History of Museums

This article traces a century of efforts to create a National Museum in Guatemala City. Political instability and natural disasters thwarted these efforts, which nevertheless, formed a significant chapter in the country’s museum history. The contents of the laws and decrees that ordered the formation of museums provide indications about their political context and aims, while travelers’ reports and museum publications provide a hint at the collections and exhibitions of the first and second national museums, which functioned at the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (1866-1881) and the Palacio de La Reforma (1898-1917). In addition to local politics, the country’s participation in international expositions, and foreign involvement in archaeological research and collecting played a role in museum formation and demise. Special attention is given to the laws and initiatives of the 1920’s, which led to the opening of a National Museum in 1930, with a critique of previous work on this critical period of Guatemalan museum history.

The research illustrates multiple experiences and strategies adopted in museums and in the world of cultural heritage in the field of digital storytelling to guide the future design of narrative digital solutions. Its aim is to provide as complete a picture as possible of the different solutions set in this specific sector of the field of cultural communication, their uses, and the accessibility of culture. It identifies and analyzes 14 types of digital storytelling: oral, written, video, visual, animated, interactive, Immersive, Social Media Storytelling, Participative, Generative, Geo–Storytelling, Multimedia Mobile Storytelling, Crossmedia and Transmedial storytelling. Finally, a new vision of the museum is proposed in which, beginning with the antiquarian and nineteenth–century vision of museum collections, develops into what should be defined as a connected museum or museum of connected narration.

This paper reflects on the changing role of the guardian or keeper in museums and art collections from the seventeenth
century to the present. Starting from the lexical meaning of the Italian word ‘custode’, thanks to archival documentation, the research
reconstructs the use of this word in the historical lexicon of museums and their professions, in different geographical and cultural
contexts. Comparing the historical regulations of museums and art collections in different Italian regions, the paper argues that the
profound changes associated with the functions and the professional profile of the keepers transformed them from curators of collections
to mere guardians of rooms.

Troya Müzesi son yıllarda müzecilik konusunda gösterdiği başarılar ve aldığı ödüller ile kamuoyu nezdinde dikkat çekmiş ve
takdir toplamıştır. Müzenin başarıları söz konusu edildiğinde “genç müze” vurgusu, üzerinde adeta uzlaşılmış bir tespit olmuştur.
2018 yılında kapılarını ziyarete açan Troya Müzesi, yeni bir müze olsa dahi bu müzenin arkasında çalışan yapının yani Çanakkale
Müze Müdürlüğü’nün, onlarca yıla dayanan bir geçmişi olduğu çok az kişi tarafından bilinmektedir. İyi bir kurum yaratmanın
yollarından biri de kurumsal tarihin doğru bir şekilde ele alınmasından geçtiği bilinciyle Çanakkale Müze Müdürlüğü’nün
kurumsal tarihi konusunda tarafımızca çalışmalar yapılmaya başlanmıştır. Araştırmalar sırasında 1930, 1932 ve 1936 gibi
birbirinden farklı kuruluş tarihlerinin verildiğinin tespit edilmesi bu noktada bir hatanın olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Bunun
üzerine araştırmaya devlet arşivleri üzerinde devam edilmiştir. 19. yy’da Osmanlı İmparatorluğu toprakları üzerinde uygulanan
“Müze Şube” ve “Fahri Müze Memuru” uygulamaları ölçeğinde Çanakkale’de hayata geçen girişim anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu
çalışma, belgelerle desteklenerek Çanakkale Müzesi’nin kuruluş tarihinin 1911 yılı olduğu ortaya konmuştur.

Abstract
The Troy Museum has recently attracted a great public attention and appreciation due to its institutional achievements and
the awards granted to it in the field museology. The achievements of the museum almost created an awareness of the concept of
“young museum”. Although the Troy Museum opened its doors to visitors only in 2018, only a few knew that the museum has a
decades-long background behind it. It is probably one way to establish a good institution by approaching its historical background
in a right way. For this reason, we have initiated a study on the institutional history of the Çanakkale Museum. The existence of
different dates such as 1930, 1932 and 1936 on the first foundation of the Çanakkale Museum made it necessary to conduct new
research on this inconsistency related to these foundation dates. Investigations were carried out in the states archives to shed new
light on this issue. The early attempt of founding a museum in Çanakkale was examined in relation to the use of such terms as
“museum branch” and “honorary museum officer”, which were frequently used in the Ottoman Empire during the nineteenth
century. This work in this context demonstrates in the light of Ottoman archival sources that the foundation date of the Çanakkale
Museum could be 1911.

