Remembering the Green Gander

The other day, whilst wandering around the stacks, I stumbled upon collections of the Green Gander. Being an editor of Iowa State’s literary journal, Sketch, and admiring collaborative magazines and works such as Trend, I was intrigued and had to scope out the printed publications for myself!  

In case you need a refresher, the Green Gander was a campus humor magazine, complete with ads, anecdotes, comics, and more. This previous blog post provides more information about the history of the magazine: Campus Humor-The Green Gander 

Cover of Green Gander Vol. 37 No. 3, RS 22/6/0/4, Box 3, Folder 4

The specific issue pictured above was published during the spring semester of 1953, exactly 70 years ago, and features an enticing short piece of fiction titled “The Love Life of a Space Cadet,” which chronicles an alien named Krzcl and his trouble with love. Small cartoon aliens provide visuals for the story.  

 

Figure 2 and 3: Cartoons featured in Vol. 37 No. 3

The Green Gander published quarterly each school year, oftentimes releasing issues for Fall, Christmas, Veishea, and more.  

In a Valentine’s-themed print from February of 1951, the magazine includes jokes and advertisements tailored to “all things romance.” This particular cover below features a photograph of a woman displayed inside an outline of a heart appearing to be in the middle of a very real nap, with her eyes closed, hair splayed perfectly out in waves, and her makeup flawless while a cut-out of a baby’s face looks up at her in awe. This same baby sporting different facial expressions can be found throughout the magazine, always placed next to pictures of stunning ladies from around campus. 

 

Cover for Vol. 35 No.3, RS 22/6/0/4, Box 3, Folder 2

It should be noted that the issues discussed in this post were published prior to the magazine’s makeover in 1959-60, which took place after complaints piled up regarding its unprofessional nature and “suggestive” humor. Publication ceased in 1960 but copies of these magazines remain here in SCUA. Should you decide to come check them out in our reading room (we’re located on the fourth floor of Parks library!) you’ll see that some of the material included in these issues are not necessarily up to today’s standards of what would be deemed “appropriate” and are a stark contrast to what students at the university publish today. Reader discretion is encouraged. 

Feel free to check out some of ISU’s current publications on Instagram!

• Sketch Literary Journal: @sketchlitjournal
• Trend Magazine: @trendmag_
• Iowa State Daily: @iowastatedaily
• Cardinal Eats Magazine: @cardinaleatsmag

New State Fair Exhibit

Iowa State University has a long, historical relationship with the Iowa State Fair. Iowa State has presented exhibits at the fair for different colleges, supported 4H in their endeavors, and had Extension present to help teach the community about new technology like electricity (see photo below).

University Photos, RS 16/1/E, Box 1328, Folder 6.
 1937

To celebrate this long relationship, we have a new exhibit on the 1st floor of Parks Library. The exhibit features photos of the “Butter Cow lady”, Norma Lyon, an alumna of Iowa State, 4H artifacts, general fair artifacts, and some of the earliest pictures we have from the State Fair in 1915.

Feel free to stop by whenever the library is open!

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Gallery Images:

• Iowa State University exhibit at Fair, 2011. University Marketing Photos.
• 4H Fair Program, 1948. Verneil Branstad Papers, RS 16/3/4/51, Box 1, Folder 6.
• Iowa State Fair souvenir program, 1948. Verneil Branstad papers,  RS 16/3/4/51, Box 1, Folder 7.
• Physical Education exhibit, 1930. University Photos, RS 16/1/E, Box 1328, Folder 5.
• Campanile model. University Photos, RS 16/1/E, Box 1329, Folder 6.
• Norma Lyon sculpting butter cow. No date. Norma Lyon Papers, RS 21/7/280, Box 1, Folder 14.

One Room Lincoln Township Schoolhouse

Lincoln Township Schoolhouse, 1870

I sometimes forget Iowa State is—

BIG.

Need the same reminder I do? Go back in time to this 1870 archival photo of a one room Lincoln Township one room schoolhouse.

Which do you prefer?

The Dark Plate of Dombey and Son

Buss, Robert William; Dickens’s Dream; Charles Dickens Museum, London; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/dickenss-dream-191221

Illustrations! When did books lose their way and stop putting them in?

At one point in Victorian literature, they were MORE IMPORTANT than the story! Yes, stop rolling your eyes. You see, at first Dickens’ phenomenon-starting The Pickwick Papers, was intended as window dressing for illustrator Robert Seymour’s drawings. However, floored by Dickens’ incredible imagination and energy, Seymour found the story dominated the drawings. Unable to keep pace and already in a bad mental state, Seymour committed suicide after several chapters had been published.

