To return to the original question I thought those types of stories were
considered "apocryphal." A story of dubious origin, according to the OED.
The history field is full of them. From Washington chopping down cherry
trees to the race of the Tom Thumb (which I have found in history books as
well as Sherman and Peabody) to the origin of the term "Sweat Shop." I have
heard many of them passed along by curators and administrators as well as
docents and don't even get me started on professional tour operators. I'll
bet every person on this list believes at least one such story to be true.

As an aside:  Has anyone here ever tried to stamp one of these stories out
once it has taken root in a museum? It can be pert near impossible,
especially if the tale is particularly beloved by a staff. No one can ever
verify it off course, they were always told by "someone" when they started.

Also to get back to the original post I have always used the word
"hyperbole" to refer to unwarranted exaggeration. The most prevalent use of
this, in my opinion, is typically in development departments, marketers, and
consultants when given attendance estimates to donors and the media. I have
heard figures inflated by as much as 50%.

My favorite half-truth and/or untruth in the museum world is the rampant use
of superlatives. Is there any museum out there that doesn't claim to be the
oldest, longest, biggest, best, worst (in my case) or birthplace of
something. Most of the time the claims are "technically" correct but the
claim itself is misleading if not explained to the satisfactorily or put in
the proper context.


Sorry to go off on a tangent. I go a little tired of everyone singling out
docents in a profession that can play faster with facts and interpretation
than it will admit.


--
Matthew White
Director of Museums
Mount Washington Observatory
www.mountwashington.org
Home of the World's Worst Weather

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