Commencement

Jul 18, 2025 9:30 AM | This exhibit commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (1939-45) using primarily European visual sources recently acquired by Rare Books & Special Collections. It showcases more than 40 works on paper, including posters, maps, propaganda ephemera, and illustrated books, as well as photographs and first-hand accounts. The exhibit explores themes of Nazi racial ideology, the Holocaust, children in war, resistance, liberation, and memories of war. By examining images created for personal use and for state-sponsored propaganda, the exhibit presents a visual narrative of the war’s profound impact on individuals and societies, offering deeper insight into how this war was experienced and remembered. This exhibit is curated by Natasha Lyandres, Curator, Rare Books & Special Collections; Jean McManus, Catholic Studies Librarian, University Archives; and Julia Schneider, German Language and Literature and Italian Studies Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries. This and other exhibits within the Hesburgh Libraries are generously supported by the McBrien Special Collections Endowment. All exhibits are free and open to the public during business hours. Related Events Monday, March 31, 4:30 pmLecture: Martina Cucchiara, “Fervent Faith, Relentless Persecution: The Daily Life of Erna Becker-Kohen, a Catholic of Jewish Descent in Nazi Germany” Thursday, April 10, 4:30 pmLecture: Robert M. Citino, "The Fascist Lair: the Battle of Berlin" Tuesday, April 22, 4:30 pmYom HaShoah Program to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust Exhibit Tours Meet and speak with curators of the spring exhibit, "Tragedies of War: Images of WWII in Print Visual Culture." Monday, March 31, 3:30 pmThursday, April 10, 3:30 pmTuesday, April 22, 3:30 pm