Still, illustrations remained key to Dickens’ stories for the rest of his career. Soon afterward, “Boz” (Dickens’ pen name) hired Hablot K. Browne (“Phiz”), who illustrated his books for the next 24 years. The popular images of many of Dickens’ characters: Scrooge, Uriah Heep, Wackford Squeers, and more come from Phiz’s faithful drawings.

And what great art! Let’s look at a special one.

Enter Dombey and Son, Dickens’ career hinge-point novel.

“On the Dark Road” by Phiz, relating a night scene of the novel uniquely featured a pre-tinted plate out of which the scene was drawn, one of the earliest examples of this method.

“On the Dark Road” by Phiz

Illustrations!

When you look at one so dark and exhilarating, don’t you want them back?

Come see “the Dark Plate” for yourself up in Special Collections and University Archives!

Summer Hours

Starting after Memorial Day, the reading room will be open 10-4, Monday-Thursday.

2 adult swans, 3 babies
1971 Bomb, page 64

As always, we can also be reached by email at archives@iastate.edu. Hope everyone has a fun and restful summer planned!

Vintage Beardshear

Beardshear Hall, 1920

As summer hits and many students go away from campus, it’s good to remember the beautiful buildings at Iowa State and what awaits upon return. Few Iowa State images are as iconic as Beardshear Hall.

Take a look back at Beardshear over 100 years ago in 1920!

Lovely Sights in Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Taisha, T. Kamei

For a great reason, Kyoto is the dream of many: a city so far away from our understanding of normal that its temples, rock gardens, forests, and districts float like a dream on our eyes.

Founded officially in 794, Kyoto eventually served as Japan’s imperial capital for over 1,000 years until post Meiji restoration, when the capital moved to Tokyo. However, Kyoto’s grand cultural monuments and atmosphere remain astounding. Here in Ames, Iowa, how can we voyage to so great a place?

Easily. In Special Collections, there is a gorgeous and simple print book Ten Lovely Sights in Kyoto, which gently captures Kyoto’s beauty. At the top is Fushimi Inari Taisha, one of the most popular shrines in Kyoto, famous for its thousands of torii gates spanning a whole mountainside.

Tofukuji, T. Kamei

Another famous sight is Tofukuji Temple, renowned especially for its fall foliage. Kyoto’s autumn colors are genuinely dazzling, ruby splashes across the mountainsides. Built originally in 1236, crowds gather on Tofukuji’s Tsutenkyo Bridge to look upon a red, orange, and yellow sea of maple leaves.

Come up to Special Collections and University Archives to see the other prints. It’ll be the best part of your day!

Ada Hayden’s Diploma

Ada Hayden’s Diploma

Do you have your shiny new diploma? Or are you fondly looking back at it framed upon your wall? For today’s inspiration, here’s the diploma of Ada Hayden, one of Iowa State University’s finest!

Summer Stroll Fashions!

Walking Dress, 1813

It’s about to be summer! Where are you going to walk to celebrate? And VERY importantly, what are you going to wear?

Check out this 1813 fashion plate of a “Walking Dress”! Maybe it’s your new fashion?

No Don Quixote? The Massive Influence of Amadis of Gaul

Confrontation of Knights in the Countryside by Eugene Delacroix, 1834

What’s a world without Don Quixote?

Imagine a Twilight Zone episode where the most influential novel of all time never existed. . .

All the books you love suddenly vanish out of your hands.

Books are more serious.

No Sancho Panza.

Yes, that’s right.

Yet what influenced the most influential?

Almost entirely forgotten except by the nerdiest of literary scholars (ahem, yes your friendly blog writer counts), a series of Spanish and Portuguese novels called Amadis of Gaul electrified the Iberian Peninsula with a mania for noble deeds, sorcery, and knights. Raised in Scotland by the knight Gandales, Amadis loves and battles his way through a series of adventures.

Over time, Spanish readers got deluged by sequels, threequels, fourquels, eightquels and more of Amadis of Gaul, written by various writers, and the market ballooned, many could not get enough of noble adventures!

Enter Don Quixote.

Amused and annoyed by the phenomena of knightly novels, Miguel de Cervantes got inspired to parody the genre. In Don Quixote, he singles out Amadis of Gaul as the progenitor of all the knightly novels and the finest. It is Don Quixote’s favorite book.

Discover for yourself this old masterpiece in a beautiful old edition at Special Collections and University Archives!