May 27, 2019

"Amelia Brookins, object handler, arranges a poster of Bella Abzug to be photographed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History."

Photo caption at "The Smithsonian is digitizing political and military posters — 18,000 of them/More than 200 posters a day are being converted to make them more accessible to the public" (WaPo).

I like that job title, "object handler."

From the article:
Neither of the young Smithsonian object handlers knew of the formidable New York feminist and three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Brookins said she had heard of Abzug, who died 21 years ago, for the “first time in the poster.”...

The Bella Abzug poster, in orange, black and white, shows her in one of her trademark hats, along with the slogan “This Woman’s Place is in the House . . . the House of Representatives!” (The Smithsonian also has one of her hats.)
You'll have to imagine the orange lettering:
Pictures really do help us to remember. Pictures of posters, posters that helped us to have an idea of the candidate at the time. The hat helped too. It's another visual (and the Smithsonian is preserving one of her hats). This woman really did imprint herself on the public by wearing a hat. She was the one with the hat.

These days, Trump is the one with a hat, and he imprinted himself on us by making his head distinctive not with a hat but with a very odd hairstyle.

Anyway, these kids today. They don't know much about history. But maybe if you give them some pictures, some glimmer will arise. And what do you really know about history? What's there in your odd head? Isn't it — to be fair — just some posters? Stuff like...
Oh, my. Does he looks like Trump?
It's so powerful, the visual. In the visual archive of my own head, there is John McCain leaning over and muttering the names of dictators in the ear of Amy Klobuchar at the Trump inaugural. Trump/dictator. It's connected.

And look at the hands... Trump has tiny hands... what is he hiding?
What does the candle mean? Why is it burning low? Look at the other hand, look at the objects... the pen, the sword, the orb...
We are all object handlers in the mind's visual archive.

50 comments:

ndspinelli said...

"Is that a banana or...."

Fernandinande said...

Amelia Brookins
Costume Design


That's not a sexist stereotype at all.

rcocean said...

Why are the candles burning so low? Perhaps the clock can give us a clue. But I can't make out the time.

rcocean said...

Napoleon and bella abzug. Now, there's a contrast. All I remember of her, is she was short, fat, and had a big mouth. And wore hats. Bonaparte was supposedly, short but that's a myth. He was of average height for the time. But he did have a big mouth.

gspencer said...

The only woman with a hat where the hat was authentically comedic was Minnie Pearl.

She at least contributed. Unintentionally comedic hat-wearers like Abzug and Frederica Wilson (D, FL) only want to burden us with more government.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Minnie+Pearl&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiU5MiRiLziAhVnmuAKHe_GDsIQ_AUIDigB&biw=1292&bih=877

ndspinelli said...

rc, and maybe a big johnson?

buwaya said...

The 1812 portrait by David. Of course it is full of symbolism.
This is a semi-official portrait of a monarch after all.

Though a bit of an odd case, as it was commissioned by a Briton, the Duke of Hamilton, and while France and Britain were at war. And it was not exhibited in France but in Britain, an enemy.

One has to view the symbolism in this in another light, that of whatever message Napoleon wished to convey to Britain.

chickelit said...

You're talking about sex, miss Poste!

buwaya said...

The candles are about burning the midnight oil, or the midnight candles, in order to do the work the empire requires.

The wiki is interesting - "The Emperor Napoleon In His Study at the Tuileries".

It gets into a lot of the symbolism, and indeed the various changes deliberately made to tweak the messaging.

chickelit said...

"Abzug" could mean "pull out" in German.

Meade said...

"Is that a banana or...."

"I have to say this, he hit my bananas. Nobody has ever hit my bananas. I’ve never heard of this one: Look at those bananas. Are they small bananas? And he referred to my bananas as in, if they’re small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there’s no problem in my produce department. I guarantee you.”

Sebastian said...

"Trump/dictator. It's connected."

Why? Because McCain said it? Because Amy said McCain said it?

Anonymous said...

OT but interesting. Note that Trump, rather than stay in Washington to make the traditional Memorial Day address (and maybe playing a little golf like Obama) and be scoffed at for his bone spurs, is off in Japan doing the nation's business. The MSM at its worst can only be neutral in this case. Was it intentionally timed?

He returns home to then visit defenestrated PM May (or somebody) and take part in D day anniversary ceremonies(very presidential). The MSM will have a hard time portraying any of that negatively. In the meanwhile AG Barr beavers away outside the press' attention. What happens when Trump returns? I hope it's a bunch of criminal referrals from the IG and Barr! Meanwhile Trump stands aloof, it was all the AG's doing.

buwaya said...

