The recipient of the 2020 Henry Allen Moe Prize is Judge David S. Tatel in recognition of his paper “Separation of Powers and Statutory Interpretation: A Battle Hidden in Plain Sight” read at the American Philosophical Society’s 2019 April Meeting and published in its Proceedings Volume 163, Number 3, September 2019.  David S. Tatel is the Senior United States Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  The 2020 Moe Prize was presented at the Society's November 2022 Meeting.

Of the separation of powers, James Madison wrote in Federalist 47: that “No political truth is certainly of greater intrinsic value, or is stamped with the authority of more enlightened patrons of liberty.” With this constitutional principle, instilled in every citizen from childhood, Judge David S. Tatel opens his elegant paper “Separation of Powers and Statutory Interpretation: A Battle Hidden in Plain Sight.” Declining political debate, Judge Tatel guides the reader succinctly through the arcane thicket of statutory interpretation. Unpacking the significance of the 1984 Supreme Court Chevron decision (more often cited than understood), he explains that it is not the decision itself which is of the greatest importance (although he does explain its impact), but rather the way that the “Chevron two-step” has brought about the passage of decision-making power, in effect law-making powers, to a vast range of Federal government agencies. Scrupulously avoiding interpretive partiality, Judge Tatel presents a model argument that is clear, logical, and compelling. He expresses some real concern that this transfer of power has considerably expanded the regulatory powers of new parts of the government well beyond anything envisaged by the Framers of the Constitution. Such concern has been expressed in several Supreme Court decisions summarized here by Judge Tatel, but these have not yet amounted to a redress of the balance of authority among Congress, the courts and the agencies.  This deft and plain spoken, yet subtle essay instructs the citizen reader on the often hidden, prolonged constitutional debate over the extent to which important and regular aspects of the lives of Americans are governed not by the executive branch (directly, at least), by their elected representatives, or even by the courts.  Hidden in plain sight, in Judge Tatel’s words, is the continuing struggle “to keep our three branches of government ‘separate and distinct.’”

Established in 1982 by a gift from the widow of Henry Allen Moe to honor the longtime head of the Guggenheim Foundation and president of the American Philosophical Society from 1959 to 1970. It pays particular tribute to his firm commitment to the humanities and those who pursue them. The Moe Prize is awarded annually to the author of a paper in the humanities or jurisprudence read at a Meeting of the Society.

The selection committee was Elizabeth Cropper, chair, Dean Emerita, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art; Michael McCormick, Goelet Professor of Medieval History, Harvard University; and Brent D. Shaw, Andrew Fleming West Professor of Classics Emeritus, Princeton University.
 

The recipient of the 2021 Magellanic Premium Medal is Sara Seager.  Sara Seager is a theoretical astrophysicist and leader in the exciting field of exoplanets, particularly in the quest to discover and analyze habitable planets beyond the solar system.  The citation inscribed on the medal is “For theoretical work that led to the first detection of exoplanet atmospheres.” The 2021 Magellanic Premium was presented at the Society's November 2022 Meeting.

Sara Seager is known for her work on exoplanet atmospheres and interiors; her modeling led to the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere.  She was the Deputy Director of Science for NASA’s TESS satellite, which to date has discovered 66 new exoplanets, all close enough to be imaged and searched for signatures of life. Her current research focuses on the bio-signatures in the atmospheres of potential life-bearing planets that could be used to discover evidence for extraterrestrial life.  She is a Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science, and a Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she holds the Class of 1941 Professor Chair. Her books include Exoplanet Atmospheres: Physical Processes, 2010, Exoplanets, 2010, and The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir, 2020.

Born in Toronto, Canada, she received her B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Toronto in 1994.  Dr. Seager did her Ph.D. work at Harvard where she developed theoretical models for atmospheres of exoplanets. Her honors include the Helen B. Warner Prize of the American Astronomical Society, a MacArthur fellowship, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society (elected 2018).

