Greeting everyone, I hope you all doing fine.
Paul Spitzzeri, Museum Director, has extensive experience in collecting artifacts used to enhance our understanding of the Museum's interpretive period, 1830 through 1930. He has told us that artifacts are able to tell us a story about people place, or things. For example, a photograph of Los Angeles in the early 20th century may reveal clues about how people dressed, entertained themselves, grieved over a lost loved one, or transported themselves. A photograph might provide clues on how buildings were constructed, the type of work performed by men, women, or minorities. In this way we learn more about the time, place, and people of Los Angeles.
I was thinking along these lines when I examined a decorative item my wife purchased over thirty-five years ago. The item is a wooden mallard duck decoy that hunters use to attract migrating ducks. Examining the decoy, I noticed it was signed by its maker, Leo Koppy. Thinking I might have a valuable object (a la Antiques Roadshow), I Googled "Leo Koppy" and discovered similar decoys of his listed for about $40. Beautifully painted decoys go for a great deal more.
However, there was another Google hit listing an article published in the Los Angeles Times with the following headline: Huntington Beach: Man Found Guilty of 2nd Degree Murder
It's a story of a love triangle that goes very bad. Although fate dealt Leo Koppy a fatal blow, it provides me with an interesting story of what we can glean from an apparently mundane artifact.
|
Stay safe. I hope we can meet again in the summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment