For a course on curatorial methods, I'm looking for a book that
introduces students to techniques for dating historical artifacts.  I've
searched the literature and the only thing I've come up with are primers for
specific areas such as textiles, glass, etc.  (e.g., Clues in the Calico, a
guide to dating quilts).  Does anyone know of any title out there that
provides an overview of clues and methods for dating a broad range of
historical artifacts?  On a related subject, I'm also looking for a book
that focuses specifically on methodologies for researching historical
artifacts.  The best I've come up with in this regard is a frustratingly
brief chapter on researching social history collections in  Thompson's
Manual of Curatorship.  Would appreciate hearing what museum studies
programs use for teaching this aspect of curatorial work.

        Thanks

        Curt Miner
        The State Museum of Pennsylvania
        [log in to unmask]

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).