This exhibition will be curated by a cohort of Buchanan Library Fellows and their librarian mentors.
The pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers and programas in the J. León Helguera Collection form one of Vanderbilt’s most significant special collections and one of the most important Colombian collections worldwide. The Helguera collection provides special insights into the social, political, and cultural life of Latin America through ephemeral materials that few collectors retained. Many of these resources are not held in the national archive in Colombia and many are unique to Vanderbilt. This project built on a previous fellow’s work in 19th century pamphlets to create a new digital collection of early 20th century materials with an exhibit highlighting principal themes and issues in Colombia’s more recent history. The Helguera collection of pamphlets from 1900-1935 consists of over 1,500 items and is wide ranging in scope. It includes topics such as: the Panama Canal and secession, presidential messages, government reports, literature, civil war, border disputes, mining, railroads, industry, race, indigenous issues, and homages to heroes.
Online Exhibit: Helguera Colombiana Independence Project