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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.

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  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.

• Step 2: Assign an accession number. “Accession number” is just a museum-y way of saying “inventory number.” Every item in our collection has a unique accession number, and they have a three-number format, e.g.:  2012.1.1. The first part is the year in which the donation was received, the second part is the donation number (in the example above, this is the first donation we logged in 2012), and the third is the item number within that donation. The first goblet will be 2012.1.1, while the last (12th) goblet will bear the number 2012.1.12.  Say next week your great aunt Edna donates a desk that used to belong to the Campbells. That accession number would be 2012.2.1. If Edna threw in the matching chair? 2012.2.2. And inkwell? 2012.2.3. You get the picture.
• 

  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.

• Step 4: Enter the new object into the inventory software. We have a lot of stuff to keep track of in this house, but it’s a small inventory in the greater museum world. In terms of number of items, our collection is downright modest when you compare it to the St. Louis Art Museum or the Missouri History Museum. Therefore, we use a small software system called PastPerfect. It combines museum inventory software and our donor/membership database, and it works just swell for us. (Incidentally, PastPerfect hosts our online collection database so you can look up letters and objects in our collection.) In here, Sam’s going to enter all the particulars: description, provenance, donor, condition, images and the location in the house so we know where to find it.

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.

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!

This is what’s cookin:

• Upon arrival, toast this day of romance and love with a glass of Virginia Campbell’s Roman (read: Champagne) Punch.* While waiting for the culinary bacchanalia, you can explore our house, one of the country’s finest examples of high Victorian interior decor.
• After you get comfortable seated at a table in the Parlor, Morning Room, Dining Room or Kitchen, you will enjoy the following delicacies:
  • An assortment of finger sandwiches, including smoked salmon on wheat; ham on rye with grain mustard mayo; and cucumber on cream cheese with dill and chives.
  • Traditional English black currant scone, served with Devonshire cream and jam.
  • Selection of beautiful petit fours.
  • A personal pot of tea, regular or decaf.
• We’re going to dig through our archive to find some exceptional lovey-dovey-themed Campbell pieces (yep, we have a lot of these…Robert and Virginia were crazy about each other) to display for this evening only.
• When you leave, you’ll receive a goodie bag with tea discount cards, passes for free admission to Campbell House, information on Victorian Valentine’s Day traditions, and a copy of one of Robert and Virginia’s love letters, along with some other choice loot.

Tickets are $45.00, 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!

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.

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.

Some of our loot.

Put on your thinking caps, because zoinks, we’ve got a mystery on our hands.

We’ve been Tweeting and Facebooking about it as it has been happening, but we’re going to lay the series of events out for you right here. We want to know what you think.

About 6 weeks ago, Director Andy found a 50-cent piece on the front steps of the house, just outside our outer doors. The 50-cent piece was painted gold. A week or so passed, and he found another one with a penny next to it. Soon, we started finding 50-cent pieces every couple of days, either on the front step or on a table inside our garden that can be reached through the fence facing 15th street.

This past Sunday (12/18/11), Weekend Manager Lindsey found one on the front steps when she opened, another one on the steps later in the day, and a third on the table in the garden when she locked up. Today, we found one at the front door at noon (it wasn’t there when we opened at 10:00) and one more when we closed for the day.

We’re stumped.

15th and Locust is a busy intersection during the day. The neighborhood is teeming with high school students from Confluence Academy across the street and residents from Locust, Washington Avenue and other adjacent streets are always out and about and walking their dogs.  Construction workers from the Public Library project are everywhere, and we always have general downtown foot traffic.

Campbell House has had its share of mysteries over the years. We occasionally get mail addressed to members of the family — we’ll post some of those tomorrow — and we’ve always had reports of supernatural activity, but this is the first regular and consistent ongoing puzzle. Because of the 50-cent pieces, we’ve been more enthusiastic than usual to unlock the doors and work in the garden to see what we’ll find.

