In 1995, while attending the AASLH convention, I visited The Museum of the
Historical Society of Saratoga Springs, New York. Located in the 1870
Canfield Casino period home, it then consisted of period rooms, an
interpretive gallery and a "soap-opera house tour, a family-saga, in a genre
popular in the 1970s. The period rooms were done in the 1950s. I enjoyed the
family saga, and actually read every label (hey, I'm a designer--we like
pictures!), as it had the intrique of murder (patricide) and great quotes.
The contrast of how history has been told in museums was exploited very
effectively. The museum wound up with a variety of dated musuem interpretive
styles. Rather than erase all the old ways, they were left a testimony to
those ways. To quote the brochure of 1995 " Multiple visions of the past are
preserved side-by-side, and the stories that emerge are haunting
affirmations that history is the continuing present."  Very interesting. I
don't know if they've changed their philosophy of interpretation, but I
found it tremendously educational and enjoyable.

Susan E. Cooper Finney
Exhibit Designer
Michigan Historical Museum
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ps. thanks to all who responded to the champagne bottle question--I
forwarded the information to our archaeologist, and the concept of the
bottles being reused and being filled with something other than champagne
was heartily welcomed.

Date:    Sun, 27 Jan 2002 18:55:46 -0500
From:    Melinda Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Period Rooms
Hi,

I am doing some research on period rooms in museums, and am looking for =
a list of museums that have period rooms. I know about the Met, =
Brooklyn, and Winterthur...what other museums have period rooms that =
were installed prior to 1975?

Also, does anyone know of any historic houses that have "frozen" =
(completely or certain rooms) in order to maintain the earlier =
interpretation as part of the history?

Thanks,

Melinda Kaufman
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>

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