Special Collections

The Council of Trent was convened by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation. Meeting from 1545-1563, the Council issued statements on Church doctrine, including the prohibition of certain books. Many of the restrictions advocated by the Council in the 1500s were still in effect until 1966.

Text of a royal decree by King Carlos IV of Spain in which books are listed for censorship or are banned outright. Thumbnail shows page in which works by Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) were specified.

This edition, published in 1922, is a slight update from the list of books deemed "forbidden" by the Council of Trent (1545 - 1563).

This list of "prohibited books" was in effect until 1966, and may have been consulted by the faithful in order to determine whether they could read a particular work. Thumbnail image shows page including Denis Diderot's (1713-1784) Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers (Encyclopedia), 1751-1772.

Oscar Wilde wrote this play for the French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923), to perform as her debut in the United Kingdom. However, plays that depicted Biblical characters (such as Salome, Herodias, and John the Baptist) were illegal, and the play was banned for several decades. (Bernhardt never performed it in England, either.)
Thumbnail shows image of JCU copy, which is bound in orange suede and stamped in gold.

William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan kneeling, each with one ear to the ground. In the clouds, “November elections.” This could refer to either the 1896 election or the 1900 election, Republican McKinley defeating Democrat Bryan in both. The election of 1896 was considered a critical election that changed American politics at the time.

In this otherwise uncomplicated illustration, the artist (Nelan) shows how popular opinion viewed the two leading candidates for President at the time. Both men, putting their ears to the ground, could be perceived as clueless or opportunistic.

Grover Cleveland wears a sign reading, "The Democratic Party cannot with honor undertake the battle of the people except under a Leader that represents it best traditions and purposes." He is sitting on a tomb inscribed "W[illiam].J[ennings]. Bryan, Died: 1896 & 1900," referring to Bryan's failed attempts at the Presidency. The background includes gravestones nearby for Tom Johnson, A.P. Gorman, Dave Hill, Richard Olney, and Judge Parker.

The editorial likely refers to the election of 1900, when Bryan was defeated for the second time by McKinley. Bryan ran again and was defeated again in 1908.

This drawing demonstrates the power of editorial cartoonists to provide opinionated content in American newspapers at the turn of the twentieth century.

Depicts a large male figure with a pencil behind his ear labelled "Nelan." The male is holding a smaller male figure labelled "Penny" and using his beard to as a brush in spilled ink. The inkblot on the floor bears the imprint "Press Gag Law." Behind the large man, a Mickey Mouse-like character says, "How careless of Penny."

In 1903, Samuel Pennypacker, Governor of Pennsylvania, signed the Salus-Grady libel law, also known as the "Pennsylvania Anti-Cartoon law." Specifically, the law was thought to be in direct response to cartoonist Charles Nelan, who depicted Pennypacker as a literal parrot, merely mimicking the words of his political bosses. There was wide outrage over the Salus-Grady law, which was never enforced. The law was rescinded in 1907 after Pennypacker's defeat.