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Kings, Queens and Statesmen:
Autographs from the G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Collection
July 19, 2002-January 19, 2003
The Van Gorden-Williams Library at the National Heritage Museum curated "Kings, Queens, and Statesmen," an exhibition of remarkable autographs from the Archives' G. Edward Elwell, Jr., Collection. "Kings, Queens, and Statesmen," was the first of three exhibitions to showcase extraordinary examples of the collection. It presented 14 historic documents signed by European monarchs and others who had an impact on the development of our nation from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Louis XIV, Louis XVI, Henry VIII, and Napoleon I, to name a few. The oldest document in the collection and exhibition was a letter dated March 20, 1489--three years before Columbus' voyage to the new world--signed by Ferdinand and Isabella. Other famous signatures that were displayed included a document written in Dutch signed by William III (1692), and documents signed by Edward VII, Albert I, Mary II, and Queen Victoria. The exhibition also presented biographical historical and visual material to accompany the documents. The collection comprises 102 autographed documents and spans nearly 500 years from 1489 to 1960. They have never before been exhibited at the Museum.
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