The award was established from a gift of 200 guineas by John Hyacinth de Magellan, of London, in 1786, “for a gold medal to be awarded from time to time under prescribed terms, to the author of the best discovery or most useful invention relating to navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy (mere natural history only excepted).”  The medal, named the Magellanic Premium, was first awarded in 1790.   It is the oldest medal recognizing scientific achievements given by a North American institution.

The selection committee members were Gordon Baym (chair), Professor Emeritus, Research Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Marvin Cohen, University Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Senior Faculty Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; Jeremiah Ostriker, Professor of Astronomy, Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University; and Michael Turner, Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago.

The 2018 Magellanic Premium medal was awarded to Fabiola Gianotti “for her role in the discovery of the Higgs boson and her leadership in elementary particle physics.  From the design and construction of the ATLAS detector to the analysis of the data and discovery of the Higgs, Gianotti played a leading role in this milestone event. Today she serves as the Director-General of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and is leading the quest to understand matter, energy, space and time at the most fundamental level.”  The medal is engraved “for the discovery of the Higgs boson and leadership in high energy physics.”

The presentation of the prize took place at the Society's virtual April 2021 Meeting.  In the video of the award ceremony above, APS president Linda Greenhouse introduces the prize and the chair of the prize selection committee, Gordon Baym, presents the prize to her.  In her acceptance speech Dr. Gianotti discusses the significance of the relationship between the humanities and sciences and provides thought provoking insight about the idea of "useful knowledge" and the purpose of pure scientific investigation.  For instance, scientific investigation pursued purely for the sake of curiosity and knowledge may have appeared useless to society at the time, but generations later led to the development of transistors, GPS, and other advances that have had a profound impact on society today.

Fabiola Gianotti is an experimental elementary particle physicist. As the Spokesperson of ATLAS, one of the major experiments at CERN, Gianotti led one of the two, 3000-member teams that discovered the Higgs boson in 2012. The discovery of the Higgs was recognized by a Nobel Prize for the theory, but none for the experiment.  Her involvement in the Higgs discovery began with the design and building of the 7000-ton ATLAS detector with its almost 100 million readout channels and continued through the physics analysis that led to the actual discovery.  As CERN DG, she is shaping the global future of the field whose modest mission is a fundamental understanding of matter, energy, space and time.  Gianotti, a Foreign Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and an International Member of the American Philosophical Society, also trained as a classical pianist at the Milan Conservatory.

From a gift of 200 guineas by John Hyacinth de Magellan, of London, in 1786, for a gold medal to be awarded from time to time under prescribed terms, to the author of the best discovery or most useful invention relating to navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy (mere natural history only excepted).  The medal, named the Magellanic Premium, was first awarded in 1790.   It is the oldest medal recognizing scientific achievements given by a North American institution.

The selection committee members were Gordon Baym, Professor Emeritus, Research Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Marvin Cohen, University Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Senior Faculty Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; Jeremiah Ostriker, Professor of Astronomy, Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University; and Michael Turner, Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago.

This bibliographic database will include the works of such figures as George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson, as well as dozens of lesser-known though important scholars and thinkers in the early American republic. The database will, ultimately, document the development of early American science and intellectual life. For this resource, we push educators to ask themselves the following question before and after exploring the project: what objectives can you achieve by having students work with a bibliography?

We hope this resource will be of use in pushing bibliographies beyond a check-point assignment in your classrooms and provide inspiration for both you and your students. We’ve found that thinking about this bibliography in particular provides good notes on constructing bibliographies-as-assignments, new research tips and opportunities, and a variety of new perspectives.

This public-facing digital project is creating a database to document many of the most generative works and authors in the Atlantic world—including reprints and editions in any language—produced by Members elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS) between 1743 and 1865. This is no small task: APS Members were the who’s who of thinkers during the rise of natural philosophy and science, medical inquiry, and ethnography. Many of these early Members had deep connections to the American Revolution and the early republic. 

