The text I selected is a play adaptation of Mulk Raj Anand’s Untouchable, put together by Kristine Landon-Smith and Sudha Bhuchar in 1989. The text is a stack of papers bound together with a red binding. It has been maintained in good condition. It has no distinct scents. The paper appears to be slightly yellowed, but is quite smooth. The text is in typewriter font, and 

It is written in the format of a play. The item relates to Bloomsbury as it deals with the theme of equality for all, which is central to the ideas shared by the Bloomsbury group. It was truly interesting learning about the voice that people of color have within the ideas of Bloomsbury. Many of the perspectives we most commonly hear from are those of white, affluent, European men and women. Mulk Raj Anand brought to the forefront of the intellectual discussions in Bloomsbury the issues of race, caste, and imperialism through his work, which few other members were doing to the extent and in the manner that he was. 

This was my first experience in the archives, and looking back, the archives in the British Library were a great first experience. Compared to the other archives we visited, the British Library had the most extensive selection. During our free time, some of my classmates even visited the archives to look through non-class related materials–family records. Additionally, when I went to the British Library for the first time, I was unaware of the difference between archival documents and standard library books. I observed that as opposed to purely educating, archival documents provide a glimpse into the past. Seeing the care with which these documents are handled in the library serve to underscore the gravity of this. This is what I appreciated most from this experience. 

Citation: Bhuchar, Sudha & Landon-Smith, Kristine. Playscript of Untouchable Novel by Mulk Raj Anand. 1989. Western Manuscripts Collection. MPS 4313. The British Library, London, UK. 

I looked at a notebook with “Drawings of Gratitude” from refugee children from the group “Helena”. This document is a spiral bound landscape style browning notebook with sketches and drawings from refugee children from Spain during the Spanish Civil War expressing their gratitude to the Quakers for their assistance. The papers are thin and grainy, however the details are surprisingly neat and detailed. The quote I chose was “The archival document is a tear in the fabric of time, an unplanned glimpse offered into an unexpected event” (6). This quote made me realize that archival documents can capture unanticipated glimpses of different perspectives on a historical event. In this case, the document captured the unexpected perspective of refugee children during the Spanish Civil War and their views on the war and the assistance they received from the Quaker community in the United Kingdom.

My experience here in the Society of Friends archives was very different from the one in the British Library. We had access to more than one document at one time and it was much less stringently regulated than in the British Library. I was also able to take pictures, which I was unable to do in the British Library. We were all able to enter the same archives at the same time, and there were numerous documents already laid out for us specific to our interests and purposes. With the British Library, we had to conduct a search in order to look for archival materials. This makes sense as the British Library has a far larger selection on a significantly broader range of topics, while the Library of the Society of Friends has archival materials specifically pertaining to the Quakers.

Citation: “Drawings of Gratitude”. 1940? FSC/R/SP/5 NPS 2094/5. Library of the Society of Friends, London, UK. 

The document that I selected for analysis was Alan Turing’s autopsy report and witness statements. The document contained 1 brown colored autopsy report stating Turing’s cause of death to be asphyxiation likely due to cyanide poisoning. The remaining sheets were witness testimonies including testimonies from a pathologist, passerby, detective, house cleaning staff, and brother. All documents are typed in typewriter font. One thing that was surprising to learn about was how and why Turing’s death may have been a suicide. I also appreciated being able to see a medical document from 70 years ago and thinking about how similar or different it looks compared to an electronic health record from today.  The quote I selected was: “The first illusion that must be cast aside is that of the definitive truthful narrative.  A historical narrative is a construction, not a truthful discourse that can be verified on all of its points.  This narrative must combine scholarship with arguments that can introduce the criteria of truthfulness and plausibility.  The poet creates, the historian argues.  He [they] rearticulates past systems of relationships through the representation of the social community he [they] studies, and through his [their] own system of values and norms.  History’s goal is the understanding of a time and a world” (94). This quote best sums up how I perceive this archival document in that the report only provides us with one part of the truth-there is still much speculation about what actually occurred that resulted in his death.

The overall archival experience was the best one that I have had so far. The assistant archivist was incredibly helpful in providing us with context and background whenever we requested it, and the archival pieces he pulled were the most fascinating that I have seen so far. I especially liked letters from John Maynard Keynes to his mom describing his disapproval of the Peace Treaty, Keynes’ resignation letter from the Treasury Office, and the Apostle’s notebook. Ultimately, all pieces were very thoughtful, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the archive.

Citation: Alan Turing’s Post-Mortem Report and Witness Statements. 8 June 1954. AMT/K/6. King’s College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. 

The archival item that I have selected is a medal given to a member of the Women’s Social & Political Union named Grace Roe, to honor her for her efforts towards women’s suffrage through her participation in a hunger strike. The item is an oxidized silver medallion attached to a tricolor ribbon with the colors, purple (for dignity), white (for purity), and green (for hope). It is placed in a small green and purple box with velvety material, and the underside of the lid of the box has a gold embroidered inscription reading ““Presented to Grace Roe by the Women’s Social & Political Union in recognition of a gallant action whereby through endurance to the last extremity of hunger and hardship, a great principle of political justice was vindicated”. Medals and other badges such as this one were likely beneficial to the Suffragette movement in that they kept women motivated by honoring them. This was surprising to me in that it revealed to me a level of stringent organization by these unions.

The archive itself was very focused and provided us with everything that we needed. I especially appreciated this archive as it provided us with access to archival materials that were not documents, such as the medallion I selected for my analysis. There were lots of photos as well. I was struggling in deciding between this medallion or the arrest papers of members of the Suffragette movement as both were pertinent and incredibly fascinating. I ultimately chose the medallion for the sake of focusing on an archival item that was not a document in a strict sense.

Citation: Women’s Social & Political Union Medal. Date unknown. 7JCC/0/11/01. The Women’s Library Archives, London School of Economics, London, UK.