This essay offers a case study about the Wildwalk museum in Bristol, UK. Wildwalk, originally called Wildscreen, was the brainchild of the internationally renowned wildlife documentary producer Christopher Parsons. Parsons conceived of the attraction as a peripatetic version of wildlife TV; Wildwalk was, in effect, to bring together the best of wildlife films and natural history museums – but also zoos and even botanic gardens – in order to promote a better understanding of biodiversity. Despite some initial success, the museum, which opened in time for Britain's Millennium celebrations, was forced to close less than seven years after it opened. The chapter develops a genealogical inquiry, and employs social semiotic analyses to describe the museum's remarkable innovations, but also to explain its failure to bring to fruition a truly new genre of exhibition.

This engaging book offers an introduction to and overview of armor in Europe from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, focusing in particular on the 16th century when plate armor reached its peak of stylistic beauty and functional perfection. Created by highly skilled armorers, often in cooperation with noted artists and commissioned by wealthy patrons, armor was worn for centuries on the battlefield, in festive tournaments, and for ceremonial events. Through informative discussions of representative works from the Metropolitan Museum’s world-renowned collection, this new addition to the popular How to Read series shows what to look for when examining armor, the pieces that make up a typical suit of armor, how the parts work, the various methods used to decorate armor, and how armor became an important part of so many museum collections today. The book features a wealth of new photography of historically important armor and other works of art from the Metropolitan Museum and select pieces from other institutions.
Available through Yale University Press: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9781588396297/how-read-european-armor

Absente des envois fondateurs de la circulaire Chaptal de 1801, il faut attendre 1839 pour que la ville de Metz se dote d’un musée. Il est alors créé sous l’impulsion des sociétés savantes locales et des artistes de l’École de Metz. Malgré un budget limité, le développement des collections et de l’institution suit un modèle traditionnel dans l’histoire des musées français jusqu’à la chute du Second Empire. Mais, entre 1871 et 1918 avec l’annexion de l’Alsace-Moselle au Reich allemand, l’établissement va connaître de profondes transformations dans un contexte politique inédit. Le musée profite des avancées de la science allemande, notamment dans le domaine de l’archéologie. Les Musées de Metz connaissent alors un premier âge d’or avec la construction de nouveaux bâtiments et un accroissement constant des collections archéologiques. L’établissement n’est plus seulement un musée des Beaux-arts mais aussi un important musée archéologique qui devient même un musée de site avec la découverte dans ses sous-sols des anciens thermes gallo-romains de Metz en 1932. Durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le musée devient un outil de propagande au service de l’occupant et sert de centre de collecte aux objets spoliés par les nazis. Il faut attendre la nomination de Gérald Collot en 1957 pour que les Musées de Metz connaissent un nouvel âge d’or. De 1964 à 1980, ce conservateur, attentif aux projets de rénovation urbaine, intègre dans les collections du musée de multiples témoignages patrimoniaux qu’il réussit ainsi à sauvegarder. Étendant les collections, il transforme la présentation des œuvres des musées de La Cour d’Or et crée un des premiers musées d’architecture médiévale en Europe. Le lancement du programme de rénovation architecturale du musée a encouragé la rédaction de cet ouvrage où la période la plus récente est présente grâce à une série d’entretiens réalisés avec les personnalités liées à l’histoire du lieu ces quarante dernières années. Issu d’une fondation classique, les musées de Metz par de leur inscription dans un territoire marqué par l’Histoire et deux guerres mondiales sont un exemple peu ordinaire dans le paysage muséal français. Véritable institution transnationale ou les visions muséales française et allemande cohabitent, musée confronté à la création d’une annexe du Centre Pompidou, un ouvrage relatant l’histoire du musée mais également les enjeux politiques, culturels et sociaux à l’œuvre, s’avérait plus que nécessaire.

