room—or an “enhanced space” which does not mask its museum function and is marked by carefully placed objects in historical terms?64 The Hagen and Coleman-endorsed recreated period room has been the preference at Ashland at times, for example when the early-1990s restoration took its cues from McDowell-era photographs, thereby effectively creating period-accurate “display rooms.” But the current curator’s direction is toward an “enhanced space” where the museum function is not hidden and objects are placed thematically, “in historical terms” for greater interpretive meaning (see Figure 41). As of early 2006, Ashland artifacts have been arranged in sets that define a new representation of the past. Illustrative artifacts—not necessarily appropriate decoratively placed furnishings—are found throughout the house, arranged specifically for thematic interpretation.
Figure 41. An “enhanced space” – thematic arrangement of artifacts in entrance hall, c. 2007.
While the domestic atmosphere cannot be denied and house museums like Ashland continue to evoke ‘real’ home for visitors, museum displays continually challenge that perception. Display boxes, labels, and ‘unrealistic’ placement reveal artifice. And the efforts to 64
Stephen Bann. “‘Views of the Past’: Reflections on the Treatment of Historical Objects and Museums of History.” The Inventions of History. Essays on the Representation of the Past. New York: Manchester University Press, 1990, 143.
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