On January 9th, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited the Society of Friends Library and Archives.  This was a very different experience to the British National Library/Archives visit that I attended on January 3rd in that it was far more relaxed.  For instance, I was able to take pictures of documents that I sought to learn more about, which I was unable to do in the British National Library.  I was also able to search for materials in a much easier manner due to the fact that most of the archives were directly laid out for me to read.  I did not have to use a separate database like I did in the British National Library.  

The experience at the Society of Friends Archives primarily focused on documents that highlighted the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939 and ended in a Nationalist victory under General Francisco Franco.  One document in this archive that caught my attention in particular was called “Help the Children of Spain”.  This archival document that I analyzed appeared to be a pamphlet highlighting the experiences of refugees during the Spanish Civil War, issued from a Quaker relief organization in England.  Due to its typed-out nature and especially its rudimentary language, this made for a relatively simple read.  However, the imagery was really what set the tone and attracted me to it.  

The purpose of this pamphlet was to serve as a call for action towards providing support and relief for child refugees impacted by the Spanish Civil War.  The quote that this document most reminded me of is “The reality of the archive lies not only in the clues it contains, but also in the sequences of different representations of reality.  The archive always preserves an infinite number of representations of reality” (Farge 30).  I think that this experience was important in terms of broadening my knowledge on the Spanish Civil War, and I am glad that I was able to find documents that helped me understand what it felt like in real time for child refugees who sought support from relief organizations in England and other countries.

In calling for support for Spanish Civil War refugees, this pamphlet also loosely contrasts a later stance taken by Virginia Woolf in regards to the individuals who participated in the Spanish Civil War.  In her treatise Three Guineas, Woolf describes how the patriarchy is far-reaching enough in society that taking up arms in Spain would simply not be possible for women, and that many of them would even be prevented from providing support for those impacted by the war.  She claims that only the daughters of educated men can make any sort of impact since the daughters of an educated men "possess the greatest power of all; that is, the influence that they can exert upon educated men" (Woolf 16).  In doing so, Woolf presents an effective yet more tacit method of providing support to the Spanish Civil War victims by asserting that even though daughters of educated men are constrained from directly helping war refugees, they can still act as the strings behind the action and influence their wealthy fathers to take action and support Spanish Civil War refugees.  This serves as evidence that attests to the claim that the Bloomsbury Group members, specifically Virginia Woolf, physically contributed to supporting Spanish Civil War efforts by influencing the discourse of the time and fundraising for them.

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Citation: “Help the Children of Spain". 1937? Library of the Society of Friends, London, UK. 

On January 9, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited the Black Cultural Archives.  This was a unique experience in that it allowed me to learn more regarding the culture of black individuals in Britain, which was in many ways both similar and different from that of black American culture.  In doing so, I was able to access a number of archival documents detailing black culture, history, and ideology.  One historical document that I analyzed today is an excerpt from The Body Politic: Women’s Liberation in Britain from 1971.  It specifically describes the historical role of black women in light of slavery and Western civilization.  The purpose of this pamphlet was primarily to educate the reader on the historical role and perception of the black woman in the Western world.  It also delved even further to describe how black men perceived black women as opposed to the white women that they also interacted with, and how these different perceptions contributed to current issues plaguing the modern black community, such as single-parent households and a lack of a clear identity for black men.  

My experience working with this document at the Black Cultural Archives was largely different from my experience working with archives in the British National Library.  Accessing archives at the British National Library was far more stringent than at the Black Cultural Archives.  It also helped that the archives in the Black Cultural Archives were organized in folders, which felt much easier for me to access than having to use a database.  Most importantly, I was able to take pictures of the archives that I read at the Black Cultural Archives, which was something that I was not able to do in the British National Library.  The quote that best resonates with my perception of this document is  “The reality of the archive lies not only in the clues it contains, but also in the sequences of different representations of reality.  The archive always preserves an infinite number of relations to reality” (30).  I feel that this quote is relevant to the piece that I read in this museum because it accurately reveals the different narratives and stereotypes that many groups created about black women.  It was eye-opening to understand that these stereotypes were once seen as reality a few centuries ago.  Overall, the document helped me gain a better understanding and appreciation of black history in Britain.

