At BPL: Nun dolls, Hancock, and history

In today's Globe, I have a story about the Boston Public Library exhibit featuring artifacts from the collection of the archives of the Archdiocese of Boston, as well as from the library's own collection and from some private collections:

"Among the most striking objects is a small crucifix that Boston's first bishop, Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus, reportedly gave to a local girl; a black box filled with vials that were used when visiting the sick and dying by a priest in the 19th century; and a collection of dolls showing the habits of nuns at various stages of their profession. There is also the signature of John Hancock, on the wedding certificate for a Spanish diplomat in Boston, and the name of John Adams, then a former president, inscribed at the top of a list of donors for the construction of the Church of the Holy Cross, which became Boston's first cathedral once a Catholic diocese was established here. 'We try not only to educate, but to entertain, so we're always looking for things that will be eye-catchers,' said Marta H. Pardee-King, a library staffer who helped curate the exhibit. 'Tourists like the dolls and the signature of John Hancock - things they might quickly recognize - while Europeans are looking at church history, and researchers at the original manuscripts and journals. People want to see the wealth of what we have.'"

(Photos by Wendy Maeda, Globe staff)