Pop-Up Books through the Ages

Name: Pop-Up Books through the Ages
Start: 2023-03-21T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2023-07-15T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Pop-Up Books through the Ages

Mar 21–Jul 15, 2023

At the Newberry – Trienens Galleries

Pop-up books have a longer history than you might think. For centuries, books with interactive flaps, dials, and other moving parts have captivated readers of all ages.

A monk kneels in front of concentric circles.

Robert Sabuda’s interpretation of a spinning calendar dial by Matthew Paris from 1250. Part of “A Celebration of Pop-Up and Movable Books,” published by the Movable Book Society in 2004. Call number: Case folio Z1033.T68 C38 2004

Pop-up books go back centuries. Since at least the 1100s, readers have been lifting flaps, spinning dials, and opening elaborate three-dimensional spreads in the pages of books. The earliest interactive texts were intended for scholars. Over time, pop-up books found new audiences and grew in popularity, engaging a wide range of users from emperors to mathematicians to children.

Featuring books, maps, and ephemera from the Newberry collection, Pop-Up Books through the Ages traced the extensive history of hands-on reading. Tactile, interactive components can be found in everything from a 1489 astronomical calendar and a 1775 battle map to a 1932 edition of Pinocchio. Viewing these different items in one place, visitors could see how the art, science, and business of pop-up books evolved over hundreds of years.

In addition to exploring the past, the exhibition highlighted the present and future of pop-up books, including the work of contemporary book and paper artists who are pushing the form in new directions. Two of these artists, Hannah Batsel and Shawn Sheehy, even designed a pop-up version of the Newberry.

Pop-Up Books through the Ages was generously supported by The National Endowment for the Arts, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Professor James H. Marrow and Dr. Emily Rose, Alan Templeton, Diane and Richard Weinberg, and The Movable Book Society.

Pop-Up Books through the Ages was curated by Suzanne Karr Schmidt, George Amos Poole III Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Digital Resources

Movable Mayhem: Pop-Up Books through the Ages - This collection essay and classroom resource was written by curator Suzanne Karr Schmidt as a companion to the exhibition.
Historical Pop-Up Books in Action - See how the pop-up books in the exhibition move!
Pop-Up Books through the Ages: Exhibition Close-Up - In this video, Hannah Batsel and Shawn Sheehy are in conversation with curator Suzanne Karr Schmidt and art historian Juliet Sperling about all things pop-ups.
The Making of the Newberry Pop-Up - In this video, Hannah Batsel and Shawn Sheehy discuss their artistic process and inspiration behind the making of the pop-up Newberry.
Five Self-Guided Tours of "Pop-Up Books through the Ages" - In this blog post, you'll find five quick self-guided tours of the exhibition.

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