The concepts I learned in the Black Cultural Archives best resonate with a quote from the Mrs. Dalloway novel, which reads "As we are a doomed race, chained to a sinking ship, as the whole thing is a bad joke, let us, at any rate, do our part; mitigate the suffering of our fellow-prisoners; decorate the dungeon with flowers and air-cushions; be as decent as we possibly can (Woolf 2).  This quote occurs when the main character, Mrs. Dalloway experiences a philosophical meditation of sorts as she ages and contemplates about the changing dynamic of race in her society.  It is of significance in regards to black history as it shows author Virginia Woolf's awareness of racism being an evil ideology.  Such themes speaking out against racism were further highlighted in The Body Politic excerpt.  If one can conclude that The Body Politic educates individuals on the treatment of black individuals, it can also be inferred that Mrs. Dalloway almost serves as a call for action to stand against the acts of racism that The Body Politic highlights.

Citation: "The Body Politic: Women's Liberation in Britain, the Black Woman.  August 1971.  23/01/A. Black Cultural Archives, London, UK.

On January 10, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited the Kings College Library Archives in Cambridge University.  This was unique not only because I received a wonderful opportunity to visit one of the world's oldest universities (founded in 1209 AD!), but also in that I was able to access a number of documents detailing the firsthand experience of displaced victims of World War I.  One document that I analyzed today appears to be an excerpt of a book that describes the conditions of World War I victims in France as documented by the author of this piece, Roger Fry, who contributed to the formation of the Friends War Victims Relief Committee (FWVRC) to aid refugees.  It was issued in 1914, shortly after the First Battle of Marnes.  It is one of many archival documents in the King's College Library that describes the devastating living conditions of poor French war victims in the aftermath of the battle.  

The purpose of this document was to describe how much damage the war had caused to the general public.  What caught my interest the most about this particular archival document was its vivid verbal imagery of the post-battle environment.  The descriptions provided of Revigny, the French countryside, the destroyed churches, and more made me feel as though the author was standing right there in that chaotic environment, jotting down notes as the damage continued.  It was among some of the most vivid rhetoric that I've seen from a book that described the aftermath of a battle.   

My experience working with this document was slightly different than my experience working in the British National Library, though it was much more similar to my experiences handling archives at the Society of Friends and Black Cultural Archives.  Unlike the British Library, the experience that I had here at the Kings College Library did not feature such rigid regulation of documents.  Additionally, I was allowed to take pictures of the documents, which is something that I could not do in the British National Library.  Ultimately, I think that the quote that best resonates with my perception of this document is  “The physical pleasure of finding a trace of the past is succeeded by doubt mixed with the powerless feeling of not knowing what to do with it” (Farge 11).  This is because I believe that this document was also a trace of the past, and it was truly fascinating to see how such events of the past were recorded and described in real time back then. 

Citation: "The Friends Work for War Victims in France". September 1914. K/1/22. King’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. 

On January 11, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited the Women's Library within the London School of Economics.  This experience provided me with an excellent opportunity to learn about and read documents detailing firsthand World War II experiences.  One document that I analyzed today appears to be a pamphlet titled “It’s a Woman’s Work”.  It was issued in the year 1939, during the start of World War II.  It is one of many archival documents in the London School of Economics’ Women’s Library that describes the shift in the role of women in the workforce and public sphere during wartime.  The document is printed and typed, though on a seemingly laminated form of paper, much unlike what was used then.  There is plenty of descriptive imagery presented in the document itself.  The purpose of this pamphlet was primarily to encourage women to enter the police force.  The pamphlet educates women on the experiences of being a police officer, even going so far as to explain the qualifications needed for prospective applicants.  It even motivates prospective applicants by providing examples of women in the past who have succeeded as police officers despite coming from vastly different professions, such as factory workers, gardeners, dressmakers, and nurses.  Overall, it narrates a story of strength, one that displays just how powerful women can be when given the opportunity to prove themselves.  In this manner, the document portrays a firsthand, authentic account of the changing atmosphere in the workforce, with it being more inclusive towards women.  

What made me want to read through this pamphlet was its vivid, in-depth description of everything that a prospective applicant can expect on the job as a female police officer.  The document provided descriptions of learning to report an accident on-site, providing tips on how to practice self-defense, and explaining how one can rise through the ranks from serving as a constable to serving in higher ranks.  It was interesting to learn how a job application advertisement from an era nearly 84 years ago can sound so contemporary.  My experience working with this document was slightly different from my experience working in the British National Library, though it was much more similar to my experiences handling archives at the Society of Friends and Kings College Library.  Unlike the British Library, the experience that I had here at the Women’s Library did not feature such rigid regulation of documents.  Unlike the Black Cultural Archives, it was not as if I had to sift through documents stored in folders myself.  Much like the Society of Friends Archives, I was able to easily find a document that caught my attention because they were all laid out for me to read.  Furthermore, the documents were stored in small, clear plastic bags with an individual call number attached.  Additionally, I was allowed to take pictures of the documents, which is something that I could not do in the British National Library.  

