Artisan, Scholar, Soldier, Historian
From Wedgwood to Williamsburg, Joseph Palin Thorley (1892-1987) had a lifelong varied and influential career. Featuring documents, photographs, and selected ceramic works from the Joseph Palin Thorley Papers in Swem Library’s Special Collections Research Center, this exhibit provides unique insights into the many facets of his life as an artisan, scholar, soldier, and historian.
Thorley working in his studio at the University of Pittsburgh, circa 1938
Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr.
Curators: Chandi Singer, Guest Curator, and Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer and Jennie Davy, with assistance from Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant, and Kelly Manno, Undergraduate Student Assistant.
Chandi Singer joined the staff at Swem Library Special Collections in 2000 after working at the Mariners’ Museum as the assistant curator for small craft. She spent over 10 years at Swem, working on the Warren E. Burger collection artifacts/photographs and establishing a tradition of rotating library exhibits, such as this one. Ms. Singer retired from Swem in 2011, but continues her love for museums and libraries and where their collections interact.