Curators' Favorite Objects from the Smithsonian
Curators from the museum regularly choose favorite objects to describe to the public, as well as explaining their attachment to the object. Here are some of the current selections and their history, given by the individual curators:
Helen Keller’s Watch by Carlene Stephens: "In 1892, when she was twelve, Keller met John Hitz, the superintendent of Alexander Graham Bell’s Washington, DC establishment for the deaf, the Volta Bureau. Hitz, a retired diplomat, was the proud owner of a Swiss-made "touch watch." This uncommon watch has a case studded around the edge with pins that correspond to the hours on the watch dial. A revolving hand stops at a point between the pins that corresponds to the hour and approximate minute. With the hand and pins as locators, it was possible to feel the approximate time in the dark or, in the case of a diplomat like Hitz, discreetly. Hitz presented the watch to Keller, who prized it and used it her entire life.
Laser-capture Microscope by George Terry Scharrer: Sick cells send protein signals into the margins between healthy and unhealthy cells. The laser-capture microscope allows pathologists to isolate the margins, extract those regions, and identify their protein signals by mass spectroscopy.
Once the pathologist knows the defining array of protein signals that indicate cancer within an organ, it becomes possible to look for the same protein "signatures" in the blood of other patients before a detectable tumor mass has formed. Such early detection, with a surgical solution, can be life-saving in most cases.
"Servais" Stradivari Cello by Gary Sturm: On the morning of March 12, 1981, I was preparing for rehearsals in our auditorium when the telephone rang. Albert Meserlin explained that he represented an unnamed client who owned a Stradivari cello made in 1701. Revealing no details, he wanted to learn of our potential interest in a donation of this mystery instrument. The answer came quickly. After the call, I independently learned Stradivari made only one cello in 1701. It was the legendary Servais. It belonged to Miss Charlotte Bergen of Newark, New Jersey. And I was soon flying to Newark to pick up the Smithsonian’s first Stradivari instrument in the history of the institution.
...the great-grandson of Servais grew up believing that the Servais Stradivari was lost. Imagine his surprise when he read in a 1984 newspaper that the cello was in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Imagine my surprise to then learn from Vanderlinden that all of A. F. Servais’ papers were preserved in the family’s Belgian residence. Through Vanderlinden’s connections, I was soon on a plane to notate the archives, meet the Princess Caraman of Chimay, and the Queen of Belgium. And so the cello and I began our first three years together. Gary Sturm, Chair and Curator, Division of Music, Sports and Entertainment
Sprinter's carbon-fiber leg by Maggie Dennis : One of my favorite stories is about the "C leg" prosthetic foot invented by Van Phillips. In 1976, when Phillips was 21, one of his feet was amputated after a waterskiing accident. Frustrated with the heavy, rigid prosthetic foot he received during rehabilitation, Phillips was inspired to come up with something better. After studying prosthetic engineering and exploring a variety of materials, Phillips and his colleagues imagined a better artificial limb, one that would store and release energy in a highly efficient manner, like a spring. After years of testing (mostly on himself), the result was the "C leg," now commonly used by Paralympic athletes.
... So I was struck by the simplicity of Phillips's design — a curved length of carbon fiber that simulates the flexibility, energy storage, and weight-bearing ability of the human foot and ankle. While Phillips sees the potential benefits of a computerized prosthetic foot, he also points out the drawbacks — the extra weight, expense, and maintenance requirements. Living in an age when we start to assume that computers can do everything, Van Phillips reminds us to keep it simple.
Multibladed Folding Knife by David Miller: I like to refer to this as the mother of all Swiss army knives. If you count the miniatures inside the tortoiseshell handle covers, it has 100 "blades." They include pocketknife blades of every style imaginable: a serrated blade, two dagger blades, several different types of shears and scissors, an auger, a corkscrew, two saws, a lancet, buttonhook, cigar cutter, tuning fork, screwdrivers, pens and mechanical pencils, a mirror, and a straight razor. And my favorite — would you believe a functional, .22-caliber, five-shot, pinfire revolver? The one modern convenience it doesn't seem to have is a bottle opener, but the bottle cap as we know it wasn't invented until 1892.
The knife wasn't meant to be carried. Knives like this were made exclusively for exhibition to highlight the art of cutlery or knife making. Extremely difficult to make, they were only attempted by the most notable firms with the most talented artisans or cutlers. They could be seen at various fairs and industrial expositions during the 19th century. This particular knife was made in Germany about 1880 for John S. Holler, a New York cutlery merchant. Holler used it to display the fine craftsmanship available to his customers. At that time, German cutlery firms were attempting to establish themselves in the American cutlery market, then dominated by the firms of Sheffield, England. The workmanship and complexity of this knife make it one of the finest examples in America of the cutler's art.