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Re: A Description Dilemma



 This touches on something I had wondered about when I read the original
posting. I have never seen anything from the time period in question (
either in printed or manuscript form ) that could be described as
"filthy" or "sexually explicit" by current standards. They just did not
have the vocabulary. As for it being inserted by a prankster, that is
hard to judge without seeing the originals but I am sure someone there
could make that evaluation. No I am NOT looking for a consulting job!

 Steve in Denver


On Fri, 22 Sep 2000, Nicholas B. Gilliam wrote:

> Would not removing them to a different collection be a total violation of the
> principles of provenance and context?
> Separating them and noting their availability would, I think, be preferable.
> Are you certain they are genuine originals of the period and not a prankster's later
> insertion?
>
> Nick Gilliam
>
> Darrell Beauchamp wrote:
>
> > Ms. Goyette,
> > Please don't pull them from the others.  To do so would be criminal.  Describe
> > them using the PC terminology of today.  Something like "unsigned
> > documents/letters of a personal nature using sexually explicit and graphic
> > language..."  I know why the family kept them together, because they are part of
> > the whole.  And, if the National Civil War Museum doesn't want them, the Pearce
> > Civil War Collection will be more than happy to take the entire package, or just
> > the three, off your hands.
> >
> > Darrell Beauchamp
> > Dean of Learning Resources and Special Collections
> > The Pearce Civil War Collection
> > Corsicana, TX
> >
> > Elayne Goyette wrote:
> >
> > > Dear Colleagues,
> > >
> > > I've been processing a large and, at times, quite personal family collection
> > > at The National Civil War Museum, made up of 26 binders containing between
> > > 75-99 documents each.  The date range is 1826-1891 and covers the letters and
> > > documents written by three generations.  Family members have been, for lack
> > > of a better term, housewives, elected officials, lawyers and merchants.
> > >
> > > Until now the documents contained in the first 18 binders have given me, and
> > > will give our researchers, a fairly complete picture of life in rural
> > > Virginia before, during and after the Civil War.  Describing them has been
> > > pretty straight forward...until now.
> > >
> > > Binder 19 contains three documents that I would describe as filthy, and none
> > > of them are signed.  I'm not just talking about the kind of filth that can be
> > > removed by dry cleaning.  Portions of the letters are sexually explicit and
> > > not too kindly phrased.  I don't know why the family has kept them for well
> > > over 100 years!
> > >
> > > I've never come across stuff like this before and wonder whether any of you
> > > have, and if you have, I'd really like to know how you've described them, for
> > > describe them I must.
> > >
> > > All replies and advice would be gratefully accepted.
> > >
> > > Thank you.
> > >
> > > Elayne Goyette
> > > YEGoyette@aol.com
> > >
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> >
> > --
> > **************************************************************************
> >  Darrell Beauchamp, Ed.D.
> >  Dean of Learning Resources & Special Collections
> >   The Pearce Civil War Documents Collection
> >   The Pearce Western Art Collection
> >   The Robert S. Reading Indian Artifact Collection
> >   The Samuels Hobbit Carving Collection
> >
> >                                        Internet:  dbeau@nav.cc.tx.us
> >  Navarro College                       Phone   :  903-875-7441
> >  3200 W. 7th Ave.                      FAX     :  903-874-4636
> >  Corsicana,  TX  75110
> >
> > "Unless indicated, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the
> > official views of Navarro College.  They might, and then again, they might
> > not."
> > **************************************************************************
> >
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> >
> > Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
>       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
>                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
>
> Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>
>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>