I think that the quote that best resonates with my perception of this document is  “The archival document is a tear in the fabric of time, an unplanned glimpse offered into an unexpected event” (Farge 6).  I see this quote as describing the document really well because it would have been unheard of before the first or second World War to have women become more involved in the workforce, yet this document reflects an unexpected shift in perceptions of women’s roles in society.  We can even extrapolate this further to see that the pamphlet falls largely in line with the opinions voiced in Virginia Woolf’s novel Three Guineas, in which she fervently voices her support for increased opportunities, economic freedom, and equality for women in the workforce.  In this manner, it was truly fascinating to see how such events of the past were recorded and described in real time back then.. 

Citation: "It's a Woman's Work: Metropolitan Police".  1939. 363/22/3901006808. The Women’s Library Archives, London School of Economics, London, UK. 

On January 16, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited the Imperial War Museum Archives.  This was another location in which I was able to gain more insight on firsthand World War II experiences via archival documents.  Unlike the Women's Library, though, in which I learned about World War II from a British perspective, I actually learned more World War II-related history from the perspective of Jewish German refugees.  One document that I analyzed today was a letter written from a German mother to her daughter Ruth, who was living in England as a refugee from the Nazi regime that took over shortly before World War II.  The purpose of this letter being included in the Holocaust exhibit of the Imperial War Museum was primarily to educate those who entered the exhibit on how chilling the Holocaust truly was from the viewpoint of the victims and their families.  The letter is very simple; it is essentially a response to Ruth, who had written to her parents many months earlier asking about their wellbeing and whereabouts.  The document essentially highlights the terrifying experience of being a child refugee and going through family separation without ever knowing whether one can see their family members and relatives again.  This was an especially interesting document to read through because I had no prior experience reading firsthand archives from Holocaust victims and their families.  In that sense, this letter truly helped me understand the emotions of Ruth and her mother.  

My experience working with this document at the Imperial War Museum was largely different from my experience working with archives in the British National Library and other archives such as the Black Cultural Archives.  Most notably, I was able to take pictures of the archives that I read at the Imperial War Museum, which helped me store these documents as potential data to extract for my digital humanities project.  The quote that best resonates with my perception of this document is  “The reality of the archive lies not only in the clues it contains, but also in the sequences of different representations of reality.  The archive always preserves an infinite number of relations to reality” (30).  This is because this letter captures a version of reality that I had not been exposed to.. 

Citation: Personal Letters to Ruth Westheimer. 1940?. Holocaust Exhibit Collections. Imperial War Museum, Sussex, UK. 

On January 13, 2023, the Fresno State Study Abroad program visited The Tate Reading Rooms within The Tate Archives.  Much of the work stored here continued to focus on World War II both from the perspectives of British historians and Jewish refugees from Germany.  One archival document that I analyzed today is a pamphlet describing the inception of the Artists International Association (AIA), as well as some of its most significant activities since its formation in 1933.  The purpose of this pamphlet was primarily to showcase the Artists International Association and tout the organization’s extensive accomplishments over the years since 1938.  What caught my interest the most about this particular archival document was its content.  This was in fact one of the first times I have been attracted to an archival document based purely on its content and not on any other aesthetic factors.  Since I had minimal knowledge of the Artists International Association beforehand, though, I believed it to be ideal to learn more about the organization in this manner. .  

My experience working with this document at the Tate Reading Rooms was, in some ways, similar to my experiences handling documents at the British National Library.  Much like the British National Library, I had to discard my belongings in a separate cloakroom, while being led into a room that was largely similar to the Archives rooms that I entered in the British National Library.  What was different, though, was the fact that the call numbers were written on each individual document, which simplified the process of being able to record all important information for one document all at once.  Most importantly, the biggest difference between my experience at the British National Library versus this particular museum was that I was allowed to take pictures of the documents, which is something that I could not do in the British National Library.  

The quote that best resonates with my perception of this document is  “The reality of the archive lies not only in the clues it contains, but also in the sequences of different representations of reality.  The archive always preserves an infinite number of relations to reality” (Farge 30).  This is because I see this document as something that provides its own reality of a group that was quite important for our class due to the fact that key Bloomsbury members such as Duncan Grant joined this organization during their lives.  Overall, this document provided me with much insight on a group that had relevant connections to the Bloomsbury Group.

Citation: Artists International Association (AIA). London 20th Century German Art Exhibition Flyer. 1938? 7043/14/9. Tate Reading Rooms, Tate Britain, London, UK.