Chicago History Museum

This past Monday, I had the opportunity to visit the Chicago History Museum and meet with one of the curators there. The Chicago History Museum has been around for more than 150 years, being originally founded in 1856. The exhibits ranged from early Chicago and its original establishment up to current events. They currently have an exhibition that is solely dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and the time he spent in Chicago. This was a very interesting exhibit, because it looked also more in depth at Chicago during the Civil War era. The museum also had, on exhibit, the bed on which Abraham Lincoln died across the street from the Ford's Theatre.

  

 As well as being able to tour the museum, I was able to meet with the current Curator of Costumes there. This was a really great opportunity to ask questions about a curatorial position in such a big city. She had a lot of great advice, much of which we have all learned about in our classes. One of the things I found most interesting was a piece of advice that she shared that I had not thought of before. She suggested that if I wanted to travel, I should look into being a courier for objects. This would involve traveling with artifacts or art pieces to make sure they arrive to their destination safely. She said that you would start small with local courier gigs and then work your way up to state-wide, nation-wide and even international jobs, gaining the reputation of being a responsible courier. I found this a really interesting aspect of the public history career that I had not yet looked into very much. It seems like a great way to get the chance to travel and be exposed to some great pieces.