Traditional vs. Digital Film Preservation

In high school, I worked at a movie theater and my favorite part of my job was threading new reels of film. There was something so nostalgic and "Hollywood-esque" about threading the film myself and working with the projector. I was incredibly frustrated when digital projectors were implemented because all movies were pre programmed to a flash drive. Never did I think the Library of Congress would have issues with the digitization of film as well!  I stumbled across an article in the September 2014 issue of the Washingtonian titled, Unhappy Medium:  The Challenges With Archiving Digital Video.  This article addresses how movies are now "born digital," meaning shot on digital cameras and no longer using Celluloid film.

 I consider myself very tech savvy and like the quality of digital film, but agree with this article when it states that digital film is not an equivalent to traditional film.  Archivists are able to make repairs, copy original film onto safety film stock, and place it in cold storage to keep film lasting centuries.  This system ensures archivists that the film's quality will be as good in a few hundred years as it was when printed.  As digital film grows more popular, traditional reel collection will become harder to come by.  Companies like Kodak, which is one of the Library's top suppliers of film, are going bankrupt.  Thankfully, the article confirms that the company has no intention of getting rid of traditional motion-picture film.  Fujifilm has already ended production of traditional film and the Library has had to count on a German distributor (ORWO) to access classic black-and-white film.

One of the main issues the Library of Congress has noticed is the copyright regulations on film.  To register a copyright, the filmmakers submit work to the Library and is stored for 123 years.  These regulations will need to be rewritten as the Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) that are sent to theaters already have anti-piracy technology encrypted.  This technology prevents anyone who is authorized to show these films from playing beyond the specific times and periods already installed in the DCPs. This limits the control the Library of Congress has over preserving the movie.  Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) is being offered as an alternative to DCP, but prevents the Library of Congress from adding closed captioning and subtitles to film.  

Archivists at the Library of Congress have been working together to preserve and accommodate digital format.  Meetings of professional organizations are done regularly to discuss the future of film and digital preservation efforts.  Criss Kovac, supervisor of the National Archives' Motion Picture Preservation Lab, states in the article that there needs to be more cooperation, but is hopeful as problems arise archivists will band together.

I know technology is the future, but I truly hope the traditional way movies are filmed can be continued and preserved as long as possible!

Smithsonian adds LGBT history to museum collection

I just read an article on the WTOP's website.  WTOP is a radio station in the Washington DC area.  The article is titled "Smithsonian adds LGBT history to museum collection",  it sounded interesting  so I read it to see what the Smithsonian was adding.  "Hundreds of photographs, papers and historical objects documenting the history of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are being added" the article starts out.  Then it goes on to say that items from the popular TV show "Will and Grace" will be included in the items added to the collection.  "Will and Grace" is a fictional show about a gay man, portrayed by a straight man, his best friend Grace and another friend Jack, who is also gay on the show and has come out as a gay man in "real life".  I think it's great that TV shows are able to portray gays and that people accept the show and laugh and enjoy the show, but it's just a show.  Two of the items being donated are a sign from Grace Adler Interior Design and Will Truman's framed college diploma - why? They aren't real people.  Other items being added include passports of the first openly gay U.S. ambassador and his husband as well as sports memorabilia from gay and lesbian athletes.
The show has probably changed some people's views on gays and lesbians, but I don't understand why props from a "gay" show are included in the Smithsonian collection.  I guess it's popular culture, which was one of the points in our readings last week.  Popular culture dictates what is considered history.  The show, although very funny was also very stereotypical.  Jack was flamboyant and a bit aloof which is how many gays are perceived.  If articles from "Will and Grace" will be in the Smithsonian as part of the gay and lesbian collection will there be other actors' items there?  Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady on "The Brady Bunch" was gay, will there be an area of the collection for actors who couldn't be themselves, who couldn't come out because they wouldn't have been accepted by the public although fellow actors knew of their sexuality? 
I guess I was just taken aback that "Will and Grace" appears to be the big news at the gay and lesbian collection when so many others have fought for so many years for gay rights and equality.  "Will and Grace" was ground breaking and did open people eyes, but I hope there is also focus on the hundreds and hundreds of normal people who were and are part of the gay movement.
http://www.wtop.com/41/3684560/Smithsonian-adds-LGBT-history-to-museum-collection

National 9/11 Memorial & Museum

I was going to do a post about some of the assigned reading today, but with the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks  being tomorrow, I thought it appropriate to save that for another day.

