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Working on an exhibition requires an immense amount of knowledge and a thorough understanding of the subject matter. . .and the ability to boil all of that down into labels that visitors can read in thirty seconds or less. This leaves much unsaid - and unread. Luckily, there are blogs to provide readers with information that, while fascinating, simply could not fit on a label. This blog also features articles related to our Education programs, the Museum Store, the Museum's vast collections, and more.
Fall 2017 Edition of the Collections Quarterly
Archives Feature – The Benshoff Collection Our Archives houses the marvelous Benshoff Family Collection, which contains architectural drawings, personal papers, and photographs. William Alton …
Country Living in Pasadena
When Pasadena was incorporated as a city in June, 1886 it was experiencing the beginning of a real estate boom that would transform it from …
This Round’s on the Collections Manager
A six-pack has been sitting on the corner of my desk for a week and a half. (And no, I wasn’t fired. Granted, I wasn’t promoted either, …
Ernest Batchelder: Educator, Designer and Tilemaker: Part I
This essay is adapted from the text in the exhibit Batchelder: Tilemaker, which was on view at Pasadena Museum of History from September 2016 …
Calling on the Rose Muse: Creating the “Royal Rose Hall” Installation
As a member of the curatorial team for the Royals of Pasadena exhibit, I was called upon to imagine what might be created in the …
Chi lo sa’s Basket: Trunk, Prison, Hiding-place, & More
Among the many artifacts being inventoried this summer in the basement of Fenyes Mansion is a small basket that, considering its age, is in surprisingly …
Back Up the Train!
A Correction and Additions to “All Aboard! Riding the Rails with Colonel G.G. Green.” Where Did Philip Armour Live? Pasadena or Altadena? Soon after my …
The Startling Personal Finances of Professor T.S.C. Lowe
A bold entrepreneur and scientist, Thaddeus S.C. Lowe (1832-1913) made fortunes and lost them. The story of Professor Lowe’s fortunes is a cautionary tale. He was …
World’s Smallest Motor: The McLellan Micromotor
In 1959, Dr. Richard Feynman, the famous Caltech physicist, issued a challenge that effectively ushered in the field of nanotechnology. He offered a $1,000 prize …
The Founding of Pasadena’s Schools
Pasadena Unified School District Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) had its humble beginnings in September 1874 in the parlor of William Clapp’s small house …
