Amanda,
In response to suggestions about using a natural history category:
What you are really looking for, I think, is how to classify a bale of
cotton, of which this is a sample. A bale of cotton is raw (natural)
material, but when the boles are gathered and created into a bale it becomes
a man-made artifact, and crosses the line from natural history where a
cotton bole might be placed.
Two possible major categories that come to mind are Textileworking T & E,
and Artifact Remnant (an incomplete part of an artifact created to fulfill
some human function which can't be determined) under Unclassifiable
Artifacts.
The Artifact Remnant category lists "TEXTILE FRAGMENT" and reminds us of
related terms: BOLT, CLOTH and SALES SAMPLE, CLOTH.
Because the bale of cotton is analogous to the bolt of cloth (one just
farther along in the manufacturing process than the other) I think I'd
choose Textileworking T & E, adding the name BALE, COTTON, then note in the
catalog description that it is a sample.
(I believe one of the protocols is to use the name of the whole item if you
have only a part of the item.)
In the past, for raw material, I've also used the category FUNCTION UNKNOWN
under 'Unclassifiable Artifacts' with the added term PREPARED RAW MATERIAL.
Lucy Sperlin
Patrick Ranch
Chico, California
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Amanda Thompson
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 1:01 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Chenhall classification question
Hello all:
I'm currently trying to classify a cotton sample using the Chenhall
classification system. For those of you who are not familiar with them,
cotton samples are plugs of cotton, a little smaller than a football, that
are taken from a bale of cotton to determine its monetary value by looking
at the quality of the cotton fibers. Ours has a brown paper wrapper so it
looks sort of like a bundle of yarn with its wrapper. Any ideas from the
agricultural museums out there?
Also, is there such a thing as a nomenclature or classification listserv
for me to post these types of questions to, so that I don't have to bother
everyone on the list?
Thanks!
Amanda Thompson Dyer
Curator
Bell County Museum
Belton, TX
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