German stoiybook comes to PSU
By Lindsay Cryer
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
A well-known German children’s
book character became popular in the
United States decades ago, but is now
making a stop in State College.
Now through Jan. 24, “Selections
from the Allison-Shelley Collection of
German Literature in Translation” is
on display in The Eberly Family
Special Collections Library in 104
Patemo Library.
Marion Herzog-Hoinkis donated the
collection.
A collection of translations and ver
sions of the German storybook,
“Struwwelpeter” sits at the first table
visible in the library. The covers of
each book are almost exactly the
same, bearing a cartoon of a character
that look like a childlike version of
Edward Scissorhands except with
ungroomed fingernails and hair.
“Struwwelpeter” in German trans
lates roughly to “disheveled Peter,”
said Sandra Stelts, a curator of rare
books and manuscripts in the Special
Collections Library.
The book is a collection of short
tales of the consequences children
face if they choose not to do as they
are told. Some of the stories include a
Industrial Revolution visits Palmer
By Sarah Becks
FOR THE COLLEGIAN
The Industrial Revolution has come
to the Palmer Museum of Art to high
light different perspectives of the
influence of coal and mining through
art and to educate the public on a for
gotten time.
Seventy-five prints and posters
make up the exhibition “At the Heart
of Progress: Coal, Iron, and Steam
since 1750.” The exhibition is being
showcased now until Jan. 23 and fea
tures American and European art
work
The collection was put together by
John P Eckblad, who spent most of his
childhood among the coal mining hills
of western Pennsylvania.
“I was overwhelmed by the industri
al environment," Eckblad said. “The
colors, lights, movement was so differ
ent than what I was used to.”
child who sucked his thumb, a child
who wouldn’t eat his soup and a child
who played with fire and eventually
caught on fire as punishment.
“He’s definitely not a role model,”
Stelts said. “That’s the thing about it,
these are cautionary tales.”
The stories were written in 1845 by
Heinrich Hoffmann, a psychiatrist and
father who was tried of reading
“sappy and sentimental” stories to his
own children, Stelts said. As a result,
Hoffmann took a notebook and wrote
the stories, which he found more fit
ting.
The book has since been translated
into several languages and dialects
including an English translation by
Mark Twain and now has quite a
cult following, Stelts said. It has also
influenced a Broadway show, a
German band and various artists, said
Bettina Brandt, a visiting professor in
the German department.
Brandt said she was thrilled to hear
the collection of books would be com
ing to Penn State and will be taking
her students to the exhibit this week
She said it’s easy to understand why
the books have become popular world
wide.
“The stories are short, they rhyme,
it’s easy to get into and there’s some
It’s important to keep the historical
significance of the Industrial
Revolution alive because it is “anoth
er part of reality that is deteriorating,”
he said.
He added that people are forgetting
about the forces that gave us the rich
es we already have.
Education is not just about learning
through text it is important to see
and experience what you’re learning
about, he said.
“Art completes the educational
experience,” he said.
Brendan Smith (junior-supply chain
management) attended the exhibition
because it related to the material he
was learning in his STS 100 (Science
Technology and Culture) class.
“Learning history through art is
just as important as learning it in a
classroom,” Smith said. “You see
through the artist’s eyes what’s going
on.”
“Childhood doesn’t have
a culture, childhood
doesn’t have nationality.”
Bettina Brandt
visiting German professor
excellent translations,” Brandt said.
“Childhood doesn’t have a culture,
childhood doesn’t have nationality.”
Katja Stuckatz (graduate-German)
said the books have served as both an
educational tool and a pleasure read
for German children. She said the
cruel, realistic type of storytelling is
common in Germany.
“That is typical for Germans, that
they don’t like sugar-coating things,”
Stuckatz said. “They are right in your
face, no sweet talk”
The rest of the collection,
bequeathed by late professor Philip
Allison Shelley, features exhibits dis
playing the German influence on
English-speaking nations. It features
German game boards, pictures and
figures of the Christmas tree and a
memoir by a German immigrant on
his way to the United States.
To e-mail reporter Ibcl46@psu.edu
Not only can the audience see what
the pieces are about, but now they can
also hear the information as well
because of the iTunes audio tour that
goes along with the art pieces.
“At the Heart of Progress” is one of
many collections at the Palmer
Museum of Art where the museum
decided to incorporate technology by
creating podcasts that talk about the
art in detail.
Laura March (graduate-art educa
tion) studies technology in the arts
and is a huge proponent of including
technology in the arts.
“It’s important for people to be able
to access the art in many forms,” she
said.
If someone is not able to travel to a
museum, they can look online at the
artwork and decide if it’s somewhere
they might want to go in the future
and get the experience of seeing the
art in person. March said.