Like any bibliography, this project started by gathering information about the publications needed or used. In this case, Fellow Jeff Appelhans (among other APS Fellows), drew together records from the public catalog of major historical libraries to see what our Member authors published. By drawing together records from the British Library’s English Short Title Catalog, the American Antiquarian Society, and the Library Company of Philadelphia, with APS holdings—and the vast foreign-language holdings cataloged in WorldCat—the project’s managers aspire to comprehensive coverage. The process and large scope taught a few lessons that can relate to smaller bibliographies. 

Consider some of the big hits of the period covered in the project. For example, searching for famous Member Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, would result in a flood of results. Thus, the first considerations in a large (or small scale bibliography): scope of the project. As the early modern print revolution spun up, the boom of multiple editions alone could grind a project like this to a halt. When assigning large bibliographies or research projects, consider the scope of the project and the amount of available information. The time period covered should also go into consideration. Make sure learners know if they should be looking for editions within certain years or if any edition will do. The more narrow you as an educator can make the search, the easier for learners. Staying up to date on projects like this from classroom allies like the APS can help inspire research projects, trips, and other assignments. 

When it comes to research for students and ourselves, Wikipedia is a common go-to starting location. This bibliography also contains many facets contained in a Wikipedia article: additional resources (the bibliography itself), small biographies, and a sense of historical connections. The biographies are vetted by staff at the APS, as content in Wikipedia is vetted, but these biographies are smaller and usually clock-in at around 250 words. The connections seen in this bibliography are slightly different as well. Instead of seeing paragraphs about the context of, let’s say George Washington’s Farewell Address, students will see the history of and media of publication and use of the Address. Additionally, the resources listed in this bibliography provide the same jumping points that a Wikipedia article might. Imagine what questions might be provoked! 

Just as Wikipedia is a comfortable research go-to, manuscripts (hand-written materials) tend to be a comfortable primary source go-to. There is no doubting the power of a hand-written letter to connect students to history and historical figures on an intimate and empathetic scale. But there’s an equal and slightly different power that comes with published materials which can provide a new perspective on how we use primary sources. Let’s go back to George Washington’s Farewell Address. If you typically use a copy from 1800 as your primary source and compare that to this bibliography, the explorations of this document can change. Why were so many copies printed in 1800? What of the locations? Each of those copies is an individual primary source that shows a larger cultural network and narrative than a single manuscript might reveal. Taking a step back onto that larger scale, think about the bibliography’s display of locations and years. The Republic of Letters, the Enlightenment—both happened via the exchange of printed and manuscript materials together. This bibliography allows you to track that exchange in a networked, birds-eye view. Again, imagine what questions that might provoke! 

A bibliography is not as flashy as a virtual exhibition. But, as our thinking about uses of the bibliography deepened, there was an excitement that built up around its possible applications and the spin-off thoughts. Think about the definition of “bibliography.” Compare and contrast the surprisingly broad definition to how you use bibliographies in the classroom. There’s a reason National History Day assigns them and scholars so heavily use them. There’s a comparison to be made to popular book lists like the New York Times’ “Best-seller List” and this bibliography. That comparison and novel (possibly more interesting and enriching) uses of bibliographies rely on a reframing of those objectives we asked you to think about in the beginning.

Resources like this take more creative work but are always worth exploring. There are questions, ideas, concepts, activities, that can be discovered if we push to think outside of the usual assignments.  From how to construct a complex, comprehensive bibliography to exploring Enlightenment era exchange, we invite you to join the APS Library & Museum in rethinking the dusty bibliography!

Written by APS Fellow Dr. Jeff Appelhans and Mike Madeja, Head of Education Programs

Using Open Data - Franklin Ledgers

By Craig Fox (Museum Guide) 

One of the hardest parts of creating projects with open data is figuring out how to extract the endless supply of data into something useful. Here’s a guide on how we turned some of the data from the Benjamin Franklin Postal Project into an educational resource for students and educators.

The goal is to convert the data file into something usable for young students to understand more about early American history. A lot of the modifications involve removing incomplete or unused data in order to simplify the spreadsheet. It helps to know what information you want to extract or be left with before you go through some of these steps. The steps below assume the reader has a basic level of understanding of how to use Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. While the process is mostly the same for both programs, all major differences are mentioned. If you want to see the finished version and the original file look at the sheets here.

