California native Zelia Nuttall (1857-1933), an expert on the history of indigenous cultures from Mexico, made significant archeological discoveries and rediscovered important Mexican pictorial manuscripts, including the Codex Nuttall-Tonindeye. Charismatic and cosmopolitan, she became an important mediator between Mexican, American, and European archaeological and intellectual circles and fostered international cooperation. Seonaid Valiant, a curator at Arizona State University’s library, will discuss Nuttall’s involvement in crafting artistic reproductions of two early modern Mexican pictorial manuscripts which became known as the Codex Nuttall-Tonindeye and the Codex Magliabechiano.

Seonaid Valiant, the Curator for Latin American Studies and Interim Curator for Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Arizona State University (ASU) Library, holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago with special fields in Latin American and Art History and an MLIS from the University of Illinois. She previously served as the Ayer Librarian for the Edward E. Ayer Collection of Latin American and Indigenous materials at the Newberry Library. Her 2018 book Ornamental Nationalism: Archaeology and Antiquities in Mexico, 1876-1911 examines international debates over the meaning of Aztec symbols and the professionalization of archaeology in Mexico at the turn of the twentieth century. Her essay “Zelia Nuttall and the Tonindeye Codex: Recontextualization of a Mixtec Pictorial Manuscript” appeared in Printing History 31/32.

This event will be live webcast. Register for the in-person event instead.

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If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.

Support

We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings and would like to support that tradition and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.

Accessibility

An ADA-compliant lift from the street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.

A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.

Environment

The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.

Time: 5:00-6:30

Free!

Registration