From the introduction, this actually seems like a very interesting book. The basic premise is that discovering History requires both historical texts as well as historical objects.

Objects are particularly important to history because they can tell us so much. They can tell us who used them, what they were used for, where they were made, when they were made, and so on. By knowing these bits of information, we can extrapolate further to discover a very large quantity of information about a culture or group of people. Although written texts can do some of this, they cannot help us with the deeper histories of civilizations. Written documentation is relatively recent, and so objects enable us to learn about those civilizations that did not have a written language. So long as we have an imagination, we can always continue to learn more about history through objects.

In the past few weeks, this course has really taught me to appreciate objects, and I certainly look at them in a very different light. After reading this Introduction from a historian’s point of view, I can really understand just how much you can learn from an object. The examples given in the text really illuminate the abundance of information hidden within a singular object. Each individual object is not only a piece of history, but also a clue towards understanding so much more.

Reading this made me very eager to start the project of the history of New Paltz. If every object has a story to tell, then we can discover so much about our community as well as the history it has to share with us. As a class, we can all learn the value of an object; discover the individual stories each object has to tell us, and work together to create a detailed history of our lovely community of New Paltz.

I was immediately shocked at how brief of the Wikipedia page is devoted to our fair New Paltz! And more disheartening still is that a good quarter of the page lists our various modes of transportation! New Paltz is home to one the oldest street in America, surely we have a little more history then that to tell.

There is a good amount of information given about the founding of New Paltz and historic Huguenot, but the story seems to fast forward quite suddenly after that. It jumps to modern demographics, politics, media appearances, etc. Although these are useful facts, I feel that the spirit and culture of New Paltz is terribly cut short. There is a short section on some of the cultural events that we host here in town, but there seems to be so much missing! How can this page not include everything that happened her in the 60’s for example, I mean we were almost the eternal home of Woodstock for heavens sake (although I’m sure it wouldn’t have been called Woodstock if it had taken place here). But that just goes to show and impact a seemingly small town like New Paltz can have on history. There needs to be more mention of the rich culture we have here. Some of New Paltz’s historical goings on may not have been the most upstanding or PC events but that is what makes New Paltz  unique. And it informs who we are a students here,

I did learn a few new things from the wikipedia page. Did you know New Paltz has a sister city,cause I didn’t; Its Niimi, Okayama, Japan. I also thought the section about New Paltz’s first Newspaper was interesting. But other then that, a lot of this was old news. 

As far as the Wikipedia page about the college, this was a little more juicy with history! I loves reading about all of the demonstrations and protests that took place on campus. There seems to have been some sort of political, student run action happening on this campus during every decade! New Paltz clearly was and still is full to the brim with free and independent thinkers who are not afraid to speak their minds. I also liked reading about all of the prominent people that have taught here or attended the school (minus Vinny from Jersey Shore of course). The page gets a little dull after that however, providing statistics and information on a few key buildings on campus. The Tripping fields don’t even get a mention!

P.S. I am ashamed of this…but I have never read our Alma Mater before this moment

Picking an object wasn’t easy this week. The Hare with Amber Eyes had made me realize that I really don’t collect anything. That was until my friend was going through my wallet last night and found about 12 fortunes from fortune cookies. Some from this past weekend, others from years ago. Let’s just say, I have a fortune problem.

“Fortunes” are pieces of paper with words of inspiration, wisdom and vague prophesies or phrases. About an inch and a fourth long, the fortune also holds a chinese word or phrase on the back with lucky numbers attached to them. Mine currently says family and my lucky numbers are four, 25, 27, 52, 11 and 24.

According to Wikipedia (not exactly the best source for information) fortune cookies were “introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese but ultimately consumed by Americans.” According to ABC News, fortune cookies originated in Japan, and then were brought over to California. It wasn’t until the Japanese-American internment period that the Chinese took over the booming fortune cookie market and began spreading their fortune cookie wealth. The Japanese never achieved their fortune cookie status again.

The white piece of paper with red or blue writing was an essential part of Japanese culture. The fortune cookie in Japan, both larger and darker than the modern object, contained fortunes from Japanese temples. These cookies were seen as a dessert delicacy and were sold in some regions of Japan. Wikipedia reports that the most notable neighborhood was Fushimi Inari-taisha.