Setup

First, download the data used for the project. The data used can be gotten at https://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/compound:53#page/44/mode/1up by clicking on the “Datasets and Documentation” icon or by clicking here. Unzip the downloaded folder and use the “BF85f6-30_Dataset A_Post office book, letters received, 1767-1768.csv” file. Other datasets and a guide to reading them can be found here. Any datasets used from this project will end in “.csv” which is an open source, human readable file format for storing tables and spreadsheets. We will then convert this to Microsoft Excel’s file format (xlsx) or to a Google Sheets file.

Steps for Google Sheets

Setup: Open up Google Sheets and click the folder icon (it should read “open file picker” when hovered over). Click the upload tab in the window that pops up and add the file.

1. Insert 2 rows at the top of the document. Copy formatting from Initial Columns section located below. Pay attention to which cells are merged (cells are merged by highlighting them and then pressing the merge icon).
2. Hide the following Columns: “Notes” (Not Used), “Transcribers Notes” (Not Used), “Belonging to this office only” (Empty for the data we are using), “Sorting ID” (Not Used), “Page Number” (Not Used), “URL” (Not Used)
3. Highlight the third row, then click the “Data” tab and press “Create a new filter”. Select the filter icon next to “Data Completeness” and pick “Complete”.
4. Hide “Data Completeness” column
5. Create a new Column called “Time of Receiving” to the right of “Time of Receiving: Day”. Set the first row below the header equal to =DATEVALUE(CONCATENATE(TO_TEXT(F66), "-", TO_TEXT(G66), "-", TO_TEXT(E66))). Then drag this down to fill in all the rows.

(Note: The DATE function is not used because it will not accept pre-1900 years, so this workaround is needed to properly display those dates)

6. Highlight the column and go click the “Format” tab, then “Number”, then “More Formats”, then “custom number formats” and enter: mmm" "d", "yyyy
7. Hide “Time of Receiving: Year”, “Time of Receiving: Month”, “Time of Receiving: Day” columns
8. Create a new Column called “Date of the Bills Received” to the right of “Date of the Bills Received: Day”. Set the first row below the header equal to =DATEVALUE(CONCATENATE(TO_TEXT(K66), "-", TO_TEXT(L66), "-", TO_TEXT(J66))). Then drag this down to fill in all the rows.
9. Highlight the column and go click the “Format” tab, then “Number”, then “More Formats”, then “custom number formats” and enter: mmm" "d", "yyyy
10. Hide “Date of the Bills Received: Year”, “Date of the Bills Received: Month”, “Date of the Bills Received: Day” columns
11. Select the filter icon next to “Name of the Offices and Ships, from whence they were received” and pick everything except “#Value”.
12. Repeat step 12 for “Date of the Bills received” column
13. Select the filter icon next to “Number paid for” and pick everything except “null”.
14. Hide row 3 (Note: This row exists to allow filtering since you can not use merged cells like those in rows 1 and 2 to do filtering. It is hidden to provide a cleaner view)
15. Highlight the whole document and set horizontal align to center, vertical align to center, and width to auto

Steps for Microsoft Excel

Setup: Open Microsoft Office and click “upload and open”. Put in the file. Once the file loads, click “Edit Workbook” on the yellow bar that appears above the data, then press “Convert” in the pop-up that appears.

1. Insert 2 rows at the top of the document. Copy formatting from Initial Columns section located below. Pay attention to which cells are merged (cells are merged by highlighting them and then pressing the merge icon).
2. Hide the following Columns: “Notes” (Not Used), “Transcribers Notes” (Not Used), “Belonging to this office only” (Empty for the data we are using), “Sorting ID” (Not Used), “Page Number” (Not Used), “URL” (Not Used)
3. Highlight the third row, then click the “Data” tab and press “Create a new filter”. Select the filter icon next to “Data Completeness” and pick “Complete”.
4. Hide “Data Completeness” column
5. Create a new Column called “Time of Receiving” to the right of “Time of Receiving: Day”. Set the first row below the header equal to =CONCATENATE(F66, "-", G66, "-", E66). Then drag this down to fill in all the rows.

