Museum and American Intellectual Life 1876-1926

Museum and American Intellectual Life, 1876-1926 By Steven Conn. (Chicago, 1998: pp.262) Reviewed by Beverly Toney

Steven Conn has written a pleasant book about the relationship between museums and intellectual life in the urban America. The thesis of Conn's book is very clear and concise once your find it. However, the thesis that no institution exemplifies the late-nineteenth century impulse to order and rationality better than the museums that became prominent and central features of American cities as big as New York and as small as Youngstown, Ohio. Conn spends several chapters offering proof of this thesis by dividing his book into several concise chapters, each of which offers examples of different types of museums and or intellectual institutions and how they relate to one another and the city around them.

Chapter one is used as a simple introduction to the world of museums and can be a bit overwhelming as the author provides his research of all museums in the late Victorian world in general. This research is, however, examines how the usage of glass cases to display important items was revolutionized in museums. The Victorian era can be summarized as the acquisition era thus the museums were filled with 'stuff' rather than historical items or art.

Chapter two is the examination of how natural history and natural history museums came into existence. These museums strove to link collections of specimens, their preservation and arrangement to one another. Thomas Jefferson was one of the first to appreciate natural history and he exercised his presidential powers by commissioning Lewis and Clark's expedition west. Through this expedition, fossils, minerals and animal specimen were collected and put on display for the entertainment and education of the American people. It was thought that natural history went hand and hand with democracy because all people could be educated and benefit from it. Museums like those in Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburg and Chicago allowed the general population to view natural history from throughout the world.

The desires to educate the masses pit the museum against the academic institutions from the very beginning. Many colleges adopted the theme of natural sciences from museums as a result. Academic institutions began to change to meet the growing demands of the people while the museum appeared to be left behind.

Chapter three was dedicated to the science of anthropology. Through anthropology, the presentation of art became more scientific and the presentation of science became more artistic. Conn writes that anthropology owes its existence to the museum. There were short lived attempts to create a cooperative relationship between museum and academic institutions resulting in the growth of the academic institutions and a greater level of competition between the two.

The debate between culture and history lent