Erik Sumiharu Hagiwara-Nagata is the relative of the original Japanese-American introducer of the fortune cookie, Makoto Hagiwara. They reveal that the Japanese fortune cookie was also eaten at New Year’s festivities at Shinto shrines. They were called “folkcraft” or the Japanese name, tsuji ura sembei. These treats also weren’t owned or manufactured by one individual. They were a Japanese tradition, much like how apple pie or pizza have been called an “American” tradition today, according to ABC News and Hagiwara-Nagata.

However, today the object is much different compared to its original form in Japan. They still do have the same function as a treat, but they’re smaller, shaped differently and contain fortunes written by retired history professors and freelance writers in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Wonton Foods) The largest fortune cookie manufactures today, Wonton Foods, contains a databank of 10,000 fortunes which are rotated frequently. This is much different compared to the original fortunes, created in temples.

The only form of ownership was in America where Makoto Hagiwara served the first American fortune cookie at his restaurant, Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco during the early 1900s. Since then the fortune cookie trend expanded throughout the United States by the Chinese due to the Japanese American internment period.

Although the original fortune cookie is from Japan, both Japanese and Chinese citizens say that the fortune cookie is an American food and is only expected to be served in American Chinese restaurants. Today, the fortune cookies are sold in China and Japan as American imported treats. So, remember: Next time you receive a fortune cookie at a restaurant, the words are actually written by a writer and not some wise man or woman in a temple.

When I was little, apparently I really liked Blue’s Clues.  I have a replica of the thinking chair sitting in my basement to prove it.  It is approximately 4×4 feet and the back of the chair and the arms are leaning outward, stretched and slumped from years of use.  The chair has a soft velvet feel to it, with light curlicues against its rich burgundy.  It is outlined all around the edges with black that swirls and gets thicker at the front of the arms.  The sides are mummified with tape—an attempt to cover the rips in the material, revealing its rough inside skeleton, an unpolished wooden frame held together by many nails with their sharp ends exposed.  Who would think that such a lovely children’s prop with soft arms meant for a little prince would be a torture chamber on the inside? Those bits are covered though with duct tape and an affectionate resistance against getting rid of it.

My mom bought the thing from Sears, probably making a scene carrying that ostentatious chair through the lines of people and to the parking lot.  It is very small in comparison with other furniture, but I don’t know any mom other than my own who would bring it home.

In Blue’s Clues, this red chair was designated to doing some serious contemplation on piecing together clues to solve the weekly mystery with Blue.  The main character Steve would sit on it, cross his legs, and bring his hand up to his chin: Rodin’s the Thinker with funny hair and a green striped long sleeve shirt.

Its counterpart was brought to my house, perhaps not to think, but to play.  As I got older my family and I used it as a normal chair, and friends would sit on it when the couches were filled up.  Bright and red and clashing with the other colors in the family room as it was, it became rather inconspicuous, an accepted part of our space.  My two cats eventually claimed it as theirs and it is now decked with little blankets and toys.

As we redecorated the house, we were going to get rid of it, but between our own sentimental value attached to it, and how fond of it my cats are, it is now the designated cat bed in my basement.

This chair has had so many different purposes in its lifetime, from being a space to think, to a space to play, to a space to sleep.  Depending on the owner of the thinking chair, it was used in different ways.  Much like the Netsuke in the Hare with Amber eyes was used differently depending on their owner.

As objects go through all of their different lives with different owners, they serve different purposes.  Depending on the use, the role the owner gives it, the object becomes something new, embedded in it all of its past lives.

This is a 13.5 inch wooden drawing mannequin that I bought from IKEA in 2011. The mannequin is made completely out of wood and the individual pieces of the mannequin are put together with glue and screws that come in various sizes. The mannequin seems to be made out of twenty-eight wooden parts; the head, chest, hips, thighs, legs from the knee down, feet, upper arm, lower arm, and all the balls that connect to each limb allowing movement for the mannequin.

This mannequin has many purposes but the initial function and use of this mannequin is that it is used as a figure drawing aid. The mannequin allows for movement and therefore can be placed in different poses/ positions. Mannequins in general are often used by artists, tailors, designers, dressmakers, etc. and it is not uncommon for mannequins to be used to display clothing (as you would see in any type of clothing store). According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a mannequin is “A life-size or partial representation of the human body, used for the fitting or displaying of clothes; a dummy. “ It is “a jointed model of the human body used by artists, especially to demonstrate the arrangement of drapery. Also called lay figure.”  The word originated form the Middle Dutch where it was called manikin or little man.