(Note: The DATE function is not used because it will not accept pre-1900 years. Microsoft Excel does not have a concise workaround so the date is left as numbers in the form of mm-dd-yyyy)

6. Highlight the column and go click the “Format” tab, then “Number”, then “More Formats”, then “custom number formats” and enter: mmm" "d", "yyyy
7. Hide “Time of Receiving: Year”, “Time of Receiving: Month”, “Time of Receiving: Day” columns
8. Create a new Column called “Date of the Bills Received” to the right of “Date of the Bills Received: Day”. Set the first row below the header equal to =CONCATENATE(K66, "-", L66, "-", J66). Then drag this down to fill in all the rows.
9. Highlight the column and go click the “Format” tab, then “Number”, then “More Formats”, then “custom number formats” and enter: mmm" "d", "yyyy
10. Hide “Date of the Bills Received: Year”, “Date of the Bills Received: Month”, “Date of the Bills Received: Day” columns
11. Select the filter icon next to “Name of the Offices and Ships, from whence they were received” and pick everything except “#Value”.
12. Repeat step 12 for “Date of the Bills received” column
13. Select the filter icon next to “Number paid for” and pick everything except “null”.
14. Hide row 3 (Note: This row exists to allow filtering since you can not use merged cells like those in rows 1 and 2 to do filtering. It is hidden to provide a cleaner view)
15. Highlight the whole document and set horizontal align to center, vertical align to center, and width to auto

Initial Columns

Help Expand These Records

Postal records like these can be hard to find because they sometimes weren't considered valuable enough to put in an archive! But to tell a fuller story about relationships between people and places in colonial British North America, we'd love to be able to connect our records from Philadelphia to similar postal records from the other twelve colonies. We could use your help! If you know of any account books, postal records, or other data sources related to the postal service prior to 1800, please let us know at [email protected].

Extended answers from the Duke of Devonshire, speaker from “Chatsworth House and Its Collections - A Conversation between the Duke of Devonshire and Jay Robert Stiefel”  (Click here to watch)

Question: You inherited this magnificent house, built centuries ago, and you and your family have stewarded it so wonderfully. But if you could build a house of similar scale and magnitude today from scratch, in the 21st century, what would your house look like? How would you design it?
Answer: It would be completely contemporary in architecture and design, as sustainable as possible but we would continue to display old as well as new works of art and design. The new house would of course be open to visitors and that would be a major part of the architect's brief. 

Question: Did they collect any items from Spanish America?
Answer: Nothing specifically acquired, not an area historically visited.

Question: I possess 3 out of four double volumes of the Harleian Miscellanies. They possess the 7th Duke's bookplate, but earlier had belonged to the great Henry Cavendish, one of the greatest intellectuals of the 18th century. But where is the fourth double volume? Still at Chatsworth?    
Answer: (From Fran Baker - Head Librarian, Chatsworth) This work is normally in eight volumes so I assume the enquirer simply means that Henry Cavendish’s copy was brought together into four larger vols. We have the 8-volume 1st edition of this in the Library; it has a Chiswick bookplate. There are a couple of letters from Duchess Georgiana dating from 1798 which indicate that she acquired this – it seems it was already hard to get hold of by that time – and the Chiswick bookplate would also make sense if she purchased it. 

We’ve got no record of having another copy, and the 8-volume set we still have is the only one listed in the 1879 Library catalogue. If Henry Cavendish’s set left the collection (presumably at some point between 1858 and 1879 if it has a 7th Duke bookplate) it would have been odd just to retain one volume anyway – certainly if it was sold, which I guess it could have been as a ‘duplicate’. Anyway, wherever the fourth volume is, I’m fairly sure it’s not here. 

Question: Where does scientist Henry Cavendish fit in the family history?    
Answer: Although one of the leading scientists of his time he is less known than he deserves to be as his discoveries and research were very rarely published in his lifetime due to his extreme shyness.