While it's unlikely that I will be able to visit the museum and memorial any time soon, I have been browsing the web site (link will open in a new window). You may have seen the 9/11 Memorial before, which is made up of the reflecting pools located in the "footprints" of where the Twin Towers once stood with the names of those lost etched into bronze plates and other exhibits, which you can tour here. However, my primary focus will be on the museum, located underground.

First, let me say that, judging from what I've seen on the site, I think the museum is incredibly well designed and comprehensive. It makes extensive use of oral history from people who were both directly and indirectly affected by the events of that terrible day. They include testimony from survivors, first responders, family members and loved ones of those lost and those involved in the recovery efforts. Especially haunting is that of Amy Mundorff, the forensic anthropologist with the massive and grim task of sorting through and identifying the remains of the dead after the attacks. Her oral testimony and that of others is available online here.

Furthermore, there is a strong emphasis on the people who lost their lives in the attacks. As part of the museum, there is a "Memorial Exhibition". The description from the site is best:

The memorial exhibition, In Memoriam, commemorates the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 and provides visitors with the opportunity to learn about the men, women and children who died. Visitors enter the exhibition along a corridor in which portrait photographs of the nearly 3,000 victims form a "Wall of Faces," communicating the scale of human loss.

Nearby, touchscreen tables allow visitors to discover additional information about each person, including photographs, images of objects, and audio remembrances by family, friends, and coworkers. Rotating selections of personal artifacts are also featured. An inner chamber presents profiles of individual victims in a dignified sequence through photographs, biographical information and audio recordings.

© 2004-2011, National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

https://www.911memorial.org/memorial-exhibition-0

There's much more to the site than what I've outlined here. I'm glad that the site for the museum exists and includes so much information and images of the museum since it isn't practical for me visit in person yet. I also encourage you to spend some time on the site. It's a great resource for learning about the significant places, people, and events on that day thirteen years ago. 

Ancient Public History

Ancient Public History

                Public history as a topic or subject is not as new as it may seem. Public history has been around for hundreds and even thousands of years! I discovered this on a trip to Rome, Italy two years ago. I went to Italy to participate in an archaeological dig, but when I was not on the dig site my fellow diggers and I toured in and around Rome. One weekend I went to Ostia Antiqua, an ancient Roman ruin site just outside of Rome. In Ostia I discovered and fell in love with what I now realize as an element of public history, mosaics! 

Mosaics are made up of tesserae cut from marble, tile, stone shells, glass, and/or pottery. The tesserae usually measure around .5 to 1.5 cm and are arranged on a mortar base to form pictures or images. Mosaics are found on the floors, walls, ceilings, and fountains of both private and public buildings. I now realize that by looking at and touching the mosaics at Ostia I was experiencing ancient public history because by using mosaics Romans were teaching audiences and providing them with information about their own history. 

Alexander the Great

                                                                                                                                                           Roman mosaics depicted many images such as Roman activities that included gladiator contests, sports, agriculture, and hunting. Famous people, such as Alexander the Great were also featured in mosaics. Ostia has the earliest example of a human figure depicted in a mosaic dating around 115 C.E. Animals from Greek mythology are very prominent in the mosaics in Ostia showing the deep Greek roots and influences that are embedded in Roman history and society. Mosaics served as public images that taught and reminded Romans of their heritage and where they came from.
Not only did mosaics reach out to audiences thousands of years ago, but they are still around for audiences today to experience a form of public history that started so very long ago. 

 More on Ostia!

Why Are Historical Institutions Always Short on Cash?

There's a common thread that I've noticed throughout my coursework this semester, even at only a few weeks into the program. It's that just about every public history-related institution has a very limited budget.

I started thinking about why that might be the case. I believe that, for better or for worse, that our individual spending and public funding allocations reflect our priorities as a society. If that's true, then history is simply not a priority for most people in the United States. This ties in with Glassberg's idea of American culture as "historicidal", which I agree with, though with some reservation.

Then, I began thinking again. Why are we a historicidal culture? I think two of the biggest reasons are that the United States is still a very young nation, especially compared to many in Europe, whose histories extend much further back even than the first English settlement at Jamestown. There simply isn't very much history to be had. The second is, I think, how history is taught in public schools. It's generally presented as a list of dates, names and events that students are expected to memorize, regurgitate for the tests, and then probably forget about. I wholeheartedly agree with much of what is in the readings and what has been said in class about history education, particularly in that there's a lack of complete narratives to which students can relate.

