Museums & Things

History, heritage, art, culture, science, and the museums that house it. Also expect galleries, archives, libraries and all that awesome. Visit my personal tumblr or Scenes from the Stores Mostly Morphology A Change of Rein

[amnhnyc]

Texts from Titanosaur

The Museum’s new titanosaur recently arrived at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been making many new friends, including the blue whale. Separated by 3 floors of the Museum, how do these pals stay in touch? They text, of course! Here are a few of their conversations:

In New York for the first time, the Titanosaur is eager to do some sightseeing.

The Titanosaur makes a startling discovery about the emoji keyboard.

Stay tuned for more Texts from Titanosaur, and learn more about this new gigantic Museum resident. 

[museumsandthings]

@amnhnyc‘s blue whale and new Titanosaur are texting. Just FYI.

[museumsandthings]

Earlier this week, I was very kindly invited to speak at an employers panel at a Researcher Career Pathways Event at Oxford Brookes University. In preparing for the panel, I jotted down some top ti...

Possibly the best set of tips I’ve seen on how to apply for jobs in the UK Museums sector, and probably applies to many equal-opportunities employers.

Job applications are a game. For most of the recruitment I’ve done, the shortlisting stage is very straight forward. The essential and desirable selection criteria are put into a grid and then each candidate is given a score against each criterion, normally on a 0 (not met), 1(partially met) or 2(fully met) scale. These scores are then added up and are the basis for the recruitment panel deciding who to select to interview.

This may sound straightforward but I’d say more than 50% of the applications I’ve ever looked over don’t seem to understand this (I didn’t either until I undertook recruitment training). This is important in writing applications for a number of reasons, the first one being that you should ensure you address as many of the criteria as possible. Desirable and essential criteria are weighted differently, however, you may see your application on the reject pile because somebody perhaps less experienced than you has gone to the effort of addressing all those ‘fluffy’ criteria and you’ve focused solely on what you think is the important point or two. And yes, that includes the ones about computer skills, team working and time management.

It’s easy to assume, from within an organisation, that people applying for jobs understand the recruitment process. However, this is rarely the case for anyone who hasn’t had specialist training and if you’ve never worked in an Equal Ops org. before, there’s no reason you would know this. 

After spending almost a year applying to vastly over-subscribed roles, some lovely person I worked with in my part-time/volunteer job sat me down and explained what is set out in Mark’s points 1 & 2. My next job application? Successful, and how my Museum career got properly started.

[techinsider]

7 mind-blowing comparisons that put huge numbers into perspective

[southerngamerguy-deactivated201]

can I get Warren Buffet to buy me his equivalent of a can of Sprite? Cause I can’t even buy a can of Sprite right now.

[makemelaughblog]

[prokopetz]

I’ve seen this image going around, and I feel compelled to point out that it’s only half-right. It’s true that high heels were originally a masculine fashion, but they weren’t originally worn by butchers - nor for any other utilitarian purpose, for that matter.

High heels were worn by men for exactly the same reason they’re worn by women today: to display one’s legs to best effect. Until quite recently, shapely, well-toned calves and thighs were regarded as an absolute prerequisite for male attractiveness. That’s why you see so many paintings of famous men framed to show off their legs - like this one of George Washington displaying his fantastic calves:

… or this one of Louis XIV of France rocking a fabulous pair of red platform heels (check out those thighs!):

… or even this one of Charles I of England showing off his high-heeled riding boots - note, again, the visual emphasis on his well-formed calves:

In summary: were high heels originally worn by men? Yes. Were they worn to keep blood off their feet? No at all - they were worn for the same reason they’re worn today: to look fabulous.

[nebcondist1]

so then how did they become a solo feminine item of attire?

[prokopetz]

A variety of reasons. In France, for example, high heels fell out out of favour in the court of Napoleon due to their association with aristocratic decadence, while in England, the more conservative fashions of the Victorian era regarded it as indecent for a man to openly display his calves.

