How can an archive capture and preserve the most ephemeral aspect of an institution's legacy—the intimate conversations shared among its scholars? A unique artifact addressing this exact challenge was acquired by the Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center in early 2026: a dinner tablecloth belonging to Gabrielle Borel, embroidered with the signatures of the renowned guests she hosted.
“This therefore, is mathematics: she reminds you of the
invisible forms of the soul; she gives light to her own
discoveries; she awakens the mind and purifies the intellect; she
brings light to our intrinsic ideas; she abolishes oblivion
and...
More than seventy-five years ago, Founding Director Abraham
Flexner sought to create with the Institute for Advanced Study a
haven where “scholars and scientists may regard the world and its
phenomena as their laboratory, without being carried off...
