The Rosenbach Museum

Title: Megalonyx jeffersonii
Year: Disc. 1796
Material: Fossilized bone, copy from resin.
Creator: Disc. by Colonel John Stewart, studies initiated by Thomas Jefferson
Collection: Creature Comforts

In the back left corner of the small exhibit that was Creature Comforts at the Rosenbach Museum was a collection of fossils from the Megalonyx jeffersonii (Jefferson's giant ground sloth) specimen that was discovered by Colonel John Stewart in 1796 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, West Virginia. It was sent from Col. Stewart to Thomas Jefferson upon exhuming, who after studying the fossils was convinced that it was not only from a large carnivore (a massive cat) but that the animal was still roaming the largely unpopulated American wilderness. His presentation to the American Philosophical Society beginning his search for this creature and further evidence is what has caused some scholars to consider Jefferson as the father of American vertebrate paleontology. 

The fossils are on display as part of the Creature Comforts exhibition, inspired by the natural history literature collected by the Rosenbach brothers. One of the items collected by them was a letter from Thomas Jefferson to David Rittenhouse pertaining to the fossil and his beliefs in the species remaining extant. The fossils themselves were gifted by the American Philosophical Society to the Academy of Natural Sciences, who have loaned the collection (among other natural history items) to the Rosenbach for this exhibition. 

The collection of objects that create the ground sloth exhibit as a whole are dispersed throughout four different places. The focus of my evaluation (the fossils) are in a single case, raised on two different mounts. The left mount features the forearm, and the right mount the left hand of the ground sloth. Above the case is a quote from Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, "But all the manna of heaven would never raise the Mouse to the bulk of the Mammoth". To the right of the case is a small pedestal where an exact replica of the largest left claw is available for visitors to touch and examine. As noted in the description of the object (found in the center of the main case) is a reference to the letter that is on display in a separate case, as well as an invitation to utilize the computer kiosk upon which visitors can access the Academy's website.

The point of view of the label and website is mostly that of modern science looking back at the early scientific views of the late 18th century. The other objects in the exhibition are tied into the same focus and point of view, in that the articles are collected from older literature or assist in explaining such, mostly from the late 18th and 19th centuries. 

A closer study of natural history, especially American vertebrate paleontology would help one to better understand the fossils. I personally a brief spent time in my mammology courses studying the ground sloths, so I find these articles quite interesting. Someone not interested in scientific fields, especially those of paleontology or natural history may not be interested in the objects, however. 

Someone who disagrees with the studies of Thomas Jefferson (or the beginnings of American natural history and paleontology as a whole) might tell an opposing narrative in that the description of the item would focus on his misunderstandings of what we now believe today to be the "factual" scientific history of the ground sloth. 

I do not think any more "experiences" are necessary to add to the experience and engagement with the object. What might be useful, however, is to include directions in the item's description as to where the letter is located (I spent several minutes searching and still could not find which case it was in until I was shown), or simply putting the letter into the same case as the fossils. 

The National Constitution Center

Title: Flags of the United States of America
Year: 2003
Material: Metal, fabric, wire (for hanging flags), stone
Creator: Unknown
Collection: Lobby

Creating a half-circle above the second floor of the main lobby to the National Constitution Center is a long row of flags. These flags are those of the United States' fifty states, as well as the unincorporated territories. The individual flags are important to those people who have a special tie to that state or territory, and the collection as a whole is important to anyone who is a citizen of the United States, or perhaps not but wishes to understand more about the country. The flags are on display to not only recognize the individual regions of the country, but to show the order in which the states and territories became a part of the United States.

I am unsure of how the individual flags were acquired, but I would venture to guess they were either donated by members of the individual states, or purchased directly by the center. The flags are hung from wire attached to a metal mount that encircles the center edge of the second floor of the lobby. Below each of these flags is an engraved block of stone laid into the floor with the name of the state or territory the flag represents, and the date it became a part of the United States (the first thirteen are in order of ratification of the Constitution). What I found most interesting was the fact the mount for the flags extended past the last territory  perhaps on purpose to leave room in case more are acquired. The point of view of these labels are objective-- there is no additional information given as to the history of each state, and so there is nothing written that might effect how the objects were interpreted.

There are no other objects around the flags that might contribute to an understanding of the exhibit. There is however a life-sized board game, and perhaps there are questions in the game we did not come across that are relevant to the flags. The significance of the flags might be better understood following research into the history of the growth of the United States, and after studying the laws that determine statehood versus being an unincorporated territory. Someone not from the United States that does not understand the significance of individual states might not be interested in the flags. As there is no point of view involved with the interpretation of the object, it would be hard for a different narrative to be told about it. The only opposing point of view I might expect to hear would be a complaint by someone that the territories are included in the series despite them not being a state.

Viewers might become more engaged with the display if there was an interpretation perhaps along the wall of the second floor walkway describing a brief history of the state and its acquisition by the United States. This could also be achieved with brief discussions given by an interpreter.

Favorite Object

This blog will serve as a place to discuss objects seen at a variety of museums and other such institutions throughout the semester. 

Name: Dagretha
Year I received it: 2008
Material: Tempered hickory core backed in laminating clear fiber glass. The belly of the bow is                birdseye zebrawood and the handle is aromatic cedar.
Creator: Goyacle Redtail

Dagretha is a longbow with a draw weight of 28" or 25x lbs.
This object holds special meaning for me in several ways. Firstly, it was made by a good friend who is a professional Hopi bowyer. Secondly it was an experiment in a new method he was testing, so it is the first of its kind from his collection. Lastly the accents were painted by me, inspired by the bow used by my favorite character in an online role-playing game I used to be a part of. The name of the bow is the name of the organization my character belonged to, so I am constantly reminded of the friendships I had that grew in the game (some people I still talk to today).

The object was a gift from my friend because he does not sell his experiments, and he knew I was in the market for a bow and appreciated his work. It was delivered by his girlfriend (my roommate).

The bow is not exactly on display as I have it off to a corner in my room with the rest of my weaponry, far from the vents and windows to protect it from the elements. It is not stored in a bowsock, though, so when my door is closed, the bow is visible. One day I do intend to mount it to a wall somewhere to display it.

The other weaponry stored with the bow include some arrows, a blow gun, my boyfriend's shinai, and a spear. This spear was made by me out of foam and wood for a costume so it is not functional however. Also in that corner is a trash can I painted to match the bedroom, my closet, and a floor length mirror. In examining these objects, one might see that I like to be organized efficiently, appreciate aesthetics and take part in the arts, and have an interest in "old-technology" weaponry.

To better understand the bow, it would be useful to gain more information about it directly from its creator. Also, a study of archery, bowmaking, and the Hopi people would be advised.

People uninterested in gaming and fantasy may be turned off by the story behind the bow's accents and name. Archers who do not like longbows and people who do not enjoy archery or disapprove of weaponry in general would also not be interested in this bow.

Someone who is unaware of the name of the bow and the storyline of the MUD game may just see the roses painted on it as a pretty decoration and nothing more. They may even derive different meaning from the roses, such as associating thorns with the sharp point of an arrow. Someone unaware of who made the bow may think I bought it. A person disapproving of archery or hunting may assume I am a hunter, which may cause other inferences and misunderstandings to be made.

Whenever someone asks, I allow them to touch it. The best way to create interest in a functional object is to demonstrate its function, so taking the bow out to a range and teaching a viewer on how to use it would be an ideal way to engage him or her.