In another wordpress blog called “The Madness of Mannequins,” Emily and Per Ola dAulair go into the history of mannequins. Apparently, mannequins dated all the way back to 1350B.C. where it might have been the world’s first dress form. In the tomb of King Tut, an armless, legless, wooden torso is found exactly in the pharaoh’s measurements and it stands next to a chest full of the pharaoh’s clothing. The blog article states that although these “fake people” have been around in children’s toys, artist’s figures, wax figures, and tailor dummies, the European fashion doll was actually the original version of the modern mannequin. “In 1391, Charles IV of Spain shipped a life-sized doll, dressed in the style of the French court, to the Queen of England as part of ongoing peace negotiations. Henry IV dispatched miniature, elegantly-attired dolls to the de Medici women to update them on British trends. And Marie Antoinette kept her mother and sisters apprised of the latest vogues at Versailles with the elaborately clothed figures she regularly sent them.”http://mannequinmadness.wordpress.com/the-history-of-mannequin/

Although I don’t know exactly when the wooden mannequin I have was made, the sticker on the bottom of the mannequin indicates it was made in China.

For me, the uses of this mannequin have been plentiful, although I have yet to use it as a drawing model.  Its main use for me is as a form of entertainment for friends who visit my room. Since dormitory rooms are quite small the only place guests can sit on is my bed. My table happens to be right at the foot of my bed and so my mannequin is easily accessible to anyone sitting on my bed. The mannequin is perfect to play with during idle conversation and it can strangely be a good way to express emotion. You can make it seem like it is jumping with joy, it can be hunched over with depression, you can make it dance, and kick, sit, and it can strike incredible poses that defy gravity. It can also be a hanger for my jewelry, it can hold my bag of chocolates or snacks, and it can even hold bottled drinks.

The mannequin has been manipulated so much that I no longer have any idea what position each piece was in when I bought it. The chest and the hips have a flat surface to indicate the back and front, but I no longer know which is which. The joints are also a bit off and it takes a bit of jiggling for the limbs to move in the correct direction.

“That damn thing didn’t work again!”. This obnoxious statement of frustration is one I hear oh too often during the phone conversations with my well-mannered and (usually) exceptionally patient mother. Ironically that “damn thing” she refers to is the golden ticket for arriving and leaving from any place in New York City.  The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s little Metrocard is a necessity in any city dweller’s life and serves as both a treasure and a burden. According to the Metrocard’s Wikipedia page:” It was introduced to enhance the technology of the transit system and eliminate the burden of carrying and collecting tokens”.  Overall that statement does hold much truth to it even though it may be arguable for some of New York’s natives (such as my Mommy).

The Metrocard is thinner than any paper card and made from a smooth and shiny plastic material. It is rougly 4.5 inches wide with a length of 2.5 inches tall; matching up to the size of a credit card. It fits comfortably within anyone’s wallet and is composed of two detailed sides. The first side has remained the same over the years of my being and recognizable to people all over the world. It states: MTA Metrocard and in a much smaller font states: < < <- Insert this way / This side facing you. It is a wonder how these clear directions always seem to be escape eyes of the thousands of tourists that scatter the city. The card is a dark, mustard color and the Metrocard logo is written in royal blue. There is a thick black stripe vertically crossing the card and this is where the power of the card comes in. If any bending occurs around that area the card most likely will not be readable by the bus and train machines.

The back of the card is black and white and always displays the card’s expiration date, and the extensive card number at the top left corner. Despite those details, the back of a Metrocard is always different and can display quotes, words, advertisements, information about the MTA and all other sorts of interesting tidbits. The back of my card has an ad for the New York Transit Museum  with an address, picture of a train set and a website title. Now that I think of it, that would be a great place for me to have ventured to before writing this post and perhaps I will go there in the future if this card continues to significantly hold my interest.

The Metrocard was created by a division within the MTA known as: Metrocard Operations and is manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems Inc. The tiny card serves a simple purpose:  since 2003, it is the only method of payment (besides quarters) taken for public transportation among the five boroughs and some parts of Long Island. It caters to every form of public transportation system in New York City making it incredibly dependable for the millions of commuters of the city. The card was first introduced in 1993 and was a blue card that is now a collector’s item. The card replaced tokens in the late 1990s and its usage has been growing ever since.  As the Metrocard’s popularity grew, the benefits such as the free bus to train, bus to bus transfer, grew with it and have dramatically changed New York City’s public transportation system. According to a NY Times article: “It was not until free MetroCard transfers between subways and buses were instituted in 1997 and the unlimited-ride cards were introduced on July 4, 1998, that the passes fully realized their power to transform the transit system”.  Indeed  the card changed the way commuters go about getting from one place to another and  usually this card is reliable and fairly straight forward to work. However when the words: “Just used”, “Please swipe again” or “See agent”  pop up on a bus or train’s transportation machine, it can throw one’s entire day off and be the biggest inconvenience imaginable.

