The happiest time in my life is when I'm out
on the road, walking into the next place.
If there's nothing in there that's okay.
-- John, Lawrence
Why do we collect? Why are we attracted
to certain types of objects? What
is the relationship between museums and private collectors? How has their
relationship changed over time? A
special exhibit at the Kansas Museum of History, entitled Everyone Needs
a Hobby: Kansas Collectors and Collecting running August 2 - December
31, 2002, explores some of these issues with hundreds of borrowed
objects from collectors all over the state.
In the 1990s, an Iowa Beef Processing
employee in Holcomb, discovered a giant hairball inside one of the cows
he was processing. The hairball
was 37 inches in diameter and weighed 55 pounds. This wonder of nature finally ended up in the Finney County Historical
Society in Garden City. Thanks to
some national publicity, the hairball has been attracting travelers heading
east and west on Highway 50 for several years. Why was it kept? The most logical answer seems to be because people have had a long
fascination with oddities.
Early museums and sideshows often consisted
of freaks of nature and what were called "relics." For the audience, there was sometimes a fine
line between amusement and horror.
Respectable
museums (and not so respectable museums) featured bottled specimens, an
assortment of curios from around the world, and unusual items such as two-headed
calves (1/100,000 cows gives birth to one). A specimen with connections to Phillips County
will be featured in this display.
Lindley Perkins of Baxter Springs was
a man of means and a collector, whose wealth allowed him to take three trips
around the world. His drive to collect
resulted in a house full of artifacts from all over the world, including,
China, Japan, Egypt, and Europe. Perkins'
sons donated his collection (which includes among other things, a rickshaw,
giant clamshells from the South Seas, and a wall pocket made out of an alligator
leg) to the Kansas Historical Society in 1920. His collection served as a window into a world
that many of his fellow Kansans would never see.
Nathaniel Stickney Goss, one of the founders of Neosho, was involved
in politics and business. A self-trained
naturalist, Goss used forays into nature as a way to get away from his hectic,
urban life. He documented and collected
birds from all over the world and published his findings for the public.
Goss mounted his birds and donated them to the State of Kansas in
1888; they were displayed first at the Kansas Statehouse and then later
at the Memorial Building across the street.
Ownership of the birds was transferred from the Kansas Historical Society to the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History in 1977.
Today, biologists use the specimens to study variation among and
between species. Both Perkins' and
Goss' collections are unique and important contributions to Kansas museums.
Not all collections are in museums.
A curator from the Kansas Historical Society traveled all over
Kansas to visit with private collectors to find out what they look for and
why. She discovered that many collectors look for items that remind them
of their childhood.
Bill, of Leavenworth, says that Star
Wars was the first movie his dad ever took him to. Even as a
young child, the film struck a chord with Bill, who says, "Everything you
want to learn about life is in Star Wars."
He has collected hundreds of Star Wars items, including figurines,
flight models, and posters. Bill
hopes to pass on his passion for Star Wars to his young children.
Collecting can also be a way to spend
time with friends and family. Camaraderie
between collectors develops at antique shops, collector's shows, and on
the Internet. Jane, who grew up
in Topeka but now lives in Kansas City, is a Wizard of Oz collector.
She talks and trades with Oz fans all over the world.
Some of her closest friends are fellow Oz collectors and she often
passes things up so that a friend can have it.
In the last several years, Jane has enjoyed using eBay to make her
Oz purchases because it saves her time by bringing together a lot of material
in one place.
People tend to collect things they
like and that appeal to them visually.
John, who lives and works in Lawrence, says he has always been attracted
to the kinds of things that most people pass up-what he calls "kitsch." In fact, John says, "the uglier, the better!"
Among the unusual things that decorate John's home include: sock
monkeys, panther paintings, genie lamps, flamingo paintings, and nude salt
and peppershakers. For John, collecting is an addiction.
The Special Exhibit can be seen during regular hours at the Kansas Museum
of History, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday, 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
The museum is located at 6425 SW Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099;
785-272-8681; TTY 785-272-8683; www.kshs.org.
The Kansas Historical Society does not discriminate on the basis
of disability in admission to, access to, or operation of its programs. The
Society requests prior notification to accommodate individuals with special
needs or disabilities.
© Kansas Historical Society 2002