But then, fashions come and go. The real question is why heels never came back into fashion for men - and that can be laid squarely at the feet of institutionalised homophobia. Essentially, heels for men were never revived because, by the early 20th Century, sexually provocative attire for men had come to be associated with homosexuality; the resulting moral panic ushered in an era of drab, blocky, fully concealing menswear in which a well-turned calf simply had no place - a setback from which men’s fashion has yet to fully recover.

[rifa]

FASHION HISTORY IS HUMAN HISTORY OK

[alliartist]

Thank you, history side of tumblr. That “stay out of blood” thing has been driving me mad.

[casey-jane-lewis]

Wait. So, you’re telling me that the reason straight boys dress horribly is because they’re not over a 100 year old gay panic?

You’re telling me that the gross, baggy, shapeless menswear that has been almost singlehandedly ruining my life is the result of a bunch of dudes in the 1900’s collectively going ‘AAAAH WHAT IF THEY THINK WE’RE GAY’

Fuck that shit. BRING BACK MENS HEELS

BRING BACK MENS TIGHTS

MAKE MEN SEXY AGAIN

[acquaintedwithrask]

I literally could not agree more with this post

[archaeologistforhire]

History Tumblr to the rescue once again!

[museumsandthings]

New favourite post.

[museumladders]

Another ladder at @wellcomecollection, this time in the #StatesOfMind exhibition (before the mist is added).

Photo by Russell Dornan

[museumsandthings]

#MuseumLadders is a thing now.

Head on over to @MuseumLadders on Twitter to submit yours.

[museumsandthings]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxQHTd6Kftg)

Love the latest thebrainscoop offering: holotypes, the meter bar and Brachiosaurus. DINOSAURS.

[lardypoison-deactivated20150405]

do you think in the 1700s there were people who were like nah man Mozart’s a total sellout I only listen to peasants beating things with sticks it’s way more authentic

[sibyl-of-space]

I know this is a joke post but as a music major I can actually answer this with a resounding YES THIS HAS LITERALLY ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE

When the violin was invented people were pissing on its tone for being too loud and it lacking the ‘authenticity’ of the viola da gamba. People (especially French people) reacted to new Italian technologies like the freaking violin like Vivaldi was part of a heavy metal band– which would have been awesome, by the way.

Also, in the romantic period, literally every single symphony ever had a “pastoral” section where the strings are supposed to sound like bagpipes to imitate the pure, rural peasant life and reject the upper class for being too materialistic.

The long and short of it is music listeners have always been assholes and humanity is exactly the same way it was in the 1600s. Hell, when the REALLLY early French composers first heard the interval of a third (brought over from England) they were like “WHAT IS THIS DEVILRY, THE ONLY PURE INTERVALS ARE THE FOURTH AND FIFTH.” That’s right. The interval “do”-“mi” was too new age shit for them to handle.

Music history is amazing

[amnhnyc]

The Museum is Nominated for 3 Webby Awards!

The Webby Award nominations are in (drumroll, please) and the American Museum of Natural History is nominated in three categories. The Museum’s YouTube Channel is nominated for best Science & Education channel. Take a look at the AMNH Channel Trailer:

Over 50,000 subscribers can’t be wrong! Check out more of the Museum’s video offerings and VOTE over at the Webby Awards Page. 

Additionally, the Museum’s Instagram account is nominated in the Education & Discovery social category, and the #InsideAMNH campaign is nominated for Best Photography & Graphics social category. 

Vote for the American Museum of Natural History in these three Webby Categories! 

[museumsandthings]

Congratulations AMNH!

They’ve done wonderful things with their Instagram recently - definitely worth checking out!

[photojojo]

It’s one of the most prestigious museums in the world, but if you find yourself in The Louvre in Paris, prepare to deal with some major crowds.

Whether he got a private tour or sneaked in, French photographer Franck Bohbot’s images of a Louvre devoid of people are jaw dropping.