In May 1899, the town of Como inaugurated an universal exhibition organized for the centenary of the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta. The exhibition, set up in honour and celebration of an illustrious citizen of Como, was not focused on electricity alone, but also on decorative arts and the silk and furniture industry, including a special section of artistic objects from the territories of the Diocese of Como curated by Santo Monti, author a few years later of a pioneering study on the arts in Northwestern Lombardy. The operation resonated with national and international press: a congress of electricians was presented at the exhibition, anticipating the famous international symposium of physics that would be held in Como in 1927 with the participation of, among others, Fermi, Marconi and many Nobel prizes in a changed political and cultural context. The exhibition halls, designed by engineer Eugenio Linati, occupied much of the area then destined to become a public garden, on which the first museum dedicated to Volta's work, the Tempio Voltiano, was founded in 1928. The exhibition architectures were characterized by a magniloquent style in a fusion of classical, allegorical , eclectic elements, in order to provide a valuable framework for the public rituals of the inauguration in presence of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. Mostly destroyed by a fire, from which the hall of Belle Arti survived, the exhibition buildings were quickly reconstructed and reassembled. This paper explores the multiple aspects of the great exhibition, from the architecture of buildings to the media propaganda (posters, periodicals, etc.) and investigates the connection between the promotion of historical and artistic studies on the territory, the heritage preservation, the decorative and industrial arts ranging from the eclectic style to Art Nouveau.

Izložba Etnografski muzej-palača s potpisom organizira se povodom završetka obnove Etnografskog muzeja kojom je rekonstruirana dekoracija pročelja ove građevine. Jedina u secesijskom stilu namjenski podignuta muzejska zgrada u Hrvatskoj time je dobila izgled koji joj je podario njezin arhitekt Vjekoslav Bastl početkom 20. stoljeća. Cilj je ove izložbe prikazati, s jedne strane, povijest izgradnje zgrade koja je prvotno udomljavala Trgovačko-obrtnički muzej, a s druge njezinu recentnu obnovu kroz arhivske projekte, stare fotografije, fotografsku i drugu dokumentaciju te artefakte.

На архивных материалах рассказывается о подготовке в Челябинском областном краеведческом музее выставки, посвящённой столетней годовщине битвы на Чудском озере. Подготовка проводилась в 1942 году в условиях полного отсутствия средневековых артефактов в музейных запасниках.

The Islamic Period Museum of Iran was established, almost 16 years after the Islamic Revolution, as an addition to the previous National Museum building – the Iran Bastan, or Ancient Iran Museum – in 1996. By examining the components of state Islamism, the space of the museum and key exhibits, this paper reveals the analogous relationship between the museum and state ideology. That relationship suggests that the museum embodies fundamental ambiguities and inconsistencies inherent in Iranian state Islamism. Those ambiguities and inconsistencies are only concealed, in the museum as in the ideology, by employing traditionalist rhetoric with regard to religion and identity.

Ramesses II, King of Egypt (1279–1213 BC) ascended the throne as the third king of the Nineteenth Dynasty at the age of twenty-five. In his sixty-seven year reign he probably built more temples and sired more children than any other Egyptian king. Today, he is popularly known as Ramesses 'the great'. Illustrated with photographs of the statue and contextual images, this book tells the story of this magnificent artefact, discussing the draw of colossal Egyptian sculpture and the history of the reign of Ramesses II.

A research book about Commercial Museum [Bussan-chinretsu-jo, Shohin-chinretsu-jo in Japanese] in Japan. It shows a history of the commercial museum in Japan that started in the end of 19th century; background, administrative system, society of the commercial museums, leaders, architect, relationship to oversea countries and so on. Including many information with illustrations about the commercial museum built in Japan and east Asia, and appendix table of the Commercial Museum in Modern Japan.

Ведибіда Б.О. Інформаційно-методичний огляд Висвітлення історії політичних репресій і радянського тоталітаризму в експозиціях музеїв Західної України / Б. О. Ведибіда (автор-упорядник); Національний музей історії України. – К. : НМІУ, 2017. – 80 с.

The book was published in Prague in 1909 and is the inventory of exhibits in 12 halls of the museum assembled its director accompanies along with other 24 drawings and reproductions of a brief introduction about the history of the museum and its building.

The Changi story is synonymous with suffering, hardship, and the Australian prisoner-of-war experience in the Second World War. It is also one of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and survival. Combining prisoners’ cartoons, paintings, photographs, and essays, The Changi Book provides a unique view of life in the camp: medical innovation; machinery and tools made from spare parts and scrap; black markets; sports and gambling; entertainment; a library and university. Seventy years after its planned publication, material for The Changi book was rediscovered in the Australian War Memorial archives and appears here for the first time along with insights from the Memorial’s experts, providing unique historical insights into some of the stories and characters behind its rich Changi collection.