Question: Your Grace, your mother did much to rehabilitate and renovate various garden settings at Chatsworth, as you are doing now. With climate change affecting gardens in unexpected yet consequential ways, how are sensitive spaces at Chatsworth such as the Azalea Dell doing? Have the blooming times changed in noticeable ways?    
Answer: Currently we are not seeing much impact on the health of established plantings, such as the Azalea Dell. Flowering times are changing but not necessarily in any kind of pattern, mild winters and early Spring and often bringing things forward or causing sporadic flowering, and then this year a very late hard frost caused damage and delayed some blooms.

However climatic changes are influencing our thinking and planting for the future, planting in Autumn rather than Spring to avoid plants drying out and requiring extensive watering is now accepted. Also planting species more tolerant of waterlogging in some areas and extended dry periods in others is important, for example Beech that we have seen thrive over hundreds of years are now not happy in exposed positions where their shallow roots may dry out.

Question: Why has his Grace chosen not to go into politics? And is his son following that non-path?    
Answer: In my youth I was not inspired by either political party and I believe that my son will answer in a similar way. 

Question: How large of a staff is needed to maintain the house and gardens?    
Answer: The staff here at Chatsworth both directly and indirectly care for the house and gardens, whether they be skilled tradespeople, switchboard operators or staff welcoming our visitors. In 2019 we had 120 full time and 240 part time posts and over 170 volunteers. 

Question: Can his Grace tell us about any other contemporary artists he is interested in? And I know his son is a photographer and has done much to build the photography collection.    
Answer: We have a number of artist friends including Endellion Lycett Green, Tarka Kings, and Michael Craig-Martin amongst others and we keep well up to date with their exhibitions and outputs. 

Question: Would you please repeat the name of the Japanese silversmith who created the set you shared earlier?    
Answer: Hiroshi Suzuki 

Question: Are the collections all housed in the main building or have they become so vast that they have to be stored off-site?    
Answer: Mostly all are stored within the house with the exceptions of some furniture and costume from the 19th to 21st C. We are exploring off site storage but with a view to offering more access to researching the archives and some of the least often displayed and complex collections such as textiles and works on paper. 

Question: What in your view is the greatest pleasure in living in one’s family’s ancient country house?    
Answer: Being able to welcome so many visitors from all around the world to share this extraordinary place. 

Question: Might he speak more about his father? He was an elected member of the APS.    
Answer: My father enabled Chatsworth to remain an independent entity despite having to pay 80% capital tax up on his father’s death in 1950. He was also a tremendous supported of hundreds of charitable organisations especially in Derbyshire. 

Question: Follow-up on the question about building your own house: what architect or architects would you choose?    
Answer: We would do a very in-depth search amongst architects who have designed contemporary houses that work rather than just look wonderful and this would have to be an international search. 

Question: How has the "Fragrance" changed over the years? 
Answer: We used to burn coal in the open fires and now we only burn wood and that makes a significant difference to the fragrance. I also burn incense in the chapel and this fragrance travels down the adjacent passages and at Christmas time there is a strong perfume of pine from the many Christmas trees throughout the house. 

Question: Can you share some of yours and Amanda’s specific thoughts/visions/dreams as to potential additions over the next twenty years to the grounds and to the house?    
Answer: We are always on the lookout for contemporary work, particularly sculpture and interesting seating in the garden. We would love to install a sound installation. Indoors, I am sure there will be additions to the ceramic collection and more contemporary furniture. 

Question: When you visit Chatsworth, what parts do you get to see?    
Answer: A large portion of the house at Chatsworth is open to visitors and you follow a circuitous route through the ground floor reception rooms and then up to the State Rooms via the 19th Century guest bedrooms and then into the North Wing. Besides the house, there is 105 acres of managed gardens and c.400 hectares of parkland, all surrounded by the beautiful Peak District.

