History in my hands…

[Eyemo]

History in my hands…
A few year back, I worked for the Welsh Film Archive in Aberystwyth. We had huge vaults filled with film archive material.

One set of reels we had, was the actual film took of Lloyd George with Hitler back in 1936. I had to handle the material on a couple of occasions. I must be honest, it was quite a weird feeling knowing that the reels of film I had in my hand had actually been in the presence of Lloyd George and Adolf Hitler…. Can’t explain it.

But it was history in my hands…

Anyone else with a similar experience?


http://www.cdojerusalem.org/icons-m...CHIVE/Chapters/Stabiliz/Foreign/LloydGeo.html

 

[Miss Ritz]

History in my hands…
A few year back, I worked for the Welsh Film Archive in Aberystwyth. We had huge vaults filled with film archive material.

One set of reels we had, was the actual film took of Lloyd George with Hitler back in 1936. I had to handle the material on a couple of occasions. I must be honest, it was quite a weird feeling knowing that the reels of film I had in my hand had actually been in the presence of Lloyd George and Adolf Hitler…. Can’t explain it.

But it was history in my hands…

Anyone else with a similar experience?


http://www.cdojerusalem.org/icons-m...CHIVE/Chapters/Stabiliz/Foreign/LloydGeo.html

I know the feeling. I've handled all kinds of similar items, Nazi helmets, uniforms, Native American relics, Civil War medical kits... they almost have the residue of what they have seen on them still.

 

[Diamondback]

Well, I once had the privilege of occupying the pilot's seat of a B-52 in a museum, and... it's difficult to explain, but everything I had read about what '52 crews experienced in Vietnam, for those few moments it was like I was there, saddled up with a crew--if a machine can over time develop a soul, I'm convinced that old 55-094's and mine connected that day, to the point that before leaving I had to put a hand on that big black belly and say goodbye, and when I turned to walk away there were tears in my eyes... and every time I'm near Wichita, I stop by to check in on "my bird".

 

[pigeon toe]

Well, I work at the UCLA Special Collections department of the research library, so I have experiences like the one you mentioned on a daily basis. I feel so privileged to work at such a well known university because we have so many amazing pieces of history. We have Emily Dickinson's journals, thousands of pieces of media from the the Sleepy Lagoon Trials, a huge collection of 15th century Aldines -- we've got it all! To be honest, because I handle these sorts of items all the time (along with other much less valuable items also in Special Collections), I've become a little immune to it. It becomes a job like any other to me on those rough days when I just don't want to be there. But most of the time I'm pretty excited by what I do.

It's pretty amazing. And all of UCLA's collections are open to the public to use, which is even more amazing and why I want to be a librarian.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

As Pigeon Toe knows, I've visited UCLA's Special Collections. It's a whole ritual: when handling photo negatives, one has to wear thin cotton gloves and examine each photo one at a time. A wonderful, somehow gloriously democratic experience.

.

 

[mike]

As Pigeon Toe knows, I've visited UCLA's Special Collections. It's a whole ritual: when handling photo negatives, one has to wear thin cotton gloves and examine each photo one at a time. A wonderful, somehow gloriously democratic experience.

.

Absolutely! I worked in the 20th Century Fox Archives, where we dealt with original film props, art department files, posters and photography dating back to the beginning of William Fox's studio in the early 1910's. Those white gloves were like a second skin!

Personally, my favorite experience was not related to my time at Fox, but rather on a trip to Forrest J Ackerman's house. Ron Chaney, Lon Chaney, Sr.'s great grandson was there too. Forry had the original vampire teeth and beaver hat Lon Chaney wore for the most sought after lost film ever, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1927). Ron Chaney put in the teeth, wore the hat and stalked around the Ackerminimansion just as his great grandfather had done some 8o years earlier just across town in Culver City!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

It's been said that objects retain an energy from the people that owned them. I can't help but believe that. Just can't help but feel "something" sometimes when I handle certain relics from the past. Especially, I think, those things that may have had some sentimental value to their owners.

 

[mike]

I agree, come to think of it, I also felt that way in the presence of the Rosetta Stone on display at the British Museum

 

[Maguire]

I worked with a Historical society around these parts as an intern last semester. It was interesting seeing some of the artifacts, especially old books and clothes but as very little of it was of "big" historical significance, i didn't really appreciate it much. I imagine if i was holding a revolutionary era musket or some roman helmet, or even something recent like a Korean War shell casing i'd be far more taken, as this wasn't just someone's day to day item, this was involved in some life and death struggle somewhere. But that's just me.

for me, stepping inside some abandoned castle or fort back in Ireland is overwhelming and exhilarating for that reason- i am stepping inside a building built centuries ago that how many nameless guards must have spent countless days hanging around, surveying the area.

 

[donCarlos]

Prague Castle - when you know the history of that place.
Being in the same room from which the austrian governor was defenestrated, or to know where the king´s bedroom was (I think there is a gift shop in one of those rooms)...
You just can imagine that place like 600 years ago.

edit: as I recall, the strongest experience I have was when I first saw the reconstructed death robes of the czech kings. For me it was like meeting those people personally. You know a lot about these people from the books, but you can never imagine how tall they were, or what their bodily proportions were, unless you see their clothes.
For example Rudolph II.´s stockings (among the rest of his death robe), death robe of Elizabeth of Pomerania (very modern and slim cut, she must´ve been quite tall and beatiful woman)... all these things really make you thing about... well, death.

