Part of
my job as the curator at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine involves
handling the loans of artifacts to other institutions. I always request photos of the artifacts on
exhibit, because I like to see how other museums handle displaying these
artifacts. Sometimes though, I get to
actually visit in person. Recently I had
the opportunity to see the new exhibit at the Musselman Library at Gettysburg
College. The curator of the exhibit,
Natalie Sherif, had contacted me several months ago about borrowing some
artifacts from the NMCWM to display. I
was eager to see how she had used them in her exhibit, “Slow to Heal: The Evolution of Medicine from the Civil War
Era to WWI.”
I got the curator’s tour from
Natalie! In this exhibit, she explores
some of the history of medicine, using artifacts, photographs, and
letters. You can read some of Natalie’s
thoughts about this exhibit here.
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There’s a
lot I try to take in whenever I see a new exhibit. I want to see the intended message of
course. I tend to get a little distracted
by the actual artifacts, their mounts, their labels, and the type of lighting
though. I suppose that’s just an
occupational hazard!
One topic covered in the exhibit is women in the Civil War. I was pleased to see this letter written by Clara Barton. Hmm, perhaps I’ll be requesting a loan from Gettysburg College next! |
What can I say – I’m always fascinated by items associated with prostheses! |
There’s
much more to this exhibit than what I can show here. If you’re in the Gettysburg area, check it
out in the Special Collections room at the Musselman Library through August 1
of this year. For more information call
(717) 337-7002.
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