Berg Collection at NYPL: Writers' Personal Artifacts on Display
The Berg Collection at the New York Public Library houses a bizarre assortment of personal objects belonging to famous writers, including Virginia Woolf's walking stick, Jack Kerouac's shoes, Vladimir Nabokov's drawings, Walt Whitman's hair, and Charles Dickens's letter opener made from his cat Bob's paw. The collection, which also contains manuscripts, photographs, and archival materials, was donated to the library in 1940 by brothers Henry W. and Albert A. Berg, two doctors and avid collectors of American and English literature and memorabilia. In a New Yorker video, Declan Kiely, curator of exhibitions at the NYPL, explains that objects like Kerouac's lighter or boots allow viewers to glimpse the creative spirit at work, making them deeply evocative.
Key facts
- The Berg Collection includes Virginia Woolf's walking stick, Jack Kerouac's shoes, Vladimir Nabokov's drawings, Walt Whitman's hair, and Charles Dickens's letter opener made from his cat Bob's paw.
- The collection is housed at the New York Public Library.
- Declan Kiely is the curator of exhibitions at the NYPL.
- The collection was donated in 1940 by Henry W. and Albert A. Berg.
- The Berg brothers were doctors and avid collectors of American and English literature.
- The collection includes manuscripts, photographs, and archival materials.
- A New Yorker video features the collection.
- Kiely states that objects like Kerouac's lighter or boots help viewers connect with the creative spirit.
Entities
Artists
- Virginia Woolf
- Jack Kerouac
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Walt Whitman
- Charles Dickens
- Declan Kiely
- Henry W. Berg
- Albert A. Berg
Institutions
- New York Public Library
- New Yorker
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States