"Victorians Speaking Without Words" explores how the nineteenth-century artist and illustrator worked with a recognizable vocabulary of expression, gesture, and detail to present a moral - make a statement about gender, social class, or politics of the day, or speak to the condition of the age.

Students in Dr. Catherine Golden’s EN 228H course entitled "The Victorian Illustrated Book" created six cases (4 in the Harris Lobby and 2 in the Pohndorff Room) that showcase the language of the fan and the language of flowers, both popular in the Victorian era, as well as exaggerated caricature-style and animal imagery in order to teach viewers about love, marriage, morality, heartbreak, and hope. Fans, flowers, figurines, and telling details on a mantel speak volumes once we glean the nonverbal languages of Victorian times. The exhibit will be on display until May 5, 2011.