Calendar from January 1979

Austin’s Music History Through Kerry Awn’s Soap Creek Saloon Calendars

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By Wittliff archivist Hannah Martin The Soap Creek Saloon calendars created by artist Kerry Awn are now available online to researchers at The Wittliff Collections website. These calendars were used to promote the music venue that served as an unofficial hub of Austin’s counterculture and progressive country music scene from 1974 until its closure in …

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Photo of Zade with Carter's archive.

From Personal Effects to Public Archive

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By part-time photo archive assistant Zade Williamson. When I was asked to return to the Wittliff this Summer for a project, the answer was an immediate yes. I had previously interned at the Wittliff as a student and was excited to return for the task of rehousing and creating a preliminary inventory of archival materials …

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Photo of Hector Aguayo with Cabeza de Vaca Statue

We Matter, We’ve Always Been Here: How a 500-Year-Old Manuscript Helped Me Find Closure

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This post is by guest researcher and Texas State University Alumni Hector Aguayo. A year ago, I embarked on a long-awaited road trip through Texas, retracing the footsteps of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer whose survival story stands apart from the conventional narratives of European conquest. As a proud graduate of Texas …

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Photo of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Duke-Peacock Records: A Pillar of Black Entertainment

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By Wittliff archivist Hannah Martin Before the musical influence of Motown, there was Duke-Peacock, a Black-owned record label located in Houston, Texas, that recorded some of the biggest names in blues, funk, and gospel music. Part of the Doug Hanners collection, these publicity photographs feature incredible artists, including Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Willie Mae “Big Mama” …

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Photo of Portis

Surprise discovery brings “True Grit” Author’s Archive to The Wittliff Collections

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The Wittliff Collections have acquired the archive of literary legend Charles Portis, whose personal papers were discovered in a hidden cache two years after the author’s death. The self-effacing Portis, an Arkansas native who died in 2020 at age 86, avoided publicity and kept a low profile during his lifetime. Yet his five acclaimed novels, …

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Photo of Connie Todd

The Remarkable Connie Todd (1941-2024) Wittliff Director 1997-2010

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Light seemed to follow Connie Todd everywhere. She had a natural stage presence, a gift she’d cultivated from an early age. Connie was only fourteen when she joined a prominent Austin orchestra as its lead vocalist in the 1950s. Her voice remained unforgettable to all who knew her. It flowed like a crystalline Hill Country …

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photo of students selecting photographs

The Treasures of Tesoros

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Tesoros: Treasures of Mexican Photography is a new gallery at The Wittliff that highlights treasures from our extensive collection of Mexican photography. The inaugural exhibition was curated by two student interns, Deandra Lee and Blanca Luna Nuñez, working alongside Carla Ellard, photo-archivist. Deandra, BFA in Photography ‘24, interned at The Wittliff for course credit with …

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Improving Archive Access in a Digital World

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Continuing our series of blog written by our student employees, Alie Dowell writes about her experiences working as a metadata assistant. Alie assisted with The Wittliff’s metadata and archival description initiatives focusing on the migration of Microsoft Word and PDF collection inventories into ArchivesSpace to enhance online discovery and access. The Wittliff’s ArchivesSpace site can …

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Photo of Abigail Moon in the archives

From The Archives: Texas Music Oral History Project

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By Wittliff intern Abigail Moon. As a student at Texas State University, I was pleased to join the Wittliff Collections team as a Digitization Assistant in Fall of 2023. My internship consisted of working with the unique archival materials found in the Texas Music Oral History project. This collection consists of interviews with a diverse …

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