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The "archaeologist" and her "research assistant" Grizzly Bee identify and research objects from a cabinet full of artifacts: sheriff star, glass jug, child's shoe, buttons, nail polish, and butter plate.
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Scholar's Journal
June 24, 2008
3:15 PM - Historical Archaeology Lab
Work is sluggish at best. Finally working on what is bothersome… databases!
What attributes do I think are important to include in my catalog? And how do I want those attributes reflected through the artifacts I choose (i.e. do I want to include broadly and have electricity artifacts in my metal database, for instance, or make them their own database since they use multiple materials?) I suppose I need to figure out what I want to know, and then decide what will piece together the puzzle.
Tonight: Reading Archaeology in Practice: A Student Guide to Archaeological Analysis (pp. 363-425)
Tomorrow: start sorting artifacts (do it!), discuss concerns with Laurie, Haas meeting at Campanile
Notes taken from personal notebook entitled “My Mind's Midden on Page”
*Consumers-Everyone consumed but who were the primary purchasers? Women? Did advertising focus on them? Montgomery Wards seemed to have made It clear they were the primary buyers. I want to know what advertising was trying to tap within consumers, what/how they tried to make them think they needed…and help piece together what was actually consumed and why through the archaeological record
*Comic book origins during this time period: Superheros as the foil or counter part to the cowboy? Next generation?
July 23, 2008
4:00 PM - Redlands, CA
I've now looked at three different museum exhibits with objects/theme focused on the 1950s:
Oakland Museum of California-“Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury”
San Bernardino County Museum-“All That Glitters: A Century of Razzle-Dazzle” and “Feast for the Eyes: Dining in style 1860s-1940s”
General Impressions… The Oakland exhibit focused on Southern California and high modernism (think abstract art, Eames, “Playboy After Dark”) and a movement that seemed to have little room for a Western influence. This led me to think, and I my thinking was confirmed with the S.B. exhibit designer that there were three major movements stylistically: modernism, western, and futuristic (i.e. Jetsons and bright colors).
I visited Santa Rosa a few weeks ago, and perhaps the regional atmosphere also heavily influenced this rustic cowboy aesthetic. One could still see the importance of the ranch/agricultural roots of Sonoma County in the area.
“My Mind's Midden on Page”
*Binary opposition in the periods and mythology underlying:
-Rugged but idyllic life of the cowboy, frontier, and Wild West
-An ever advancing, in an unprecedented pace, from the mid 1800s to the 1930s/1950s… Industrial Revolution, two World Wars, the atom bomb, threat of Communism
+Did a regression by these people demonstrate a fear in the present/future state but a need to solidify manliness and the “American Spirit” that was becoming increasingly shaky? The cowboy, vigilante, lawmen made women feel safe and men something to aspire towards (women wanted them, men wanted to be them)
August 22, 2008
9:50 AM - Historical Archaeology Lab
In the lab until 12:00 PM (Haas meeting) and I want to do some reading and note taking from Languages of Archaeology (Joyce). Some of the readings I wanted to look at from last night's references are in a book I recently checked out. Will read this afternoon and photocopy if useful. One artifact I've been recently pondering about:
Could the appearance of the Alice in Wonderland, Plasco tea cup be an economic choice for the family (less expensive than a Disney Alice), in their 2nd/Vacation home for a young child who would likely consume and dispose of toys relatively quickly? OR
Could the appearance of the teacup be an intentional stylistic preference to consume a product that reflected a preference for the representation of both the original narrative of “Alice Through the Looking Glass” and the aesthetics of Sir John Tenniel's illustrations?
EDIT: Leah gave me more insight into Alice pop culture-“An Alice craze parallel to the cowboy craze. It even involves the exploration of new lands and frontiers, just like the cowboys.
Think. Think. Think.
September 4, 2008
4:10 PM - Histarch Lab
Summer is over and what am I doing? I'm in the lab cataloging canning jars and glass bottles. Cheers!