 

[Tomasso]

During college I had a part time job at a museum on campus where I had a chance to handle antiquities on a regular basis. Lots of vibes bouncing around that building.

 

[Mojito]

Quite a few items.

Among the most moving was handling correspondence from a deck officer describing his transferral to the Titanic in Belfast, and his first few days aboard sailing to Southampton. The last letters were written on Titanic letterhead and on the back of postcards depicting the ship sailing into New York. They have never been published. He lost his life in the sinking - was last seen trying to load and launch lifeboats.

I've also handled quite a few other items connected with the crew and passengers of the illfated ship - I might be the only person who has ever looked through telescopes belonging to three or four of her officers, as they are all still in family collections.

A ring belonging to Captain Bligh (conservation gloves on for that one as well!) and the crew agreements and other material relating to the Lusitania...the diaries of members of the Mawson expedition, including Lieutenant Ninnis, letters from Prime Minister Chiffley...

 

[LizzieMaine]

I own quite a number of items that belonged to various radio performers, but I think the one that I "feel the history" most with is the original script that Rudy Vallee used for his first NBC broadcast in October of 1929. You can still see where he had folded it in half lengthwise to stick it in his pocket while conducting his band during the program, and there's quite a number of pencil notations in his handwriting. Considering the importance of his program to radio in the 1930s -- it was the most successful variety series of the era, and gave dozens of important radio personalities their start in the medium -- holding this script in my hand is like being there at the beginning.

Scripts are often a very personal item for radio performers. When I was researching my book on Amos and Andy, I read over 10,000 pages of their scripts from the 1930s, and often found their pencil notes and miscellaneous scribbles as interesting as the actual content.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Being in the same room from which the austrian governor was defenestrated ...

Now that is a most elegant way of saying he was thrown out the window! lol

.

 

[donCarlos]

Now that is a most elegant way of saying he was thrown out the window! lol

.

This ritual has a long tradition here, first notable defenestration was in 1419. The second, in 1618, was one of the events that started the 30 years war. No fun! The whole story, however, is quite funny, like from a movie...

Historical offtopic starts here.

There was a tension between the catholics and protestants for more about 200 years. The new king, Mathias wanted to reinforce the catholic positions in the czech kingdom and he ordered to close some protestant churches. The enraged noblemen went to the governor´s office and wanted explanation. When they did not find "that guy they wanted to speak to" (a certain mister Adam Michna z Vacina), they captured two other governing officers and their scribe. All of them were found guilty (I don´t know what their guilt was) and sentenced to death. Then they were thrown out of the window, which actually is in the second floor, about 15 meters above the ground. There was a deep ditch full of garbage - this saved their lives, even though one of the officers hurt himself in the head while falling and had to be carried by the others. A few shots were fired down there, but none of them hit their target. As I remember, that ditch is not there today, it´s largely coverd by the "Theresian wing" - a building from the 18. century.

These three men, with their pride damaged more than their bodies, escaped quikly to Vienna to report what happened. The rest is known - The emperor sent an army to fight the protestant army, which resulted in the Batle of White Mountain. The rest is well known.

 

[irb]

At a local gun show a few months back, I came across an SS uniform. This stuff really creeps me out, and my girlfriend as well; but this time I felt compelled to touch the thing. It was an almost electric experience. I feel a bit of ... something inexplicable even now, thinking about it.

I imagine it has a lot to do with growing up surrounded by stories of those Eastern European ancestors whose frequent letters suddenly stopped arriving.

 

[AmateisGal]

For my graduate thesis, I did it on the German POW camp at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. The curator of the museum at Fort Rob had a photo-copied version of a German POW's diary - and it was all translated into English. While that was neat, I wanted to actually hold the diary in my hands.

I got to a few weeks later when I went to our state archives. I got to look through the diary and I also got to see his Soldbuch.

A very cool experience since I knew this man intimately from reading his diary.

 

[Talbot]

Not quite in my hands...

I recently had the incredible experience of visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Just in the entrance lobby alone:

Apollo Eleven
Spirit of St Louis
Glamorous Glennis
X-15
Mercury Seven

They used to have the Wright Flyer in the lobby, but moved it to another room.

Highly recommended

Talbot

 

[DeaconKC]

I have several firearms that are like that. A Japanese Arisaka rifle that still has it's "mum", meaning it was taken from a fallen or captured soldier, a M1 Garand that went to the USMC in Jan 1944, a German Luger from 1915 with Imperial German Army markings and an old S&W revolver from 1922 with a lot of holster wear, obviously a police gun. There are several others, but these have a special fascination for me, wondering of their histories.

 

[Spiffy]

Personally, my favorite experience was not related to my time at Fox, but rather on a trip to Forrest J Ackerman's house. Ron Chaney, Lon Chaney, Sr.'s great grandson was there too. Forry had the original vampire teeth and beaver hat Lon Chaney wore for the most sought after lost film ever, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1927). Ron Chaney put in the teeth, wore the hat and stalked around the Ackerminimansion just as his great grandfather had done some 8o years earlier just across town in Culver City!

My inner Film!Student nerd is jumping up and down in excitement/envy!

I worked on a student film where we recreated the events of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riots with an equivalent amount of people, in period dress, at the exact same locations that the historical events took place. The first few takes of the actual rioting, the extras started getting in character a little too much, throwing dirt and spewing racist cat-calls. I could feel the bad vibes coming off the set, and to this day I don't know if it was just my imagination or if we stepped on some metaphysical toes trying to "recreate" the rioting.