Journey to the Land of Our Past with the Lowell Thomas Travelogues Journalist, lecturer, author, broadcaster and famous globetrotter,
Lowell Thomas was the foremost raconteur of the twentieth century. His
long and distinguished public career began in the wartime deserts of
the Middle East and was completed here in Dutchess County. His 1919
travelogue, "With Allenby in Palestine, and Lawrence in Arabia" was
the most popular of its kind, became the lens through which the West
perceived the First World War in the Middle East, and popularized T.E.
Lawrence who became famous worldwide as "the Uncrowned King of
Arabia." The exhibit attempts to recreate the experience of Lowell
Thomas's famous travelogues as well as provide a historical survey of
the related events from 1917 to 1919. Displayed are major aspects of
the presentation, relevant documents and advertising, and biographical
sketches of major figures. Visitors learn how Thomas presented the
wartime Middle East in two parts, the land of our constructed past and
the land of the Other - the land of the Bible and that of The Arabian
Nights.
The Lowell Thomas Papers were donated to Marist College by the Thomas
family in 2006. The processing and preservation of the collection was
completed in October of 2009 with the help of a grant from the
National Archives and Record Administration's Historical Publications
and Records Commission (NHPRC). The Lowell Thomas Papers are
housed at the Marist College Archives & Special Collections,
located on the first floor of the James A. Cannavino Library.
Many of the collections images and objects have been digitized through the support of
an additional grant from the NHPRC and are available on-line at
The exhibit will be up for the 2011 - 2012 academic year.
