03.19.09
The Gene Autry Museum Part 2
Before I forget, I wanted to finish off my post on what’s in the Gene Autry Museum by sharing a few more pics of the things that caught my interest. I’m a fan of looking at things “then and now,” so here’s a pic of an old Steinway piano. Bet not many people have one like this at home.
And here’s an old “juke box.” This was actually quite tall. Off to the left was an upright piano that can be slightly seen to help give an idea of the height of this juke box.
I was remiss at taking better pictures of the descriptions and dates, and alas, I can’t remember now off the top of my head what years these were made. But I really like the craftsmanship of the older days (while this juke box has a bit of a bizarre look, it’s still kinda neat), and wish people would once again return to handmade items for the beauty’s sake. I suppose there are still some alive, but sometimes I feel that too much modernization is ugly (must be an interesting statement regarding society today). I think remembering the past has it’s good points.
Another item that caught my attention was this yarn swift. Today yarn swifts are collapsible and costs around $60. Seeing this simple design makes me think that I should just make my own at a much lower price.
One thing they didn’t have much of in the Gene Autry Museum was women’s crafts like clothing and quilts. I think that would have been a really nice addition to the museum, but there were a few, such as this one that showed a woman’s dress and a quilt hung up against the wall behind.
And this “hoop” that was of the type that those women wore underneath these dresses.
My the things ladies will do for fashion. This can’t be too comfortable.
There were a few items regarding the kitchen such as this biscuit pan. I had no idea they used to look like this.
The description below stated that these items were common to many kitchens. Eh, I suppose I do have my own rolling pin or two, but I hardly use them. I wonder how common rolling pins are in the modern kitchen in light of the fact that it seems that many people have abandon much home cooking in favor of TV dinners, ready cooked breads, instant pastry mixes, and restaurants? Course there are a lot of cookbooks out there, including cooking programs, so perhaps the rolling pin still is very common in the kitchen today. Perhaps it’s all this low carb movement today that is partly responsible for my little rolling pin suffering near disuse.
And back to the weapons division, heheheh, here’s a powder horn. I found this interesting because when we were in London last May we visited the Tower of London and their Armoury House. In that house along with all the weapons on display were gun powder cases made out of wood and shaped into a bunch of little vials strung on a belt. I’m sure we all remember how Rambo looked with his extra amo crisscrossed against his chest. Well, I guess the men of older wars had horns and belts of wooden vials dangling from their bodies for spare amo. This horn is dated around 1860 and made of buffalo horn.
And finally, something that surprised me because I had never even thought about it was the “chuck wagon.” All I ever remember about a chuck wagon was the old dog commercial that played over and over again when I was a kid. This commercial had a miniature chuck wagon speeding through the house and a dog chasing after it until it reached it’s doggie bowl. I don’t know why, but it had never occured to me that a chuck wagon had food on it! What a dope I am, but I’m sure there’s plenty more that I’m dopey about, too, yikes! So here’s the chuck wagon with the drawers behind the wagon and the men mixing their grub. I guess it was kind of like today’s lunch trucks, huh?
Okay, well that’s it. There was plenty more to see like all sorts of cowboy paraphenalia–saddles, whips, clothing, bridles, firearms, even some info on the early Chinese in the west, etc. There was a section on “outlaws” and other caballeros. There would have been just too much to take pictures of and besides, I think the Gene Autry would appreciate people going there for live visits. However for those who can’t go, I think it’s great that the Gene Autry allows unlimited photography. For those who like the American West history and cowboys, I do recommend visiting the Gene Autry Museum, at least once.
Marlakins
