Stories from the Library: Damaged Goods
Featured objects include an ink-stained draft of Benjamin Franklin’s manuscript of his autobiography, an Edo-period arithmetic guide whose pages were bored through by bookworms, and a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, made weeks before his assassination, showing cracks formed by thermal pressure.
“Damaged Goods,” on view in the Large Library on the Huntington Art Gallery’s first floor, brings together collection materials marked by natural processes, human error, and intentional acts of censorship.






Benjamin Franklin, Draft of The Life of Benjamin Franklin written by himself, 1771-1789. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Unidentified photographer, Woman seated in chair, ca. 1845. Daguerreotype. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Cecil (Cornelius Tongue), Records of the Chase and Memoirs of Celebrated Sportsmen, after 1877. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Alexander Gardner, Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, 1821–1882. Gelatin silver print. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Alexander Wilson, American Ornithology, 1808. Illustrated with plates, engraved and colored from original drawings taken from nature. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Book of Hours, ca. 1300. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
About Stories from the Library
The “Stories from the Library” exhibition series celebrates The Huntington’s world-class Library collections by presenting rare archival materials through new and unexpected thematic lenses.
Future iterations will explore such topics as early science and medicine, international relations, and reflections on mortality. The series will continue through 2029, coinciding with the transformation of The Huntington’s Library/Art Building.
Generous support for the Stories from the Library exhibition series is provided by the Robert F. Erburu Exhibition Endowment. Additional support is provided by The Neilan Foundation, the Steinmetz Foundation, Laura and Carlton Seaver, and the John Brockway Huntington Foundation.
