Harold C. Putnam Book Fund

H. Chase Putnam, Jr., College 1958, established this fund in 1988 in memory of his father, College 1917, M.A. 1918 in Latin. The fund supports acquisitions in classical Roman art, architecture, and literature at the Fisher Fine Arts Library.

The study of Roman art and architecture remains a central pursuit of Penn's Department of Art History, and the Putnam Fund has made it possible to enrich the Library's collections in this area.

For example, through the fund the Library acquired a first edition, circa 1830, of Dominique Marie Joseph Henry's Notice sur l'amphitheatre d'Arles, a study of one of the principal monuments of the Roman Empire. The survival of the amphitheater through its physical fabric and its image has influenced the development of architectural form through the present day.

For faculty, students, and visiting scholars, our collections provide the basis for new understanding of the past and new discoveries for the future. Funds such as the Harold C. Putnam Book Fund are an important part of building these collections.