Human beings connect with narratives and stories. It's been that way since before recorded history. I think that if history is presented in that way, it will be able to engage more people from a much earlier age. The fact of the matter is that when history is presented as a narrative, people engage with it, people flock to such narratives. Movies like Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan and Gettysburg were and are, very popular because they tell stories about history. The historical accuracy of the stories vary, but regardless, they still tell stories about the past and the people who lived in the past.

As aspiring public historians, we need to keep in mind that history is a collection of stories about people and events that came before us.

The Jacob Henry Masion Estate

Over Labor Day weekend I attended a wedding in Joliet, IL at The Jacob Henry Mansion Estate.  The mansion sits almost in the center of downtown Joliet.  Jacob Henry built the mansion in 1873; he was a wealthy railroad magnate.  The mansion took three years to complete and has 16,800 square feet and over 40 rooms.  There are fire places in many of the rooms with ornate black walnut and oak wood carved mantles and built-ins around them. 


The mansion is now used primarily for receptions, lunches, teas, etc.  Two of the second floor bedrooms are set up as dining areas, while two others are set to look as they did when the mansion was built.  The bedrooms are HUGE and each has large windows and doors.  The lower level, where the main reception areas are still look like 4 or 5 separate rooms.  The main living room is a large room with hardwood floors for dancing and entertaining.  What appears to be the original dining room was used for socializing and appetizers.  A room, most likely a study was set up with tables for dining.  There are modern conveniences such as air conditioning, multiple bathrooms and a built in bar area for parties, but the house still looks very much like it did 100 years ago I'm sure.


Attached to the property is an old chapel, no longer used as a place of worship but used only for weddings.  Built onto the chapel is another reception area and a courtyard connects the chapel to the mansion.  Friday before Labor Day there were 3 weddings there before the rehearsal I attended and Saturday there were at least 4 events on the property.


For more information you can visit www.jacobhenrymansion.com.  If you ever get to Joliet, IL I highly suggest visiting the mansion.  The downtown area was similar to Dayton, although larger and a bit more thriving.

Ulysses & Julia Grant: Personal History at Their Historic Home

This past summer, I had the good fortune of traveling to St. Louis, MO on vacation. While there, I managed to visit around a dozen museums and historic sites, each of which I attempted to look at not only as a visitor but also as a professional-in-training. From the Old Courthouse's continuing attempts to recreate the room in which the Dred Scott case began in the 1840's; to the Museum of Westward Expansion's decision to make their building as open non-linear as the subject it teaches; to the Scott Joplin House allowing visitors to play his ragtime hits on an old player piano; the museums of St. Louis try hard and (I think) succeed at helping their patrons feel connected to history. For me, none made that connection stronger than the Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site.

White Haven. It was painted Paris green
in the 1870's, a then-popular color.

The Grant Site is located at the location of the Grant family's home, White Haven, and the surrounding farm. The house itself was bare, a decision the museum made because they did not have enough information about how it may have been furnished. The original chicken house, ice house, and summer kitchen were also on-site, but none of those were all that special in themselves. Where the Grant Historic Site really shines is in the personal stories it tells about Grant, his wife Julia, and their children, in-laws, and slaves. Our guide was an excellent story-teller, and as we walked around the site, he told us of young Ulysses riding through driving rain to propose to Julia before he left to fight in the Mexican-American War; of him arguing with his father-in-law, Frederick Dent, about the ethics of slavery (Grant opposed, Dent owned); and of other pieces of their lives.

Excerpts from Ulysses' and Julia's
journals and letters were available to read.

After the tour, this focus on the personal side was compounded by an exhibit called An Intricate Tapestry: the Lives of Ulysses and Julia Grant, which attempted to explore "the Grants' public and private roles within the context of their time." While there was information on Grant the general and president, the highlight was the family dynamic. Explored through correspondence and other primary sources, the exhibit revealed an an intimate way the inner-workings of one of the presidential families during one of the country's most trying periods.

The Grant Historic Site gave me a good idea of just how personal an exhibit could be and one of many ways to evoke a connection to history. It will be interesting to discover more ways to bring history alive.