Mark S. Weiner

A Lovely Review; a Small Addendum

In Books and libraries on September 26, 2017 at 8:47 pm

This kind review of “Law’s Picture Books” appeared online today in the Wall Street Journal (on a gated site) and will be published in print tomorrow. The review, by the esteemed critic Edward Rothstein, calls the exhibit “unusual” and “eye-opening,” and it’s quite insightful about our intentions—hurrah!

Also today, these photographs of the exhibit have been posted to the Grolier Club Flickr gallery.

A small addendum for professional historians following up on the review and finding themselves here. In his completely understandable enthusiasm for the dramatic story of David S. Terry, Rothstein writes that the exhibit “tells us” that he was shot and killed by Justice Stephen Field. Scholars familiar with the details of the case will appreciate that we instead write that “Terry was shot and killed”—of course, Terry in fact was killed by Justice Field’s bodyguard, giving rise to the case of In re Neagle (1890). The case is a confusing one, as is the passive voice. My hat’s off to Rothstein for his insightful review, which brings together a great body of complex historical material.

***

[update October 24, 2017]

Our exhibit has now been reviewed in the New Yorker—which hails it as “fascinating”—the Wall Street Journal—”eye-opening”—and the Frankfurter Allgemeine—”courageous.”

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