JoAnn from Kapstan Piano Services came in again yesterday and she continued working on the piano. She’s almost done; just a few more minor repairs and the tuning and we’ll be all set. In the meantime, Andy took some more pictures of the progress:
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Last week, we received the final eleven Campbell goblets that a local family donated to us after purchasing them in the 1941 Selkirk auction. [Here's the scoop in case you missed the original post.]
Today, it’s time to check these goblets in. In museum vernacular, the formal process of bringing an item (or in this case, items) into the collection is called accessioning.
We taught intern Sam how to accession today, and we thought you would get a kick out of a behind-the-scenes peek at what we do.
Sam getting his silver-polishing lesson from Andy.
Step 1: Clean the item. In this case, the sterling goblets were pretty tarnished after years of being in storage, so Executive Director Andy gave Sam a lesson on how to polish silver like a champ.
Tools of the trade: B72, a specially-cropped cotton swab, and special acid-free archival pen.
Step 3: Label the item with the accession number. Somehow. You’ve probably never thought about how you would label a piece of sterling. On the off chance you did, you probably weren’t concerned with doing it in such a way that you could remove the label if necessary. If we used a Sharpie on the bottom of the goblet, that ink would be on there for good. We don’t want to do that because a Sharpie would alter the condition of the object. We want it to be good as new. (Or at least as good as it was when we received it.) First rule in the museum world: Do no harm. So how do you write on a silver goblet without really writing on it? In this case, something called B72. It’s a clear gel-like substance that, after painting it on a solid object like glass, porcelain or silver, you can write on it. [Editorial comment: In addition to being an indispensable museum tool, it stinks to high heaven.] If you don’t want the number on the object any more, simply hit the section with a little bit of acetone and it will remove the writing and the patch of B72.
Andy supervising as Sam tries his hand at applying B72 on the bottom of a goblet.
Next comes the really fun part: deciding where to feature the goblets in the house.
And that is how we accession new items into Campbell House’s collection.
Our beloved box grand piano is due for a tuning.
It hasn’t been worked on since some of the Campbells were still alive, so we’re easily talking 100 years. Four keys didn’t do anything, and the sound? Three words: Nails. On. Chalkboard. Virginia bought the Schomacker & Co. piano in Philadelphia shortly after the Campbells moved in. The original price was $500, but she got a $25 discount.
We thought if the piano was repaired, cleaned up and tuned, we could host mini concerts in the parlor and have other events where the piano could be featured. (You know, use the piano like the Campbells did.) We want the piano to sound and function as well as it looks.
Today, JoAnn from Kapstan Piano Services came over to begin working on it. Take a look at what she did:
All the stuff that had been on top of the piano. Goethe is in the middle, and the birds are two of Hazletts pets that have been preserved.
Virginia supervises as JoAnn and docent Dennis prep the area.
Detail of the side of the piano.
Under the hood.
The piano body after the keyboard assembly was removed.
Keyboard assembly
Work is going to continue into next week. Stay tuned (get it?!) for more pictures and hopefully video of the piano in action!
It’s time to start planning a special Valentine’s Day fete with your sweetiekins! Forget the same ol’ crowded bars and restaurants, and let Campbell House take care of your night. At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, bring your special someone over to the house for a high tea hosted by our pals from the London Tea Room.
This is what’s cookin:
Tickets are $45.00 each, and London Tea Room will be donating $12.50 of each ticket to Campbell House. Ready to make your reservation? Give us a ring at 314/421-0325 with your Visa, Mastercard or Discover to hold your seats. We only have 36 seats available, so call us early — we think this is going to be a big hit.
*Roman Punch is a traditional palate-cleansing drink that was often served between savory courses. If you want to make a batch at home, here’s a modernized version of Virginia’s recipe:
Virginia Campbell’s Roman Punch
1 12-oz can frozen lemonade
1 12-oz can of water
4 T frozen orange concentrate
Zest of one orange
2/3 bottle of champagne
In a blender, blitz lemonade, water, orange concentrate, and zest. Pour mixture into a container suitable for freezing and add champagne. Mix well and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw to make a slush and serve. Enjoy!
Earlier we tweeted this:
Today in 1865, Missouri FINALLY granted their slaves freedom because Missouri was not subject to the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
— Campbell House (@campbellmuseum) January 11, 2012
We felt this could use a little context. This is an admittedly abbreviated version of things just to give you a better idea of why Missouri slaves weren’t freed in Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout Civil War history, Missouri had been the ultimate crossroads within the country, both culturally and physically. As evidenced by the battles (1,200, only two other states had more) and general discontent throughout the state, Missouri was a microcosm of the events happening in the United States.
