Don't forget the ancient precedents to the "hall of fame."

These include the mausoleum, such as the original, the Mausoleum to
Mausolus at Halikarnassos, the ancient columns and arches of triumph, the
Pantheon, of course and its numerous copies and variants, including the one
in Paris, plus the tomb of Napoleon.  Look at the martyrium church of the
early Christians and its progeny, plus, in a curious way, the baptistry.
The Hall of Fame at [former] uptown NYU.  You may even see Dante's
Purgatory as a guided tour of the halls of the infamous.

Another precedent might be found in the Cabinet of Curiosities that stood
for museums in the 16th through the 18th centuries and its modern
descendant, Rigley's Believe it or Not.

Another precedent may be found in ancient portrait galleries, in
collections of imperial portraiture, and in portraits of famous creators
and scientists that abounded since ancient times.

Without these, upon which modern examples stand, there would be no hall of
fame today.  The modern hall of fame merges portraits, actions and the
collected realia of the individuals they celebrate.

For perspective, read Tony Bennett's Book: Birth of the Museum.
______________________________________

Robert A. Baron
Museum Computer Consultant
P.O. Box 93, Larchmont, NY 10538
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