MORE COMPLETE HISTORY: INTERPRETING DOMESTIC SERVANTS AT HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUMS
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Authors
Walker, Patricia Chambers
Issue Date
1996
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
It is the thesis of this study that historic 4 house museums can provide visitors with a more complete view of the past by including in the interpretation of the site the lives of the domestic servants who lived and worked there. The subject of domestic servants includes all of the issues that dominate current debates about museum interpretation: multiculturalism, the lives of the "common people," the battle against nostalgia in history museums, and how to deal with sensitive subjects like racism and other social conflicts.
The study consists of two parts: a nationwide survey of house museums and case studies of selected sites. For the survey portion, 1,001 house museums across the United States, drawn from the Official Museum Directory, were mailed a questionnaire designed to determine whether or not they include domestic servants in their interpretation, interpretive methods used, topics covered, and the difficulties, if any, encountered in developing the interpretation. Responses were received from 592 institutions (59.1 percent), providing an overview of the way house museums as a whole are dealing with this topic. The case studies illustrate in greater depth the choices and questions a site confronts when developing interpretation about domestic servants.