Let’s go back about 40 years before the Civil War even started to see some of the roots of Missouri’s unique place in the Union. Per the Missouri Compromise of 1820, no state north of our southern border (36º 30′) could have slaves except for Missouri itself. Territories west of Missouri were to be free. Confusing? Yes. So even then, Missouri was an unusual geographic area in the Union. (The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 repealed most of the provisions, which would allow each territory to decide the issue of slavery through Popular Sovereignty. Sadly, one of the results was Bleeding Kansas.)
During the Civil War, Missouri was Union, but just barely. The legislature didn’t want to necessarily join the south, but they didn’t want the federal government imposing on the state, either. In June of 1861, Union troops ousted southern-sympathizing Governor Claiborne Jackson. His deposed government reassembled in Neosho, MO, and they voted to secede from the Union that October. However, this “rump” legislature had no official power, but they did have votes in the Confederate Congress. Meanwhile, former Missouri Supreme Court judge (and the Campbells’ Lucas Place neighbor), Hamilton Gamble, was appointed the provisional governor of the state. As requested by President Lincoln, he provided troops for the Union.
December 17, 1861 loyalty oath signed by Robert Campbell. (Click on it for a larger view.)
Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves in the ten rebelling states, and Missouri was not one of them. The Emancipation Proclamation did not outlaw the practice of slavery; it was a necessity of war. As Union troops began to occupy the South, they didn’t know what to do with the enslaved people. Were they contraband? Were they free? As you can imagine, the proclamation was controversial. According to the 1857 Supreme Court decision of the Dred Scott case, the federal government did not have the authority to regulate slavery in the territories, so that was problematic. Abolitionists wanted a declaration freeing all the slaves instead of just the slaves in the rebelling states. Slave owners were less-than-pleased because they didn’t receive any compensation. In short, pretty much nobody was happy.
As a representation of the greater country, Missouri was full of infighting and factions, as evidenced by the provisional legislature and the competing rump legislature. The people were just as split with the St. Louis area harboring more pro-Union sentiment than elsewhere in the state. (Case in point: Through a governor-appointed police board, Jefferson City “managed” St. Louis’ police force so they could remotely exert their influence on the city. Today, 150 years after the Civil War, this is still the case.)
As an example of the divisive sentiment that pervaded the Missouri, Robert had to sign many loyalty oaths, like the one pictured above. Robert’s business suffered because he had a hard time collecting money from his customers, and daily operations were often interrupted because of troop occupation in the city and along trade routes, among other things. Meanwhile at home, the route of the infamous march of troops to the arsenal during the Camp Jackson Affair went right behind Campbell House on Olive Street.
But back to the slavery issue. The Thirteenth Amendment ultimately outlawed the practice of slavery on a national level when it was ratified by Georgia in December of 1865.
Tim brought the first of twelve Campbell goblets to us this afternoon, and we’re happy to report they are even more gorgeous than we imagined:
One of twelve Campbell goblets that are coming home.
First day back in the office after a long weekend, and we have an email from a board member announcing he’s secured the donation of some Campbell possessions from the Selkirk auction back in February 1941.
What was the Selkirk auction? After Hazlett — the last surviving Campbell — died in 1938, the Campbell estate went through a long probate case. It was one of the largest in Missouri history, and it took ten years to wrap up. As part of the settlement — and why we have many of the possessions we do — all the Campbell furnishings went up for auction at a 1941 sale by Ben J. Selkirk and Sons (now Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers). Stix, Baer & Fuller, meanwhile, purchased the house from Yale University (who had inherited it), and they in turn donated it back to the newly formed Campbell House Foundation.
Since the Campbells’ furnishings were auctioned at a public sale and the foundation only had a budget of $6,500 to buy back as much as possible, quite a few items ended up with other families. Fortunately, many generous folks have given us back items over the years. Today was no exception.
Board member Tim Rohan learned a local family had this set of twelve punch goblets (pictured above), and they agreed to generously donate them back to us . Here’s the original auction catalog description:
[969] American Sterling Silver Punch Goblets, Mermod & Jaccard Co
Hemispherical body with double-scroll border, baluster and ring stem; rising circular foot with beading, height 4-1/4 inches.
They fetched a whopping $2.25 each at the 1941 Selkirk auction.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch clipping of the Selkirk auction. These cups are on the bottom shelf of the case in the top picture. Also note that "Women Almost Swoon."
To the left is an image of a page from the Sunday, February 23, 1941 edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and these cups can be seen in the top picture on the bottom shelf of the case.
Want to see the goblets (and all of our other cool stuff)? They’re not here just yet, but give us a call at 314/421-0325. The house is open by appointment only in January and February, but we are here all week and we’re always happy to welcome guests.
With this donation, ongoing mysteries and all the other exciting programs and events we have on tap, 2012 has kicked off swimmingly. From the Campbell family to yours, we hope that you’re having a happy and productive new year.
