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Controversial Collections
Elizabeth Harris
03/01/2008
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The museum provides the haunting images to publications and has
created an online gallery, but so far has no plans for a permanent exhibit.
Cohen and her colleagues are still attempting to identify individuals in the
photos. Last autumn, the museum received an unexpected tip from a German man who
recognized his grandfather in two of the images online and is helping
researchers establish the correct chronological order. Cohen feels a sense of
urgency to gather information and material while Holocaust survivors and
concentration camp liberators are still alive.
 | STEPHEN BRANDMAN collects items that some people find
objectionable, such as a limited-edition, gold-plated M16 lamp designed by Philippe Starck and the video installation Crowd Around by Chinese
artist Zhou Xiaohu, which shows disturbing commentaries on current
events. |
Undeniable Events
Inevitably, controversy dims over time as new generations bring
their passions and concerns to the cultural fore. Likewise, historical artifacts
and controversial works of art that evoke strong reactions often lose their
charge as historically shocking events become the stuff of sentimental legend.
For example, the sinking of the Titanic was, by
any definition, a horrific tragedy. Yet today, items recovered by deep-sea
expeditions from what is a de facto grave site where the great ship went down
are hardly controversial. In the early 1990s, Alan Stewart became fascinated
with the Titanic. He explains that he has both an interest in the idea of the
unsinkable ship and a professional curiosity about deep-water stories. Stewart
scuba dives and owns Aquavisions, based in Merrick, N.Y., which installs
large-scale aquariums and refrigerated systems. As a cold-water expert who knows
from personal experience the discomfort of prolonged exposure to icy water, he
says he cannot imagine the pain the passengers on the Titanic felt in
the 28-degree sea.
"To me, this is a piece of history," he says. "It’s a
connection to the past."
Stewart bought his first piece, a memoir, from one of the
survivors rescued by the Carpathia. The book led to other
purchases, including newspapers with advertisements for Titanic voyages
prior to its sinking and, later, accounts of the disaster. Now Stewart calls
himself "Mr. eBay," and regularly searches for new items related to the
disaster online and at auction. More recently, he started focusing on telegrams,
or marconigrams, that survivors sent family and friends once aboard the
Carpathia.
With all but one known survivor of the Titanic now dead,
Stewart and others encounter little opposition, though he acknowledges the families might want the site memorialized.
 Not all historical events fade from memory so quickly: Slavery,
genocide and other crimes against humanity will always be controversial.
Collectors may decide that pieces relating to such events belong in museums for
proper care. The Ragsdales recently lent pieces for historical displays, and
hope to open their own museum in Philadelphia in the coming year. "Quite
frankly, we took a note from the Jewish community and how they teach their
children about the Holocaust and how their ancestors died," Gwen Ragsdale
says.
The couple also created a traveling exhibit, "Lest We Forget:
The Black Holocaust Museum," which includes branding irons and shackles—even
one pair for a child—as well as a neck restraint and a whip. Often before a
show, or prior to screening an award-winning documentary, which is also called
Lest We Forget, the Ragsdales attempt to prepare their audience. "We preface
it by saying we know they’re probably going to see and hear things that are
difficult," Gwen Ragsdale says. "We explain our documentary and our story in a
factual manner. Yes, initially, people are horrified, but you can’t deny that
history."
Elizabeth Harris is a staff writer for Worth.
Carefully considering how to acquire, display and eventually dispose of sensitive
historical material is critical for owners of controversial pieces. "If you are
collecting these things and intend for them to have an educational function,
there are certain obligations you have as a collector—preserving the context and
accurately displaying that," says Brian Schrag, the executive secretary for the
Association for Practical and Professional Ethics at Indiana University in
Bloomington.
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