Question: After the demolition of Devonshire House, how did your family decide to integrate surviving paintings, furniture and other collections from there, into Chatsworth? Did it reflect any differences in strategy between a London town house and the main family seat?    
Answer: A lot of the principle paintings would move with the family to which ever was their main residence. At the time that Devonshire House was sold it had been unoccupied by the family for at least 5 years as the house was used by the Red Cross during the First World War. There are notes that when the family moved to another London property in Carlton Gardens in 1923 they bought down paintings from Chatsworth and Hardwick, their Derbyshire property. These same paintings appear back at Chatsworth after the 2nd World War which shows moving these art works was not uncommon and quite a practical matter. 

Question: Many important private American art collections are the result famous collaborations between collectors and their advisors, such as Isabella Stewart Gardner and Berenson. Are there any advisors of note in the history of Chatsworth or has it most often been members of the family working directly with the artist, designer, or architect?    
Answer: 2nd Duke had people helping him acquire paintings within Europe but 6th Duke worked directly with the architects and builders. He would have had personal recommendations. By and large my ancestors, parents and parents-in-law didn't use advisors, although of course they were often offered items by artists directly and dealers. Jonathan Bourne has helped us particular regarding acquisition of furniture. 

Question: Who made that humorous little sculpture behind Jay?
Answer: (From Jay Stiefel) The sculpture, “Just Scratching the Surface,” is by Ann Chahbandour and may be found under “bronze” on her website: https://annchahbandour.com/

We check the weather everyday. Knowing the weather helps us make decisions: what to wear, how to plan our day, and even how to stay safe and healthy. To check the weather today, we can look at an app on our phone, turn on our TV, or check on our computer. Meteorologists (someone who studies weather) predict the weather by observing atmospheric patterns and data gathered by a variety of tools. These patterns help give the public important information especially during dangerous weather seasons. Being able to observe and predict the weather gives the public advanced warning for extreme weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, dust storms, thunderstorms, etc. The weather does not just affect our plans, it affects our health, neighborhoods, property, ecosystems, and livelihoods too. Thermometers, barometers, and weathervanes are still being utilized today as in the past to observe and record the weather. In fact, most of these are tools similar to the ones scientists used in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

The American Philosophical Society (APS) is now working on making our historic meteorological records accessible through transcription and digitization. Watching for weather patterns has been an important endeavor throughout history. In the 18th and 19th centuries, farmers would observe weather patterns since the weather could help or hurt their crops. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison are just a few well known names that made sure to document or observe the weather in regards to their plantation crops. Thomas Jefferson became interested in documenting the weather for his crops on his plantation as well as to document the climate throughout the US. Madison and Jefferson both kept extensive journals at their plantations documenting the weather with sections to record temperature and wind direction. Madison also made sure to note in his weather journals additional observations on gardening, farming, and even animal occurrences.

However, who is not noted in these journals? Enslaved people were laboring on the plantations these founding fathers were observing and documenting. The people given credit for documenting this data were not involved in the hard labor. Enslaved people were forced to do the hard labor on plantations while their owners noted the scientific data. (Note that, in this vein, historians today have referred to plantations such as those referenced here as labor camps.)

APS Fellows Molly Nebiolo and Joe Makuc worked with James Madison’s meteorological records to make them accessible to the public. Both fellows have used the data they accumulated to tell the stories they discovered along the way. These stories are: “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?: The 1791 Drought’s Damage to Agriculture at Montpelier” and “Locating the Transatlantic Seed Trade in James Madison’s Garden.” These two stories are just the beginning of the tales researchers can gleam from meteorological data. 

These stories do not solely reside in the past, they also reverberate in the present. Global warming continues to adversely affect the planet, increasing the warmth of the planet slowly and increasing extreme types of weather. Data collected by founding fathers like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson can be used to document the change in climate over time. Further, by doing this work today and continuing to explore these documents, we are able to tell the stories that were either omitted or neglected years ago. With this data, we can continue to evaluate and collect data to show the continued detrimental effects of global warming and the effects of biased historical practices of the past.

Written by Ali Rospond, Museum Education Coordinator