>----------
>From:  Nicholson, Claudia
>Sent:  Wednesday, May 13, 1998 8:18 AM
>To:    'Museum-L'
>Subject:       Military uniforms
>
>Heleanor is quite right about military uniforms having a context.  I would
>agree that ALL objects have any number of contexts.  However, as museums, I
>don't think that we are required to cover every context every time we exhibit
>the artifact.
>
>My favorite example comes from Barbara Carson, and was presented to me many
>years ago at a workshop.  Take a late 19th century cut glass bowl.  You can
>look at it as an aesthetic object--what is its design?  You can look at it as
>an example of the glass cutter's craft--how did such a thing get made?  You
>can look at it as an object that tells the world how affluent the person who
>has it in their home was--how much did it cost?  Through what network did it
>end up in the person's home?  You can look at how such an object might have
>been cared for it--who washed and dusted it--the lady of the house? [women's
>role in the late 19th century] or the maid? [women's role in the late 19th
>century; place of servants in the home of the affluent; class differences
>between upper and lower class women; labor].  However, that doesn't mean
>necessarily that I want to tackle all of these issues in one exhibit.
>Usually, the practice is to pick one, maybe two, and leave the rest for other
>exhibits.
>
>Fred Schroeder's "Seven Ways to Look at an Artifact" shows us much the same
>thing.
>
>Military uniforms can be considered simple interestingly-designed garments.
>Whether or not the museum should is another question--depends on the mission
>of the museum, doesn't it?  If the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan
>Museum of Art were to do an exhibit on military uniforms, would you demand
>that they show pictures of dead bodies in the background?
>
>Yes, war is a horrible, stinking thing--an experience that I fear can never
>be adequately conveyed in a museum exhibit (just talk to a veteran).  And
>yes, there are many museums where that might be an appropriate topic,
>including the museum that originally generated this thread.  However, I think
>that they can decide to do something else with their collection, and we
>should let them.
>
>Claudia Nicholson
>Curator
>Museum Collections Department
>Minnesota Historical Society
>345 Kellogg Blvd. W.
>St. Paul, MN  55102-1906
>      Tel: 612-297-7442
>      FAX: 612-297-2967
>      e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>