The history of the Metrocard is extraordinary and the technological advances that has come with it over the years displays the tremendous progress of the transportation system that makes up the industrial and greatest city of the world. Yet, as with any piece of technology, the card has its on and off days and can play a major role in influencing a traveler’s punctuality. Financially, the Metrocard is costly, as the pay-per-ride fare has increased from $1.50 to $2.00 to $2.25 over the last decade. The unlimited weekly and monthly cost of Metrocards have rose as well and increases in cost are currently under discussion and will probably be issued within the next months. In conclusion this little card plays a noteworthy role in possibly every single New Yorker’s life and though I currently live upstate, my wallet seems to naturally always carry a Metrocard which I use for my visits to my home. Whether this one decides to work will be my pleasant (or unpleasant) surprise.

This urn really is a fascinating mystery. It appeared in an antique shop in Angus, Scotland in the 70’s. And yes, when I say “appeared,” that’s really what I mean. The shop owner walked into his store one day and there it was, sitting on the counter as though somebody had snuck in at night and left it as a present. It was hand painted, because on one side there are several little flaws in the brush strokes. It appeared delicate and precious, so the store owner decided to keep it in the store to see what would happen to it and if he could figure out where it came from. Its true origins are unknown to this day.

A week later, my mum was not very happy. The family was taking a day trip to Glamis castle and she couldn’t go because she had to take her O-Level exams that day at school. Her mum, Dorothy, felt bad for her and decided to get her a gift while in the town up by the castle. Dorothy came across the antique shop and went inside to take a look.

She bought the urn, without noticing that inscribed on its underside was “McLeish”— which happens to be my family’s last name. It’s almost like the urn was a “lost thing” trying its best to come back to a McLeish owner.

Although urns are usually associated with holding ashes, they are often used for decoration as well. My mum placed the urn on her bedside table and it lived there in Dundee for over twenty years. It made the cut for the move down to England and claimed a spot on the kitchen counter. It held Tetley tea bags.

Many of our possessions couldn’t come with us when we came to America. For some reason, this urn was chosen to accompany us. It traveled across the ocean by boat, along with our other possessions, while we flew to New York. I claimed it as mine, even though it wasn’t given to me. I didn’t actually do anything with it— it just sat in my kitchen by our table. But it was mine.

 Then it accidentally became a jello bowl.

I had my first bone graft done and I couldn’t eat anything solid. I was very out of it and wanted jello. Somehow, I thought I had grabbed a regular bowl to make my jello in… but I had grabbed the urn instead. It made a marvelous jello bowl because my cats (Smokie and Smirnoff) will eat anything, and if I leave any food uncovered, they will lick it and stick their paws in it and get it everywhere. This was the perfect jello bowl because I could eat it on the couch, then when I wanted to fall asleep, I could simply put on the lid and save it for later, without having to worry about my troublesome cats getting into it. The urn remained a jello bowl for three years and served faithfully through several more face surgeries.

Now, the urn looks like a proper urn, sitting on a table in my living room, in between two plants, with a picture of my grandmother Dorothy in front of it. If you look at it, you’d assume that her ashes were inside. But the urn holds something much, much different.

I used to try to keep my cats out of the urn to keep my jello safe. But now, the urn holds their fallen whiskers. Have you ever felt a cat whisker? They’re fascinating. They’re thick at one end, almost like plastic, and then taper to a thin, delicate point. When I first found one, I didn’t think I’d find another. I wanted a good place to keep it, so I put it in the urn. Now, it holds a whole collection of over forty whiskers, all from Smokie and Smirnoff. I don’t know why I keep them. It’s a little weird. I’ll definitely be a crazy cat lady when I’m older.

But the urn story gets even weirder. We now have two urns that look like this. The second one came in the mail. My grandad had found it on his doorstep. This one also has “McLeish” written on the bottom. So the McLeish urns remain a mystery. I don’t think we’ll ever know where they came from or how they were made. If only I knew an urn maker- maybe he could help figure out when and where it came from. It’s surprisingly hard to find out urn manufacture information on google! However, I think this makes the urns even more fascinating. Sometimes it’s nice for objects to come with a lot of mystery.