Helene:
The Smithsonian Museum of American History is a great resource to find similarities with the past and the present. This “No Stamp Act” teapot is equivalent to political buttons I regularly pin to my clothes to make a statement.
Coming from a Sociology and Film Production education background, I am fascinated by the relationship that society, specifically the culture of a society, has on Public Policy. I am sure that seeing beloved Disney characters ready to fight Nazi Germany creates a different culture for children of the past compared to the children of current times that watch Dora the Explorer. But how can that be connected to Public Policy? Will immigration policy be more important for the children that watched Dora and the children of the past who watched Donald the Duck go to Europe to fight in WWII? The variations of the types of policies that have been passed or advocated for throughout time show that culture has changed with the time.
H. Holstein
Adrianna:
Admittedly, one of the most impressive exhibits to me (and many other people given the size of the crowd) at the Museum of America History was the display of the dresses of the First Ladies at the Inaugural Ball, which speaks to our American values. We value the things that we are wearing in the time and space that an event occurs. Even at the National Gallery of Art that we visited as a group, artists were meticulous about how they portrayed grace and class in the garment that subjects were wearing.
Throughout the years, the First Ladies have become in a sense more real—by that I mean Martha Washington must have worn a size four shoe, while Michelle Obama might wear my size eight in her stunning Jimmy Choo. And Mary Lincoln’s waist might have been the size of a small mixing bowl, while I may have been able squeeze into Jackie Kennedy’s gown.
All that to say, the donation of the Inaugural gown is one that reflects the tradition of elegance and poise of our First Ladies, one that is sure to continue.
A. Braden
The Smithsonian Museum of American History is a great resource to find similarities with the past and the present. This “No Stamp Act” teapot is equivalent to political buttons I regularly pin to my clothes to make a statement.
Coming from a Sociology and Film Production education background, I am fascinated by the relationship that society, specifically the culture of a society, has on Public Policy. I am sure that seeing beloved Disney characters ready to fight Nazi Germany creates a different culture for children of the past compared to the children of current times that watch Dora the Explorer. But how can that be connected to Public Policy? Will immigration policy be more important for the children that watched Dora and the children of the past who watched Donald the Duck go to Europe to fight in WWII? The variations of the types of policies that have been passed or advocated for throughout time show that culture has changed with the time.
H. Holstein
Adrianna:
Admittedly, one of the most impressive exhibits to me (and many other people given the size of the crowd) at the Museum of America History was the display of the dresses of the First Ladies at the Inaugural Ball, which speaks to our American values. We value the things that we are wearing in the time and space that an event occurs. Even at the National Gallery of Art that we visited as a group, artists were meticulous about how they portrayed grace and class in the garment that subjects were wearing.
Throughout the years, the First Ladies have become in a sense more real—by that I mean Martha Washington must have worn a size four shoe, while Michelle Obama might wear my size eight in her stunning Jimmy Choo. And Mary Lincoln’s waist might have been the size of a small mixing bowl, while I may have been able squeeze into Jackie Kennedy’s gown.
All that to say, the donation of the Inaugural gown is one that reflects the tradition of elegance and poise of our First Ladies, one that is sure to continue.
A. Braden
I'll admit that I approached this museum in a somewhat nerdy way- I imagined what it would be like to be an archaeologist with only these surviving artifacts from a lost culture. Our culture seems a bit odd if you consider what we choose to preserve. Fonzie's jacket? I think there will be a lot of unanswered questions once our contemporary culture has "jumped the shark." -KS
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