Huntington Verso

When Velasco’s painting arrived at The Huntington, a few lines of printed text could be seen at the bottom of the work. Infrared reflectography, a process that can detect layers of detail not visible to the naked eye, has revealed what lies beneath the painting’s surface.

The exhibitions “Storm Cloud: Picturing the Origins of Our Climate Crisis” and “Growing and Knowing in the Gardens of China” trace the dovetailing histories of the relationship between humans and the environment and emphasize the significant role that close observation has played in art, science, and ethics.

What may be the first aerial photographs of Pasadena, captured in 1909, were the product of a risky—almost disastrous—undertaking. When photographer Harold A. Parker was on the balloon American, he took photos of the city from the air. But the journey became harrowing when the balloon flew off course.

More than a century has passed since the iconic Victoria water lily last graced The Huntington’s botanical collections. Today, you’ll find these intriguing tropical giants growing in the basin of the North Vista’s fountain and in the Lily Ponds on the south side of the property.

Provenance, or the ownership history of a valued item, is generally associated with works of art. But plant provenance has become increasingly important as theft from botanical collections and the wild escalates. In response, The Huntington has joined an international working group focused on raising awareness of the problem.

The Huntington has acquired a 1543 “Fabrica” by Andreas Vesalius, whose book revolutionized the field of anatomy. The volume’s reunion with the Los Angeles County Medical Association’s collection at The Huntington not only restores a cornerstone of medical history but fosters deeper connections among the Library’s medical treasures.

Thomas Young’s 1896 volume of original poems and songs is among the few books by African American authors to have been published in the American West before the 20th century. Young’s as-yet-unheard voice belongs to the longer tradition of Black literature and, more broadly, American literature.

The scientific voyage of the HMS “Challenger” nearly 150 years ago defined the field of modern oceanography and continues to inform climate change studies to this day. As both a global expedition and a staggering publication series, the “Challenger” synergized art, craft, and science to visualize Earth’s mysterious underwater world.

Thanks to digital technology, it’s possible for anyone with a smartphone to create galleries of captivating plant images. But this is just the latest chapter in a long love affair between photographers and plants—many examples of which are documented in The Huntington’s collections.

Albrecht Dürer’s travels to Italy and beyond shaped him as an artist, and his influence on artistic contemporaries transformed European art.

In July 1776, the Second Continental Congress considered it imperative that the official text of the Declaration of Independence be disseminated as quickly and widely as possible.

Joseph Hansen, whose novels chronicle significant shifts in gay life between 1970 and the early 1990s, is best known for his series featuring the openly and unapologetically gay private investigator Dave Brandstetter.