Escaping the Guillotine and the Melting Pot

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Note: Due to the Rosenbach's no-picture policy, the image above is not the silver chocolate pot described in this post. However, it was also crafted in Paris in the late 18th century before the French Revolution.

Title: Chocolate pot
Year: 1775
Material: Silver, wood
Creator: Joseph Thomas Vancouvenbeurgh
Collection: Burn This: Censorship, secrecy, and survival in the Rosenbach collection

The chocolate pot displayed in the Rosenbach's "Burn This" exhibit would draw the eye of historians, artists, francophiles, and, of course, chocolate lovers.

The pot is on display because, unlike many of its kind, it escaped being destroyed during the French Revolution. Extravagant and beautifully crafted works of silver were melted down for two reasons: first, they were seen as examples of the wasteful and selfishly indulgent lifestyle of the Old Regime's nobility, and second, they nicely filled the coffers of the new republic.

The Rosenbach's chocolate pot is a testament to what happened to similar pieces, and to the importance of being in the right place at the right time. Its survived the tumultuous time period simply because it was taken from Paris before the revolution began. In fact, it has been here in Pennsylvania ever since the 18th century.

The pot is displayed among a jumble of other items that escaped either accidental or intentional destruction, and the accompanying text explains why it is included in this exhibit. The other items are mostly textual, so the pot's contrast draws the eye. The level of the labels, however, and the room's lighting, make the signage difficult to read.

People who consider themselves indifferent to history, or who find old household objects boring, may be tempted to pass by the pot. It would be interesting to expand on its story by including revolutionary francs (which may have once come from a chocolate pot themselves) or an accompanying narrative of the type of person who would have once owned the pot. How could a visitor not be fascinated by the tale of a duke before and during the revolution?

Such a story would paint a picture of the type of time and place where censorship and destruction, the exhibit's theme, took place, and how a person may be born with a silver spoon in his mouth (and a silver chocolate pot in his hand), but die with an iron blade at his neck.

A History of Home-grown Terror

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Year: 1925
Material: Photograph
Creator:
Collection: Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs


This photo, which documents a large Ku Klux Klan march in Washington, DC 1925,  accompanied a timeline at the beginning of the exhibit. There are actually a few timelines that educate the visitors dealing with the exhibit topic, but this particular one, which traced the history of the KKK, was labeled "Hate." The collection, called "Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America," is on loan from the International Spy Museum.

The photo itself is very arresting; the juxtaposition of American flags and the Capitol (symbols of liberty) with the uniforms that represent prejudice and oppression to most viewers, immediately catches the eye. This photo, as well as the timeline, is important for everyone, and is especially important to Americans.  For over a decade, citizens of the United States have been collectively thinking of terrorism. The image that comes up is of a foreign, US flag burning group, who claim to hate America. This timeline shows that terrorism against US citizens can also be committed by fellow Americans, who claim to love their country. Most people would consider the KKK a terrible and racist organization, but may not immediately think, "terrorists."

To further emphasize this message, a sign in another part of the gallery gives the US Code definition of terrorism: "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." This sign, along with a corner describing the acts of the KKK, explain how the Klan is a terrorist movement.

The exploration of history, sociology, and politics could shed some light on how such a group has survived for so long. I can not imagine that anyone would not be interested, or at least morbidly fascinated, by this photo and the accompanying information. Even though it is a story that mostly affects Americans, many people from around the world can compare the Ku Klux Klan to some violent and prejudiced group in their own nations' histories.

I believe it would be difficult to tell an opposing narrative about this photo and timeline, but perhaps more history about the Klan's origins and first person accounts from members could give a broader perspective. However, I also feel that the exhibit's overall message would even further hit home if it included more first-hand accounts of the KKK's victims.

Reading Memories: A Favorite Object

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Title: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

First published in 1950, received both in 1989 and 1996

Material: Paper

Creator: C. S. Lewis

This object is the perennially classic children’s book, written by Oxford don Clive Staples Lewis.

I have a reverence and need for books. I take books traveling not only to pass the time, but also so that I have their physical comfort wherever I go, whether it be a hostel in Paris, a stopped train on the Czech and Polish border, or a chicken-filled bus in Morocco. Often I will bring this book from the Chronicles of Narnia, a series that I read more times than I can count when growing up.

During my childhood, this book endlessly fed my imagination, and inspired my fascination for lions, Turkish delight, and all things English.  As an adult, it is even more precious to me. It is a reminder of my mother reading to me before I could by myself, of my father telling stories about his own childhood, and of the stuffed lion that I named “Aslan,” given to me on the occasion of becoming a big sister at my brother’s birth. In other words, it has a deeply familial value to it now.

I originally inherited my dad’s 1973 copies of the chronicles, which I read until the binding fell apart. When I was fourteen, my parents gave me a new set. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was my introduction to the series.

This book is no more on display than any of the others on my bookshelf. I do not need to make a presentation of it; the knowledge that it is there, ready to be picked out, held, and read at any time is enough for me.

Many of its literary neighbors also have sentimental meaning outside of their actual stories, but they are books that I have read twice, or even three times. By looking at these shelves of books, an observer may correctly guess that I enjoy traveling and learning about new cultures, that I prefer 19^th century romanticism to 17^th century satire and cleverly self-aware post modernism, and that I not only like reading books, but also reading books about books.

Some people did not have a favorite or important book as a child, and it may be hard for them to relate to my experience with this one. Others may never have been a fan of any type of fantasy, seeing the genre as silly.

I believe that one could engage viewers with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by first, telling them more about the writer (who was pretty fascinating), and second, engage them by asking their favorite story (book, comic, movie, etc) as a child.