When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
May 7, 2012 6:04 PM   Subscribe

He considered himself an artist, but his work, while popular and incendiary, showed little talent or originality. Later in life he took up working with precious metals, and that would be the craft he’s remembered for, but earlier in his career he printed his own engravings, or his version of the work of others. Earlier this year at Brown University’s John Hay Library, something very rare was discovered. One of Paul Revere’s prints depicting the Baptism of Christ was found tucked in an old textbook. While not a particularly valuable work or great art, this rare print does tell us a bit about the man as an artist, and about his faith.

The title of this post, while originally from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, is also a pivotal part of a Robert Wuhl lecture that glances on Revere. Assume the Position, part 1 and 2.
posted by Toekneesan (5 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 


I recommend listening to the NPR story about this, for the pleasure of hearing Richard Noble's mellifluous tones.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:34 PM on May 7, 2012


Wow, that NYT article is like a masterclass in bad writing:

Down goes Marie Malchodi, 48, who attended but never graduated from Brown, down to the library’s subterranean warrens, where she works as a “book conservation technician."

Why is it relevant that she never graduated?

Ms. Malchodi is more spiritually attuned to books than her Orwellian job title might suggest.

What was that 'Orwellian job title' again? Oh yes, 'book conservation technician'.

One day she saw an advertisement for a bookbinding and conservation job at the university. She has been here ever since — though mostly underground — inspecting old books, submitting to their long-ago stories and vanishing to where now is then and then is now.

In the ensuing 20 years, gray has come to her hair and a husband and twin girls have come to her life, yet wasn’t it all just yesterday? When Wordsworth thrilled her heart? When Wordsworth lived?


She's getting old! Her hair is grey! She works in an underground basement (sorry, 'subterranean warren')! Somehow I doubt whether a male librarian would be portrayed in this offensively patronising manner.
posted by verstegan at 11:24 PM on May 7, 2012 [6 favorites]


I dunno, this terrifying little chair ogre looks pretty original to me.

No, even that was originally someone else's image. From the description in the link:

"Evidently these versions are also by Revere, as an entry in his Day Book for December 21, 1771, records a charge against Edes and Gill, ‘to engraving 3 plates for Ames' almanack.’ The evidence suggests that Edes & Gill secured a copy of Russell's edition on the day it appeared, and ordered reproductions of the plates from Paul Revere."

Her name was Emma Leach.
posted by Toekneesan at 3:08 AM on May 8, 2012


I know, verstegan. Half way through I had to look at the by-line (which I usually don't care about), to find out what idiot wrote this.

I found The line "Ms. Lapkin, who actually enjoys her colleague’s enthusiasm" incredibly condescending. Malchodi sounds like a wonderful person. I'd have loved to hear more from her and less "what a weirdo" from Dan Barry.

The most important thing Paul Revere teaches us is that if you want to become famous, have a name that rhymes with lots of words: hear, year, etc..
posted by benito.strauss at 11:24 AM on May 8, 2012


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