This exhibit focuses on The Rubaiyat of Bridge written by Carolyn Wells in 1906. Throughout this exhibit, we examine the Rubaiyat as a whole, the relationship it has with orientalism, how the edition was made, and focusing on any archival speculation surrounding the rubaiyat.

Images in this Exhibit

Gift Books and Orientalism

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   In On Exhibit: Victorians and Their Museums, written by Barbara Black, she argues that the concept of a gift book has a unique relationship with orientalism. According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, orientalism is defined as “style, artifacts, or traits considered characteristic of the peoples and cultures of Asia” (Oxford Languages Dictionary). On top of this, orientalism is a way to maintain power; in the sense that people already have a grasp as to how the Asian culture operates. Black believes that giftbooks are partially responsible for this. One…

Close Reading of Text + Image

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  The Rubáiyát of Bridge was originally published in 1909, and the game of bridge was something that everybody was familiar with. But what about those who didn’t want to learn about the game of bridge? While The Rubáiyát of Bridge is an entire collection of poetry based on the joys and fun of playing the card game of bridge, there is one particular stanza that explores the idea of people being forced to learn the game of bridge as a means to fit into society. 

  The stanza reads, “Myself, when Young, did eagerly Frequent / Bridge…

How This Edition Was Made

  The Rubáiyát of Bridge was written by Carolyn Wells, with illustrations drawn by May Wilson Preston, and published in April 1909 by Harper & Brother’s publishing company. All of these people/organizations come from different walks of life, but came together to craft a Rubáiyát of poems that deal with the game of bridge and playing the game together. 

 

 According to bookshop.org, Wells was an American poet, librarian,…

Archival Speculation

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My dearest, 

I am offering this book to you as a gift and as a gratitude of my undying love to you. I present to you, The Rubáiyát of Bridge, written by Carolyn Wells. This entire Rubáiyát is entirely about the card game of bridge, which I know is one of your favorite games. I know that you love the game of bridge, and I  hope you love this book as much as I love you. There were just so many elements that reminded me of you. 

Of course, one of the reasons I picked this book to gift to you is its size. It’s small, but not small enough…

Exhibit Tags
bridge
Group content visibility
Private - accessible only to group members
Vetted?
Not Vetted
Groups audience
ENG 470 / 570 Spring 2023