Jaw Dropping Photographs of The Louvre Devoid of People

[hellotailor]

From Jezebel:

“Take this new exhibit of found art from Germany, now debuting in New York at art space White Columns. Titled Margret: Chronicle of an Affair—May 1969 to December 1970, it’s an at times unsettling but nevertheless consistently absorbing collection of photographs, documents, objects, and samples (some of the biological persuasion) from German businessman Gunter K., 39, who obsessively chronicled his love affair with his secretary, Margret S., 24. Both were married, and they spent a year and a half trysting about while he apparently documented its every logistical detail within an inch of its life.”

I don’t understand why this is being presented without critique. As far as I can tell, the gallery and publisher didn’t obtain permission from the people in question. They’re publicizing some intensely intimate records of someone’s life without their consent — including diaries, nudes where the person’s face is clearly visible, and records of an illegal abortion. We don’t even know if that young woman was aware her boss/boyfriend had kept all this stuff after they broke up.

The only way in which this exhibit could possibly be acceptable is if the curators did get the couple’s consent, or if it’s not actually “found art” after all, and is actually an elaborate hoax/original artwork. But as far as I can tell, this is just someone posting someone else’s private nudes (and WAY more) without their consent. WTF?

[museumsandthings]

What is this?

I do not like this.

[em-ily-grace-deactivated2020072]

Two Medieval Monks Invent Bestiaries

By Mallory Ortberg on The Toast

MONK #1: do birds have meetings MONK #2: absolutely they have a Meeting Hat and everything MONK #1: what do they have meetings about MONK #2: mostly who gets to wear the meeting hat

MONK #1: do human women sleep in beds or– MONK #2: no that’s dogs you’re thinking of MONK #1: right right

MONK #1: what part of the knight do fish go on MONK #2: the head MONK #1: thanks MONK #2: oh absolutely no problem at all MONK #1: both lying flatwise across the head, or…? MONK #2: no one on each side like ears MONK #1: ok great

MONK #1: so when a dog and a bird make out MONK #2: right MONK #1: it’s usually the bird that’s on top right? MONK #2: yeah usually MONK #1: great

MONK #1: hey is it owls or people that live in caves and build fires? MONK #2: owls

MONK #1: hey roughly what size are sparrows MONK #2: mm it kind of depends MONK #1: like AS big as a tree or not quite as big as a tree? MONK #2: oh pretty much the same size as a tree

MONK #1: can cows sail boats? MONK #2: hahaha no common misconception they have to put wheels on the boat and roll it over land

MONK #1: what do birds eat MONK #2: other birds mostly MONK #1: like different kinds of birds, or something else MONK #2: no birds only eat exactly the same kind of birds that they are

MONK #1: what kind of bird tucks people into bed at night usually I mean MONK #2: any bird any kind of walking bird MONK #1: and when it tucks you in, people usually look… MONK #2: incredibly worried it’s incredibly worrying when the bedbird tucks you in

MONK #1: ugh sorry to bother you again MONK #2: no no its fine this is what i’m here for what is it MONK #1: what part of a goat is a snail again like the front end or the back end MONK #2: what part do you feel like should be the snail part MONK #1: the back part? MONK #2: you shouldnt doubt yourself you know more about goats than you give yourself credit for

MONK #1: what usually rides horses like people or– MONK #2: fire

[effington]

Tbh this is the funniest post on this dumb website

[museumsandthings]

What is this?

I like it.

[thebrainscoop]

Dear Future Chief Curiosity Correspondents of the World:

Yesterday I gave a short presentation in front of the presidents and leaders of 12 of the top natural history museums in the world, including such reputable institutions as the Smithsonian NMNH, the NHM in London, Museum fur Naturkunde in Berlin, the Royal Ontario Museum. Et cetera. The Field is hosting these leaders in an effort to strengthen our global partnerships, to facilitate dialogue around the problems we face, and to help us create a shared vision for the future.

