Spheres of Life and Writing

September 22, 2024 – March 2, 2025
George Peabody Library, Exhibit Gallery

Admission is free

Plan Your Visit


Showcasing the Sheridan Libraries’ Robert A. Wilson Collection of rarely exhibited first editions, drafts, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera linked to Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), this new major exhibition documents how the pioneering American writer fostered avant-garde connections throughout her lifetime and explores Stein’s ongoing legacy as a beacon for artists, writers, and LGBTQ+ communities.

detail of vintage photo showing an older women

Explore Selected Items

View Flickr album

open book with photo on left and typed text on right
Excerpts from "Tender Buttons," by Gertrude Stein, in the journal "transition," fall 1928. Inscribed by Stein.
Letter to Paul Bowles from Gertrude Stein, postmarked 1931, with photographs of Paul Bowles, Aaron Copland, and Basket the poodle.
cover of The Atlantic
"Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas," part I, by Gertrude Stein. "The Atlantic," May 1933.
open scrapbook showing black and white photos
One of Robert A. Wilson’s Gertrude Stein scrapbooks, compiled over the course of over fifty years.
archival photo of seated woman with baby
Photograph of Gertrude Stein as an infant with her mother Amelia Stein. P. L. Perkins, Baltimore, c. 1874.
music score
Page of music manuscript for the song “Vision of Holy Ghost,” from the opera "Four Saints in Three Acts," by Virgil Thomson, libretto by Gertrude Stein, c. 1934.
book cover with printed type
"The Making of Americans: Being a History of a Family's Progress," by Gertrude Stein. Paris: Contact Editions, Three Mountains Press, 1925.
book standing upright with covers open
"Things as They Are: A Novel in Three Parts," by Gertrude Stein. Pawlet VT: Banyan Press, 1950. First publication of Stein's lesbian novella, originally titled "Q.E.D."

Attend Exhibition Events

Gertrude Stein in Circles opening reception and concert

Gertrude Stein in Circles opening reception and concert

September 22nd 2024 2:00 PM EDT to 4:00 PM EDT

Join us for an opening celebration of Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing, featuring light refreshments in the exhibit gallery followed by remarks and a concert of songs inspired by Stein's writings by her longtime collaborator Virgil Thomson and other American composers such as Ned Rorem and John Cage.  

Lunch with the Libraries & Museums: Gertrude Stein in Circles virtual tour

Lunch with the Libraries & Museums: Gertrude Stein in Circles virtual tour

October 9th 2024 12:00 PM EDT to 1:00 PM EDT

Join exhibition curator Gabrielle Dean online for a virtual tour of Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing followed by audience Q&A. This is the perfect event for those who cannot travel to Baltimore to see the exhibition in person.

Gertrude Stein in Circles exhibition tour

Gertrude Stein in Circles exhibition tour

October 16th 2024 2:00 PM EDT to 3:00 PM EDT

Join exhibition curator Gabrielle Dean in Baltimore's "Cathedral of Books" for a tour of Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing. Limited to 25 participants. Advance registration is required.

Gertrude Stein's America: A Conversation with Phoebe Stein

Gertrude Stein's America: A Conversation with Phoebe Stein

November 20th 2024 6:00 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST

Gertrude Stein scholar and cousin Phoebe Stein will be joined by Gabrielle Dean, curator of Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing, to discuss Stein’s geographically distant, but psychologically deep-rooted, relationship to her native United States. Advance registration requested on events.jhu.edu


Dive Deeper

Satellite Displays

September 29 – December 13, 2024

  • The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, Special Collections Reading Room, Brody Learning Commons (J-Card ID Required or by advance appointment)  Plan Your Visit
  • The World Is Round, Evergreen Museum & Library (Open by guided tour or by advance appointment)  Plan Your Visit

Gallery Guide

Access the Collection

Most of the Robert A. Wilson Collection of Gertrude Stein Materials is open to researchers, and the finding aid to the collection is available online.

Explore the Finding Aid

The collection includes first and significant later editions of Gertrude Stein’s books, many of them inscribed; books related to and about her; periodicals; letters; photographs; LPs; manuscripts and proofs. It is especially rich in materials that illustrate Stein’s legacy: souvenir objects, brochures, fliers, posters, and sheet music that document interpretations of Stein’s texts and works inspired by hers.


Organization

Organized by the Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries and University Museums

The exhibition is curated by Gabrielle Dean, William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, and adjunct professor of English, Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Sponsors

Major support for the exhibition and accompanying gallery guide and programming has been provided by the Friends of the Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries.