Paintings in MHM’s collection are fastened to rolling racks to protect them from damage. Photograph © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

The Missouri History Museum's galleries display hundreds of objects of historical significance, but these objects are just a small percentage of the Museum’s collection, acquired over more than 140 years.

MHM’s collections are constantly expanding. In fact, curators handle hundreds of donations each year, according to MHM registrar Steve Call. In reviewing the donations, curators consider current and upcoming exhibitions and the overall collecting initiatives of the History Museum.

When items come in, the curator will first give the donor a receipt that simply acknowledges that MHM has received the property. “As soon as a lot comes into the building, the first step is to log it into the database system,” Call said.

Silver pieces are stored in cabinets. Photograph © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

A lot is defined as one donation from one donor and can range from one item to 100 or more items. “Typically, we receive 200 lots a year,” Call said. He gives each lot a two-part accession number. For example, for a lot donated this calendar year, the first number would be 2008. The second number would be the number of the lot. If an object is the 68th lot to come in that year, the accession number would be 2008 068.

If there is a box of several objects to be distributed to different departments, a curator’s committee will meet to review how to distribute the lot among the curators and departments. Each lot may contain varied items such as videos, manuscripts, books, and textiles. Once all items have been designated, an acquisitions committee performs a final review of all acquisitions.

In the next step in the collecting process, the registrar sends out a contract of gift to the donor. When that contract is signed and returned, a curator will update the database to include each item’s description, information, and location. This is also when the third part of the accession number is created, and it is based on how many items were accepted in the lot. Therefore the 20th item in the lot would be assigned the number 2008 068 0020.

Special Handling

				Protective canvas covers are pulled back to reveal part of MHM’s collection of textiles. Photograph © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

There are more than 60,000 items in the museum collections database. When not on exhibit, those items are stored at the Museum’s Library and Research Center storerooms, which consist of four levels of storage, including a basement and a sub-basement.

“Textiles are enclosed within cabinets,” Call said. “There is an entire store room dedicated to clothing and textiles.”

To preserve the condition of objects in storage, room temperatures and humidity are kept within a prescribed range, and the storerooms are kept dark (unless someone is working in them) because most objects are sensitive to light.

Items on Loan

	Lee and Grant articles were transported in separate crates. Photograph © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

In addition to displaying its own collection in the Museum, MHM also seeks various artifacts from outside institutions to enhance exhibitions. For the local component of the current exhibit Lee and Grant, organized by the Virginia Historical Society, MHM borrowed artifacts from the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis. These items are called in-loans, and for each one an in-loan agreement is drafted, according to associate registrar Amy Berra. The database will generate a loan number for each item, so that information about the object is searchable in a database.

When Lee and Grant was shipped to MHM, each item was carefully packed in a wooden crate at the Virginia Historical Society. After the objects arrived in St. Louis, MHM staff began the task of removing all items and verifying contents.

Associate registrar Amy Berra carefully inspects an artifact against its condition report. Photograph © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

A big part of an associate registrar’s job is to compare and prepare condition reports for objects. Condition reports will note cracks, fading, dents, and other important information about each object. “I will photograph the object and check the condition of the object against the outside agency’s condition report,” Berra said. Wearing gloves, she will carefully inspect each artifact. If there is a discrepancy between the report and the actual condition of the artifact, she may contact the exhibitor to report it. For example, when a frame for an exhibit arrived with a piece broken off, MHM’s conservator was given permission to fix the broken frame.

Another role of condition reports may be to specify the parameters for displaying an object. During Lee and Grant’s run, two artifacts—a terms-of-surrender letter written by Grant to Lee in 1865 and a deed of emancipation written by Lee in 1865—had to be rotated out after six weeks because of their fragility. In both cases, a graphic of each letter replaced the original. “Paper is organic, and anything organic is vulnerable to physical deterioration,” Berra said. “So those two letters will go into a secure storage area until it’s time for the de-installation of the exhibit.”

To ensure optimum conditions, MHM staff members walk through each gallery weekly to check for debris, dust, slips in mountings, and to take light and temperature readings. Blue wool fade cards are used to show how the lighting could affect the artifacts on display. “If a fade card has faded, it’s likely that the object has, too,” Call said.

The stringent requirements necessary in handling artifacts ensure that not only today’s Museum visitors will enjoy them, but future generations will benefit from historic objects as well. The commitment of the Missouri History Museum is stated as follows:

"The collections of the Missouri History Museum are its most important assets. They are the raw materials from which we construct our stories, examine the past and frame the future. We will expand our collections to support existing strengths and to provide a foundation for expanded activities consistent with our mission. We will be good stewards and trustees of this legacy and care for it in a professional manner."

 

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