And maybe this is someone’s Christmas gift to Campbell House. The donation is certainly nice, but what a story! The mysterious donor had given us some excitement over the last few weeks, and we appreciate the daily riddle it brings.

What do you think? Comment here, on our Facebook page, or tweet us at @campbellmuseum. We’re looking forward to your take on this happy little happenstance.

The menu from a very, very large meal with the Campbells.

The Campbells were foodies long before the term was ever coined. We have Virginia’s own hand-written cookbook, gourmet-grocery store receipts, records of liquor and wine purchases,  letters from guests who wrote about the decadent meals served in our dining room, and not to mention loads of kitchen equipment the cook would have used in our kitchen.

What have we learned from all of this stuff the Campbells left behind? They really, really liked their food. Sure, they could drop the cash to have fresh oysters shipped on ice from New Orleans, but they also liked simple staples, like macaroni and cheese and pot roast.

In the spirit of tomorrow’s culinary bacchanalia, here’s an example of how the Campbells threw down (or their servants, anyway) in the kitchen for a big fete. The image on this page is a menu for a going-away shindig for Robert before he left for an extended trip to Europe with the family. The party was hosted at the Southern Hotel (the super-swank hotel he owned, natch), and though the soiree wasn’t in the Campbells’ house, this menu is representative of a big decadent meal the Campbells would have had at home on special occasions.

Here’s a transcription of the menu with italicized notes to explain some of the foods that aren’t in regular circulation anymore:

BILL OF FARE

Saddle Rock Oysters, pickled
Large oysters from the East River and Long Island Sound.

Wine: Chateau d’Yquem
A Sauternes, an amber-colored wine with caramel, honeysuckle, peach and apricot. This wine is (still) super-expensive, and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson even bought a case of it on a trip to France in 1784.

Soup

Bisque

Printaniere
Vegetable soup made with carrots, string beans, turnips, peas and lima beans.

Wine: Madeira Cama de Lobas
A fortified Portuguese wine made in the Madeira Islands which lie in the Atlantic, southwest of Portugal.

Releve

Filets of Lake Trout, a la Joinville
Fish coated with meal, baked and served with a velouté sauce.

Tenderloin of Beef, with Truffles

Wine: Hockheimer (A German dry white wine) and Amontilado (Sherry)

Entrees

Pattees of Grouse, a la Parisienne
Grouse is a bird similar to a chicken, and it was served flattened.

Spring Chickens, a l’Astrajon
Chicken prepared with white wine, tarragon and crème fraiche.

Sweetbread, a la Regeance
Culinary term for calf thymus gland and/or pancreas. It tastes much better than it sounds. (Really.)

Lambchops, a la Vefour
Vefour is the name for the first great restaurant in Paris, which opened in 1784.

Champagne Frappe
Frozen champagne.

Roederus Dry Sillery
A type of champagne from Sillery, an area in northeastern France famous for its champagne-producing vineyards.

Vegetables

Cauliflower

Green Peas

Asparagus

Punch: A la Romaine, glacee
Roman Punch was used as a palate cleanser between courses, and it was made of champagne, white wine, white rum and lemon juice.

Roast

Squab Pigeons, larded

Woodcock, on toast
A type of woodland bird.

Pastry

Cabinet Pudding, Maraschino sauce
Sponge cake with dried fruit and sweet sauce.

Assorted cake

Baskets of Maringues [sic], a la Creme

Champagne Jelly

Blanc Mange, a la Reine
Sweet dessert with cream, sugar, gelatine, cornstarch and almonds.

Dessert

Bananas

Oranges

Almonds

Raisins

Filberts (Hazelnuts)

Strawberries

Brandy

Coffee

Chartrusse [sic] (French liqueur made of 130 herbs.)

Maraschino

Vanilla Ice Cream

SOUTHERN HOTEL,
Thursday, June 6th, 1867.

******

Some menu, eh? We hope that gives you a little culinary food for thought tomorrow while you feast on turkey with your loved ones. From the Campbell Family to yours, have a happy (and delicious) Thanksgiving.