Lower Basement

A engraving by Van Gogh’s physician and friend, Dr. Gachet, a portrait of the artist J. F. Millet, marks the south entry to the 1973 annex at the basement level. Here are the stacks for the general collections on theology and religion. Along the ramp between basement levels and throughout the lower basement are graphic panels fabricated for use in exhibitions in The Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Galleries and now serving as reminders of books that can be found in Bridwell Library Special Collections. A trio of restrikes from original etching plates by Daumier, Rouault, and Dalí are displayed below a constellation of hanging lamps. A Shinto shrine intended for personal or family devotion is raised on a pedestal near the north elevator door.  Undulating reliefs made from printing plates by Tennessee artist Adam Gaskill are mounted to the west wall. On the opposite wall above public-use book scanning equipment are early mechanical reproductions of paintings by Dürer and Raphael. Lastly, a photograph taken for Life magazine shows John Ellison, editor of Nelson’s 1957 Concordance, with computer punch cards and reels of magnetic tape used in its production.