The Washington Miller family, photograph by Henry Norman; Tom and Joan Gandy Collection, The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.	*Natchez on the Mississippi, 1870-1910* On exhibit at the Center for American History Research and Collections, Reading Room Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 2 The University of Texas at Austin Through August 2008 Natchez on the Mississippi showcases 58 images by Henry Norman, a photographer who worked in Natchez, Mississippi, from 1870 until his death in 1913. Norman’s camera documented daily life in the historic river port town of Natchez in the last decades of the 19th century when steamboats and cotton still dominated transportation and commerce. His wide-ranging work includes images of the luxurious interiors of the great paddlewheel steamboats; studio portraits of African American families and Jewish merchants; photographs of Natchez street scenes, buildings, and plantation mansions; pictures of Natchez citizens observing official occasions and enjoying leisure time; and images of notorious Natchez-Under-the-Hill. Henry Norman’s photographs provide a remarkable visual record of the unique town of Natchez, Mississippi, from the Civil War through the Victorian era and into the 20th century. The exhibit was curated by Dr. Thomas Gandy, a Natchez physician, and his wife, Joan Gandy, who acquired the Norman collection in 1960 and spent 25 years cleaning and printing the glass plate negatives. The exhibition prints in Natchez on the Mississippi were acquired by the Center and added to its Littlefield Southern History Collections, one of the nation’s principal resources for research on topics related to the history of the 11 states that seceded from the Union in 1860 and 1861. exhibit hours and directions For more information e-mail Lynn Bell or call (512) 495-4452.
Flatbed Press & Gallery, Austin
J. M. White steamboat, photograph by Henry Norman; Tom and Joan Gandy Collection, The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin. The Center for American History gratefully acknowledges the Creative Research Laboratory, University of Texas Department of Art and Art History, for the use of its gallery space at Flatbed Press.	*Kings of the River: Steamboat Transportation in the American South* On exhibit at Flatbed Press & Gallery 2830 East MLK Jr. Blvd. Austin, Texas 78702 Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment. Extended gallery hours are on Wednesdays until 8 p.m. Through May 24, 2008 Kings of the River showcases 33 images of historic riverboats by Henry Norman, a photographer who worked in Natchez, Mississippi from 1870 until his death in 1913. Norman’s camera documented daily life in the historic river port town of Natchez in the last decades of the 19th century when steamboats and cotton still dominated transportation and commerce. Henry Norman’s photographs provide a remarkable visual record of the great paddlewheel steamboats, including images of thier crews, passengers, and luxurious interiors. The images of riverboats in this exhibit are drawn from a larger photograph exhibition of historic Natchez on the Mississippi curated by Dr. Thomas Gandy, a Natchez physician, and his wife Joan Gandy. The Gandys acquired the Norman collection and spent 25 years printing the glass plate negatives. All 116 exhibition prints were acquired by the Center and added to its Littlefield Southern History Collections, one the nation’s principal resources for research on topics related to the history of the 11 states that seceded from the Union in 1860 and 1861. For more information e-mail Lynn Bell or call (512) 495-4452.