Structuring Museums Usefully

Scientists, philosophers, and even some Indigenous people saw value in the museum model for long-range preservation. P.T. Barnum famously called his permanent collection of attractions a museum (Barnam’s American Museum 1841–1865; Barnum inherited the name from Scudder’s American Museum or simply “A...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reviews in American History 2023-09, Vol.51 (3), p.221-228
Main Author: Redman, Samuel J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
19th century
20th century
Bank robberies
Colonialism
Debates
Museums
Nonfiction
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Scientists, philosophers, and even some Indigenous people saw value in the museum model for long-range preservation. P.T. Barnum famously called his permanent collection of attractions a museum (Barnam’s American Museum 1841–1865; Barnum inherited the name from Scudder’s American Museum or simply “American Museum” with roots dating back to 1791). In the same era, bank robbers who were gunned down in the American West might have their bodies temporarily shown in store windows or traveling sideshows (notorious bank robber Jesse James’ body was kept cold on ice and publicly displayed following his murder in 1882). Wealthy collectors, curious intellectuals, and civic leaders, Gochberg explains, all imagined ideas “in collision” with the “useful objects” being added to museum collections (p. 2).
ISSN:0048-7511
1080-6628
1080-6628
DOI:10.1353/rah.2023.a917236