An Exhibit at the Missing Soldiers Office!

     It seems that I have been writing about the preparations to open the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office for quite a while now.  It takes a lot of work to open a new museum!  There has been quite a lot for us to do; especially since the space needed restoration work done before we could tackle developing exhibits for it.  However, I’m happy to report that the museum’s official opening is imminent. 

     While we wait for that, let’s take a look at what is happening there now!

The Welcome Center on the first floor of the building now has a wonderful mural called “Washington in Wartime – A Capital in Crisis.”  Tours of the Missing Soldiers Office will start here.

Next, visitors can ascend the same steps which Clara Barton used to get to her third floor boarding room and office.  It’s a bit of a climb, but is definitely worth the effort!

If you’ve seen my previous posts about the Missing Soldiers Office, this hallway is probably familiar by now!  The doors to the Missing Soldiers Office are to the left, and Clara Barton’s room is at the end of the hall to the left.

     Though the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office is still a work in progress, we have recently been able to put the first exhibit in the space!  “Bringing the Story of War to Our Doorsteps: Rediscovering Alexander Gardner’s Antietam Photographs,” was created as a collaboration between the NMCWM and the Frederick County Civil War Round Table, with support from Hood College of Frederick, MD.  If it looks familiar to you it is because it was first exhibited in the fall of 2012 at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield.  You can read more about that exhibit here. 

The exhibit, which is located in the room used as the Missing Soldiers Office, uses photo reproductions in the same dimensions as Alexander Gardner’s original photographic images.  The images are displayed in the same manner as they were 150 years ago, complete with magnifying glasses for the visitors.

     Though none of these images are of Clara Barton, these images from the Antietam Battlefield relate to her because this was where she first served as a relief worker during a Civil War battle.  They also relate to her Missing Soldiers Office, where she identified many of the soldiers who were killed on this and other battlefields.  It is a very fitting opening exhibit for the CBMSO.

Across the hall, another room is set up to show the images in 3-D.  The original photos were shot with stereoscopic cameras, so this allows visitors to view them in the way they were originally intended.

     The CBMSO is now open just on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and this exhibit will run through May 18^th of this year.

I hope you can come out for a visit.  Marcie and Garrett are eager to show off every detail of the museum!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Interviewing the Curator

     A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by a student from the Defense Information School at Fort George G. Meade for a news story about the museum for his class.  I did a similar interview last year, so I knew it involved being filmed.  While I am happy to help in these projects, I have to confess that I am much more comfortable behind the camera rather than in front if it!  However, I’ve learned that one way to help promote my museum and the artifacts and exhibits here, is to promote my work as the museum’s curator.  It is certainly not an aspect of the job which I anticipated when I first started into museum work as a collection manager.  I thought I’d just be taking care of the artifacts! 

It’s much easier when the artifact is the star of the photo!

     I also have to admit that over time doing these interviews has become a little easier.  I’m sure it’s partly due to having done a few of them now.  Mostly though, it’s the interviewer’s reaction to learning more about the museum.  While I may not like seeing the camera pointed at me, I DO enjoy telling people why I love my job at this museum.  I’ve found that many times my enthusiasm for the museum and the artifacts is transferred to them.  Really, that’s another aspect of caring for the artifacts, because if I can’t show people how the artifacts are also important to THEM, I’m not doing my job correctly!  

     So, I would like to thank Staff Sergeant H. William A. Bracy, USAF for his time and his enthusiasm in making this video of his recent trip to the NMCWM!

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

Things You Find in Books

     I’ve been busy cataloging a large donation of medical books for the museum.  Cataloging is an essential part of keeping proper records of the museum’s artifacts.  Cataloging can also be a rather tedious task!  However, I’ve been kept entertained by some of the things I’ve found in these books.  Today I thought I’d share a few of these finds with you.

     Even without the “surprise” finds, there are plenty of interesting features to old books.

Some old books have beautifully embossed leather covers. 

Even the book spines can be pretty.  Many times older books have very long titles such as this.

 

There are sometimes bookplates inside the books as well.  They often list the former owner’s name, and sometimes give clues about his or her interests.  I thought the design of this one was a bit strange, until I looked up the doctor’s name and discovered that he had been a pediatrician!

Of course, at my museum it’s always exciting to find a book which belonged to a Civil War Surgeon!

Many times in older books there is an illustration or photograph of the author or subject of the book, along with a reproduction of their signature.

This book photo highlights the uniform as well as the doctor.

Some images are more flattering than others!

 

 

You can occasionally find messages left by previous readers.

Little sketches on the end pages are common finds as well!

     Leafing further through the books you can find interesting things such as:

A battle map

Class notes in a medical textbook

A cartoon

A photo of a plane crash

A poem about a gas mask!

     With medical books, you also have to be prepared to find images such as:

Nude bodies

A surgical diagram

A diseased ileum

     Sometimes there are advertisements included as well.  The old ones can give a peek into the items and stereotypes from the past.

Once upon a time, this was a state-of-the-art vehicle.

For obvious reasons, this prosthetic leg ad caught my eye!

Some of the old ads simply make you shake your head.

And some ads are shameless self-promotions by the author of the book!

     Not all of my book discoveries are pleasant.

This is what happens when a piece of acidic newspaper is left inside a book.

This was not meant to be a sketch book!  At least these scribbles are in pencil though.

     I have also found some items which have been left inside of books.

I’ve found pressed flowers, leaves, and even this four-leaf clover.  They tend to discolor the pages and to attract insects, so I take them out of the books.

 

Letters and notes are fairly common finds.  A doctor left this list of itemized hospital admissions inside one of his books.

I even found this knotted lock of hair inside a book.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t any sort of identification with it.

     I will leave you with the most bizarre image I found inside a book:

I’m not sure if they were trying to promote their product, or to scare people with this image!

     
     Now I'd better get back to cataloging!

Photos courtesy of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.