Viewing large collections, such as the Thorek Library, is a wonderful way of visualizing how ideas in medicine change and morph into standards that we know today.
I love the look I receive whenever I have the chance to tell someone that I am the current artist-in-residence at the International Museum of Surgical Science. It’s askance. It’s curious. It’s Huh? Though many are surprised at the existence of the Museum in our city (How esoteric! How macabre!), many more others wonder—But what is a poet supposed to do there? To this, I ask, but what does a poet do anywhere? I am a rummager, a researcher, an alley-cruising scrap-metal collector, an excavator, an archaeologist, a watchful spy, a page-turner, and a note-taker.
The family tree of Eleanor Robinson Countiss looks chaotic, I’ll be the first to admit. But it’s an organized chaos, and by the end of this post you’ll have a better idea of how it came together – and maybe enough tips to start putting together your own family tree!
The most remarkable aspect of this book is the fact that nearly half of the pages include some form of infant scribbling. Some scribbles are large and heavy, others tight and soft, but all include an unrestrained confrontation with motor development. I find it so fitting that the author and the scribbler both sought one in the same thing, through the same object—to better understand the hand.
This year, the Museum’s landmark property at 1524 N. Lake Shore Drive celebrates its Centennial. Throughout 2017, we will share monthly updates with readers of this blog – “deep dives” into the history of one of Chicago’s few remaining lake shore mansions, and its former occupants. At present, supporting research is being conducted by dual IMSS Collections Intern – Permanent Collection & Research Intern – Mansion History Abigail Klionsky. As an introduction to this work, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we know, and what we hope to learn.
Where state-of-the-art provisions may not always be affordable, or clash with other historic preservation concerns (historical architectural accuracy, material preservation, etc.), simple interventions and education can be a critical first step in preserving cultural heritage. With collections of books, this can be as simple as soft-packing or wrapping a volume in tissue, as we began to learn here at the Museum early last year.
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