It was my wholehearted suggestion that one of the most effective ways to share the stories of such institutions and their collections is through the role of a Chief Curiosity Correspondent, of which there is, so far, only one. (Me.) This is not just someone in marketing or public relations, not exclusively a person who is a social media strategist, nor solely a science writer. These are people who are Professionally Curious and Enthusiastic, they are storytellers, teachers and learners with a passion for questioning everything and pursuing answers relentlessly. Give them a camera, an editor, access to your scientists and specimens and let them go.

It’s also come to my attention that one of the biggest roadblocks to employing a Chief Curiosity Correspondent is simply a lack of where to begin looking, so I’ve come up with a very preliminary list of who I think would be great for a museum in which they’re already familiar. Full disclosure: I haven’t told these people I am electing them to be future Chief Curiosity Correspondents of the World, nor am I sure they’d accept the position, but if I had my way these are the sorts of folks I’d sure want to spend time with at an annual CCC of the World conference. This list is also very North America-centric, I know.

Kiron Mukherjee for the Royal Ontario Museum

Russell Dornan for the Wellcome Collection, or the Horniman Museum

Alie Ward and the Lady Naturalist for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits

Adam Cole for the Smithsonian NMNH

Coma Niddy for the American Museum of Natural History

Claire of Brilliant Botany for the New York Botanical Garden

Nick Wiersum for Any Museum Anywhere

Alli Rico for the Harvard Museum of Natural History

I want your suggestions!  Who would you like to see join the ranks of future Chief Curiosity Correspondents? You?

[museumsandthings]

What an awesome idea and some great people nominated!

This has reminded me that now I’ve settled in at my new job, I need to up my energy when it comes to being CURIOUS about the NHM. It’s easy to get bogged down in day to day tasks and disheartened by a lack of access to the things you find fascinating, but I intend to remember why I wanted to work there so badly, and let the curiosity break through!

[nevver]

[goongdingy]

The thing about this is that sculptures like these in art history were for the male gaze. Photoshop a phone to it and suddenly she’s seen as vain and conceited. That’s why I’m 100% for selfie culture because apparently men can gawk at women but when we realize how beautiful we are we’re suddenly full of ourselves…

[stem-cell]

“You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “Vanity,” thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for you own pleasure.” ― John Berger, Ways of Seeing

[museumsandthings]

In case you missed it, this past week has been #MuseumWeek 2015 - a week where cultural institutions from all over the world get together the celebrate museums and collections under 7 themed hashtags.

Find out more on the MuseumWeek website, or catch up with news n highlights from the Guardian, Grrlscientist and Mashable.

Pics featured: Twitter’s MuseumWeek graphics + a couple I took for our two favourite themes at London’s Natural History Museum.

[amnhnyc]

We’re celebrating Museum Week with a peek back at the before-and-after of one of the Museum’s mammal dioramas. The image of preparators working on the Siberian tiger diorama was taken in 1934. Today, the tiger diorama is still a highlight of the Museum’s Hall of Asian Mammals. Learn more about Siberian tigers. http://bit.ly/1Ct7RtZ

AMNH/M.Shanley

[historyyourstory]

AMNH is the best time capsule in NYC.

[naturalsciencesbelgium]

The picture on top was taken in 1900 during the construction of the gigantic and graceful “Janlet wing” (architect Charles-Emile Janlet), in which our iguanodons of Bernissart still are today. They may have been assembled and dismantled several times but the iguanodons are still standing in the same biped kangaroo position they were put in during the first assembly. In the 1980s David B. Norman concluded that they walked on all fours, but ran on two.

[attendants-view]

All that ironwork… Oooohhhh

[amnhnyc]

It may be too chilly for bird-watching in Central Park, but just across the street the Museum offers warm, indoor bird-spotting in its varied dioramas.

In this video, accompany Exhibition Associate and bird expert Stephen C. Quinn on a bird-watching tour.