Archival Silence, Digital Humanities, and James Hemings

1. The History and Future of Data Visualization:Archival Silence, Digital Humanities, and James Hemings University of Alabama Digital Scholarship Center November 7th, 2012 Lauren Klein, Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology lauren.klein@lmc.gatech.edu

2. “You mentioned to me in conversation here that you sometimes saw my former servant James, & that he made his engagements such as to keep himself always free to come to me. Could I get the favor of you to send for him & tell him I shall be glad to receive him as soon as he can come to me?”Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Evans.” February 22, 1801.

3. “You mentioned to me in conversation here that you sometimes saw my former servant James, & that he made his engagements such as to keep himself always free to come to me. Could I get the favor of you to send for him & tell him I shall be glad to receive him as soon as he can come to me?… The truth is that I am so much embarrassed in composing a good houshold [sic] for myself, as in providing a good administration for my country.”Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Evans.” February 22, 1801.

4. Copy press, ca. 1786. More information at:http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/copying-press

5. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition

6. “Silences enter the process of historical production at four crucial moments: the moment of fact creation (the making of sources); the moment of fact assembly (the making of archives); the moment of fact retrieval (the making of narratives); and the moment of retrospective significance (the making of history) in the final instance.”Michel-RolpheTrouillot, Silencing the Past: Power and the Production ofHistory (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995): 24.

7. “You mentioned to me in conversation here that you sometimes saw my former servant James, & that he made his engagements such as to keep himself always free to come to me. Could I get the favor of you to send for him & tell him I shall be glad to receive him as soon as he can come to me?.”Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Evans.” February 22, 1801.

8. Screencap of a name search for James Hemings in The Papers of ThomasJefferson Digital Edition.

9. Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Evans.” February 22, 1801.The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

10. Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to William Evans.” February 22, 1801.The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

11. Keyword search for “James Hemings,” The Papers of Thomas Jefferson DigitalEdition.

12. Arc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

13. Jefferson and his familyArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

14. Jefferson and Political his family correspondentsArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

15. Jefferson and Political Virginia his family correspondents friendsArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

16. Jefferson and Political Virginia International his family correspondents friends correspondentsArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

17. Jefferson and Political Virginia International Enslaved his family correspondents friends correspondents plantation staffArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition

18. Jefferson and Political Virginia International Enslaved Free his family correspondents friends correspondents plantation staff plantation staffArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

19. Jefferson and Political Virginia International Enslaved Free Unknown his family correspondents friends correspondents plantation staff plantation staffArc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

20. Arc diagram of correspondents in letters concerning James Hemings and his family,as noted in The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition

21. Francis Say, “Letter to Thomas Jefferson.” February 23, 1801.The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

22. William Evans, “Letter to Thomas Jefferson.” February 27, 1801.The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

23. William Evans, “Letter to Thomas Jefferson.” November 5, 1801.The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

24. Arc diagram of people mentioned in letters concerning James Hemings and hisfamily, as mined from The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

25. Chord diagram of people mentioned in letters concerning James Hemings and hisfamily, as mined from The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition.

26. William Playfair Johann Heinrich Lambert 1759-1823 1728-1777Image credit: Wikipedia

27. Image credit: Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

28. “Information, that is imperfectly acquired, is generally as imperfectly retained; and a man who has carefully investigated a printed table finds, when done, that he has only a very faint and partial idea of what he has read; and that like a figure imprinted on sand, is soon totally erased and defaced. “The amount of mercantile transactions in money, and of profit or loss, are capable of being as easily represented in drawing, as any part of space, or as the face of a country; though, till now, it has not been attempted. Upon that principle these Charts were made; and, while they give a simple and distinct idea, they are as near perfect accuracy as is any way useful. “On inspecting any one of these Charts attentively, a sufficiently distinct impression will be made, to remain unimpaired for a considerable time, and the idea which does remain will be simple and complete, at once including the duration and the amount.”William Playfair, The Commercial and Political Atlas, 3rd edition. New York:Cambridge UP, 2005 [1801]: 11-2.

31. “A Comparative View of the Quadrupeds of Europe and of America.” Notes on theState of Virginia, 1781-5. Image courtesy of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

32. “Vegetables.” Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-5. Image courtesy of theMassachusetts Historical Society.

33. “Birds of Virginia.” Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-5. Image courtesy of theMassachusetts Historical Society.

34. A page of Thomas Jefferson’s Farm Book, ca. 1774. Image courtesy of theMassachusetts Historical Society.

35. The History and Future of Data Visualization:Archival Silence, Digital Humanities, and James Hemings University of Alabama Digital Scholarship Center November 7th, 2012 Lauren Klein, Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology lauren.klein@lmc.gatech.edu