“Wasn’t that a lovely whing-ding in Williamsburg!” exclaimed Ruth Borterfield about the October 1976 exhibit, Pugs, People and the Peter Chapin Collection in an issue of the official breed magazine Pug Talk. William & Mary’s Swem Library hosted this special exhibition of privately owned figurines and graphics devoted to one of dogdom’s elite, the pug, in recognition of the roughly 3,000-volume Peter Chapin Collection of Books on Dogs.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the exhibit in 2016, Special Collections highlights the contributions of pug-enthusiast donors to our collection of dog-related materials, which range from books and representations in popular culture to ephemera and fine art. Over the years,  the Chapin-Horowitz Collection of Cynogetica has grown to over 10,000 volumes.

Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr. 

Curators: Chandi Singer, Guest Curator, and Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist. Exhibit design: Jessica Molz, SCRC Graphics Student Assistant, Chandi Singer, and Jennie Davy. Fabrication and installation: Ashley Gonzales, User Services & Student Supervisor; Khanh Vo, Special Collections Graduate Apprentice and PhD Candidate in American Studies; Jennie Davy; Chandi Singer; Bart Singer; Bjorn Taylor; and Damara Bradley.