Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society
Cymdeithas Hynafiaethol Sir Gaerfyrddin
Events in Winter 2005
January Lecture: The Meaning of Objects
This, the title which Chris Delaney, County
Heritage Officer, gave to his lecture was a reference to the exhibition
"Objects of Meaning",
recently opened by vice-president Sir
David Mansel Lewis. The exhibition and lecture marked the
start of the Society's centenary year.
Chris linked the strands of thought which had
underlain the choice of objects from the museum's storerooms for
this very unusual exhibition, the stories many of these objects
have behind them and the questions of moral and political correctness
which they often raise. Many are usually regarded by most curators
and museum visitors as having no relevance in the 21st century
but he developed an interesting case when he showed the layers
of meaning that can be attached to them.
He began by showing the conditions under which
the numerous gifts made by early Antiquarian Society members were
stored in the old museum building in Quay Street. The move to
the old Bishop's Palace in Abergwili in 1975 allowed some of the
objects to be displayed but current thinking says that museums
should tell the story of a locality and many of the artefacts,
collected by George Eyre Evans from all over the county, did not
fit in. They went into storage but were not forgotten as his scrapbooks
and accession registers, annotated in his habitual green ink,
have been a rich research source.
When objects are displayed they often become
icons; their veracity may not be questioned. An example quoted
was that of a portrait held to be of Griffith Jones when it was
donated by George Eyre Evans in the early years of the last century.
Even though mentioned in reputable historical sources, such as
J E Lloyd, Museums Officer Ann Dorsett has shown that it is not,
because of costume discrepancies.
The museum curator who, while telling the story
of his area by displaying the most interesting artefacts at his
disposal, tries to bring out the many layers of meaning in those
objects faces another major problem. Space will rarely allow for
sufficient explanation of the background, let alone the relevance
of the object to current debate. The use of the man-trap, which
featured in a photograph in a recent edition of the Carmarthen
Journal, was banned in 1829. Its use as a reasonable way of protecting
one's property was no longer lawful. But the debate on what is
"reasonable force" is as strong as ever. The issues
of attitudes to other people, to ethnic minorities and to animals
can surface from very many directions in a museum. Museums also
have to consider whether it is right to display human remains
and articles looted in wars. Examples of these artefacts are in
the exhibition and it is hoped that their controversial inclusion
will generate discussion.
Photographs and portraits can show far more than
is apparent at first appearance. Many local scenes show the social
history which one expects to see - housing conditions, road surfaces,
poverty apparent in children's clothing. They can also demonstrate
a complete lack of worry about health and safety issues and "animal
rights", even up to the 1950's. Portraits of young women
may hide the fear of their families that they might soon die in
childbirth - Frances Vaughan, the third wife of Richard Vaughan
of Golden Grove, had her ninth child before she was 30.
The position of women in society is reflected
in the Museum's collection of about 90 samplers and four Welsh
dressers.
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A very recent acquisition - this
unusual corner dresser (seld in Welsh) brings the Museum's
collection to five.
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The samplers tell the story of women's role for
centuries; their training for domesticity and marriage. The dressers
show a woman's pride in her home and one of her few opportunities
for display and creativity if she was not one of the gentry.
Chris concluded by saying that, while using its
main galleries to tell the story of the county, the museum's policy
for the new temporary exhibition gallery will become more challenging
by raising issues for debate and destroying myths from the past.
The exhibition will remain open until April 16. Admission is free.
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