“Museums are sometimes described as the storehouses of the human
condition. While museums can house artifacts and specimens from
across time and place, it is how these items inspire others that truly
gives them value. The same object or specimen invokes something
different in each of us. The BMS has more than 750,000 objects and
artifacts in its collection—but why these items? What can they tell us?
Why should they matter? And how does safeguarding these collections
further our understanding of the world around us? Three years in
the making, Lost Beauty II: The Art of Museum Stories will
showcase a selection of 15 items from the Museum’s vast collection.
These small fragments inspired renowned artist, Alberto Rey, and
through his paintings, he asks us to look beyond the scale, label, or
fragment and appreciate the lost beauty within.”
Kathryn H. Leacock
Deputy Director, Buffalo Museum of Science

For more information, go to: www.albertorey.com  .

Acknowledging the recent enthusiasm for house museums, homes to illustrious men and women, this issue discusses the wide variety of spaces understood as such and the difficulty to categorize them, through a critical analysis. Far from dwelling on the supposed novelty of this phenomenon, the issue rather adopts ahistorical perspective and underlines the long-distant origin of this type of museum, made up of social practices of local inhabitants as much as the institutions. This is the result of slow, gradual processes of “becoming heritage” and “becoming a museum”, as show the papers in this issue. The issue’s
international perspective allows a wide perspective capturing both to the commonalities and specificities of the muzealisation process for these homes, as well as a wide variety of methodological approaches and
research themes.

Die Geschichte des Porzellanikons ist eine ganz unwahrscheinliche Museumsgeschichte. In weniger als vier Jahrzehnten entwickelte sich das Haus aus bescheidenen Anfängen zum größten Spezialmuseum für Porzellan in Europa mit einem Bestand von über 240.000 Exponaten. Die Standorte des Museums – eine ehemalige Fabrikantenvilla in Hohenberg a. d. Eger und die 1866 von Jacob Zeidler begründete, später von Philipp Rosenthal übernommene Fabrik am Bahnhof Selb-Plößberg – sind bedeutende Zeugnisse der Industriekultur.

The Anniversary Edition is published in the year of the 100th anniversary of one of the most famous museums of Russia - the State Museum-Reserve “Peterhof”. In May – June 1918, the suburban imperial summer residences — Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Gatchina, and Pavlovsk — became the public state museums and received their first visitors.This publication combines the collection of documentary materials stored in the archives of the Peterhof Museum, Pavlovsk Museum, CSALA St. Petersburg, CSA St. Petersburg and NPL.

Юбилейное издание выходит в год 100-летия одного из самых известных музеев России — Государственного музея-заповедника «Петергоф». В мае–июне 1918 года пригородные императорские летние резиденции — Петергоф, Царское Село, Гатчина и Павловск — стали общедоступными государственными музеями и приняли своих первых посетителей. С этого момента начался их вековой путь, полный триумфов и трагедий, который каждый музей прошел вместе со страной. Данное издание впервые объединяет свод документальных материалов, храня-щихся в архивах ГМЗ «Петергоф», ГМЗ «Павловск», ЦГАЛИ СПб, ЦГА СПб и РНБ и позволяющих проследить его 100-летний путь и знаковые события истории.

Museums are the cathedrals of our times; it’s quite unbelievable how many people visit museums at the weekend to be educated or entertained. With this statement, Jay Winter opened the 2011 ICOMAM congress (21‐ 23 September). The conference was held in Graz, Austria, a city that has seen a number of spectacular buildings shoot up recently, one of which is like a huge human heart. This building played host to one of the most inspiring conferences of the last few years. Although the sun was shining in Graz for the first time in weeks, and the city apparently has a magnificent historic centre, nobody saw much of either. The organisers had invited a number of scholars, whose fascinating opinions regularly clashed with the more practical‐minded museum delegates.

Türkiye'de özgün baskı denilince akla gelen ilk isimlerden biri Prof. Süleyman Saim Tekcan’dır (1940). Uzun soluklu akademik kariyerinde Marmara Üniversitesi, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi ve Işık Üniversitesi gibi sayılı kurumlarda görevler üstlenmiş, sanat yaşamına ise yüzlerce yapıt sığdırmıştır. Ancak bu köşemizde onu konu almamızın nedeni 1960-61 yılındaki mezuniyeti sonrasındaki sanat serüveni değil, Türk baskı sanatının kurumsal bir belleğe sahip olması adına kuruculuğunu üstlendiği İMOGA İstanbul Grafik Sanatlar Müzesi’dir. ...