Object Stories

Examine a glass soda bottle beside prepared dowry textiles, distinguishing temporary hospitality, storage and...

Read repeated views in a postcard album as clues to taste, comparing motifs, colours and editions while separa...

Explore the winding key beside a grandmother’s clock: where it was kept, who used it and how a small maintenan...

Discover how heat marks, dents, repairs and packing wear on a copper sahan’s underside can document changing k...

See how families can preserve a ribbon-tied photo album through shared custody, careful copying and documented...

Learn how glaze cracks, repaired handles and unknown residues can move a ceramic pitcher from daily service to...

Read a zinc basin’s dents, seams and worn surface before polishing, preserving evidence of holiday-cleaning wo...

Examine a brass door knocker through mounting holes, hand wear and display supports, recovering its architectu...

Read an inherited oil lamp as an assembly of reservoir, burner, wick and replacement glass, preserving family...

Read an empty calendar holder through hinges, fittings, paper traces and storage marks, preserving its evidenc...

Learn how to document a silk scarf and keepsake box together, preserving folds, family provenance and material...

Assess a brass ashtray through material, construction, wear and documented provenance, without invented age, i...

Discover how an old suitcase became household storage through folded cloth, papers, changing contents and the...

Protect an inherited porcelain sugar bowl during a move by documenting condition, separating the lid, supporti...

Inspect chips, rust, handles and old repairs before using an enamel pot, and learn when a family kitchen heirl...