Start October with the eeriest finds from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library! 

On Wednesday, October 7th, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on the 6th floor of Butler Library put relics and collectibles of various art figures from the past  on display. The exhibit opened just in time for Halloween,  showing off the spooky yet intriguing finds that give you just the right chill up your spine.  

Right as you walk in, on your right, there is a collection of heads staring  straight ahead. They represent various cultures, colors, personalities and features, yet all are emotionless. I found this collection particularly interesting because they were made for collection and intrigue, rather than some grotesque fascination, as some may assume.

Following this collection was a set of dolls: a human and a dog. Other viewers seemed visibly uncomfortable with their appearance, but I found them endearing. They were nameless creatures with no distinct backstory other than to be on display for others to see. I found the dog the most interesting because he had very realistic teeth and gums. If you stared at him for too long, he seemed to be mouthing words. Nose a deep black, with fur covered in ash as if he had been burned; he was certainly a creepy sight. The man is similarly creepy, looking more like a wounded soldier than anything else. Maybe they were a duo that fought in a war; these recreations are a homage to these fallen warriors. Whatever it may be, it was done beautifully. 

Despite all of these sights, one display truly showed the  horror of collecting and keeping, especially as it relates to the human body: hair. Hair is one of the bodily features that will always stay intact. It never decays or rots, and it looks exactly as it did hundreds of years ago. They do say hair holds memories. While I wasn’t brave enough to actually touch the hair, I found it so incredible that a physical piece of bodily history has been kept for so long. These patterns show delicacy, care, and a desire to preserve the object in remembrance of the person it was taken from. 

Moving on from these lovely displays to books and novels, I was surprised to find that many children’s books had haunting imagery of devils, ghosts, and monsters. It was interesting to see, considering how cautious modern authors are of including such imagery in their work today. The children’s costumes are, technically, pretty cute, but there is something ominous about the way their faces are covered, with features appearing to be shaped into a cone. They have just enough features to be recognized as human, but not enough to be familiar. The child in gray is being dragged away by these embryo-like creatures, which is honestly terrifying, but the child’s seeming lack of fear and instead annoyance is hilariously childlike. I can only imagine they were thinking, “How dare this creature bother me while I’m trying to trick or treat?” 

My final three sights were illustrations from novels and a very detailed ring. The first novel’s skeleton stood out to me right away because, for a person with literally only bones, it looks quite strong. It seems to be able to completely cover and block the other people. I would love a print of it for my room. In the next novel, the devil is sitting on top of a chair, perhaps one of his many minions, painting. Honestly, this doesn’t make the devil seem too evil, maybe just out of hobbies. This illustration is simple but detailed, bringing a new perspective to the feared creature. And last but not least, the golden ring. There were two rings on display: a black one and the gold one shown below. The gold ring has a skeleton engraved on the inside, in contrast to the skeleton drawing described earlier. It’s a unique design for sure, and I was informed that the hair shown earlier was also kept in some rings as a keepsake. It was common for rings to be intricately designed, as they were often gifted to lovers and kept for ages. 

What I am showing here is only a mere fraction of what was on display, which also included other gigantic novels with devils, demons, and many other horrific relics. For my first time in this library, it was a wonderful experience to be able to engage with horror through relics and artifacts, a more interactive experience than horror movies can give. 

If only more spooky finds were plastered all around campus, I would never go back inside.