The University of Idaho Library is pleased to launch the Silver and Gold Book digital collection, dedicated to showing the beautiful details and rich history of a university treasure. The Silver and Gold Book, so named for its composition and style, has existed for nearly as long as the university and represented the community of Moscow at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The Pleiades Club, a group of seven faculty wives with a shared interest in art and literature, oversaw the Book’s creation. Eight years after the Book, the group teamed with the Moscow Historical Club to introduce a free library in Moscow.

For the last several decades, the Silver and Gold Book has resided in the President’s Office. Opportunities to closely study the artifact are rare because of its value.

At the request of the President’s Office to provide more access to the Book, a digital collection was developed.

Creating this collection, Special Collections and Archives and the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning collaborated with the President’s Office and Creative Services’ Visual Productions (VP) team. VP head Melissa Hartley set up a space in the studio to photograph the book.

The Book has intricate engravings and is made of precious metals and gems that make it challenging to photograph. To create the photographs she wanted without image editing after the fact, Melissa relied on studio lights to enhance the shine without causing glare that would make it difficult to see details.

“It took some angling and subtle shifts to get it right,” Melissa recalled. “We played around in the studio to get all the best angles.”

Melissa’s images went to the Library and the Silver and Gold Book returned to the President’s office. Then Special Collections and CD?L wrote up a collection description and generated the page. The final results are now available for viewing.

Visit Silver and Gold Book digital collection to learn more!

Resources

MG 25 Pleiades Club records, 1892-2024

Seven Women, Seven Stars- The Pleiades Club

Silver and Gold Book digital collection