The candles get to an essential point about Napoleon.
He was a tireless workaholic.
Almost superhuman, he could wear out roomfulls of secretaries, who had to work in shifts.

JRoberts said...

"Anyway, these kids today. They don't know much about history. But maybe if you give them some pictures, some glimmer will arise."

What concerns me more with both youth and adults is a general lack of curiosity. You can give them pictures, you can give them historical facts, but if there is no curiosity to explore beyond groupthink, it's worthless.

We are now in a culture where people quickly accept and internalize what their "betters" tell them and seem unwilling, or unable to, question, evaluate and synthesize a coherent understanding of history and the world.

Otto said...

Bella Abzug- fat ugly communist lawyer from Greenwich Village. Another sad example of the 60s radical movement.

cubanbob said...

KheSanh 0802 @ 11.07 from your lips to God's ears. If it only were so.

John henry said...

There are lots of odd job titles and they can be more important to people than money.

I always thought "Pure finder" was a cool title, if not a cool job.

There are some legal requirements and restrictions too. In the early 80's, back when I had a job my title was "Engineering Manager". I was in charge of engineering, maintenance, utilities and some other things.

It is illegal for anyone to call themself an "engineer" unless they are a licensed PE. The state College of Engineers (The engineering society) got wind of this and took my company to court.

Our lawyers argued that "engineering" was an adjective modifying "manager" and not implying that I was an "engineer" (Noun) and that I was not iengaged in the practice of engineering

My company spent about $20,000 in fees fighting this before tey gave up and changed my title to Manager, Facility Operations. Which I think is a better title anyway. No change in job description or duties.

The Colegio was fine with that.

John Henry

Lash LaRue said...

Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...rc, and maybe a big johnson?

Definitely a dicktater.

Meade said...

"This woman really did imprint herself on the public by wearing a hat. She was the one with the hat."

2 widely known fake facts: JFK singlehandedly killed the hat industry in America; Bella Abzug gave it new life.

Little known true fact: Trump makes the hat industry in America great again.

traditionalguy said...

Some noticed early on many similarities of Trump to Napoleon. Both men received the love of their military for great courage and clear thinking in battle. Both men came to power in a crisis of bad governance and ended up running The Republic and then the rest of Europe. Both men's reputations suffered to this day from intense slanders and dis-information campaigns by the British Empire.

But Boney was also called The colossus of Europe. His defeat of the Austrians made him a hero of Democrat reform, and he established many reforms to governance that last until today. And Americans appreciate his selling us the Louisiana Purchase extending our claims past the Mississippi River boundary won from the British in 1781. That was a territory Boney had only taken claim to by his recent conquest of Spain. The the British Empire never recognized that as legal claims and wanted it all back once they defeated France. But for the Andrew Jackson masterpiece of all Battles defending the Mississippi at New Orleans in January, 1815, the British Empire would have claimed it as theirs to block the USA until they could re-conquer it.

William said...

Those who complain about AOC should consider how much greater her nuisance factor would be if she looked like Bella Abzug. Tlaib has some of Abzug's sexual magnetism, but she lacks Abzug's size. The broad brimmed hats, the wide berth, the loud voice and the positions it pronounced: every part of her being was invasive of your boundaries. She resembled Napoleon in that respect. He too invaded your boundaries.

todd galle said...

In museums with large collections, a trained / experienced object handler is a wonderful asset. It frees up curators for one, and they are a secondary custodian of record for the objects on their travels. It is far more difficult to embezzle objects from collections when more people are involved in their transportation. In addition, they can be entrusted with weekly collection or exhibit cleaning and maintenance. I wish I had two at my historic site.

Danno said...

Was Harvey Weinstein an object handler?

Meade said...

"It is illegal for anyone to call themself an "engineer" unless they are a licensed PE."

I did not know this. I try to stay legal so I suppose I'll have to stop calling myself a Domestic Tranquillity, Happiness & Harmony Engineer.

Yancey Ward said...

"Abzug" could mean "pull out" in German.

In this case, it means "Don't stick it in."

Yancey Ward said...

Meade can be the Professor of Love, though I think Dean Althouse can still fire his ass.

William said...

Napoleon had very poor luck when it came to coroners. His coroner chose to sever Napoleon's penis and keep it as a souvenir. At one time it was put up for auction, and perhaps, with the vagaries of fate, it will again someday be on the market. It would make an interesting gift for the man who has everything.....It was said to be 1.5 inches long. That is perhaps the source of those stories about his small stature.

buwaya said...

I have a fancy document from the Philippines Professional Regulation Commission, giving me the right to call myself an engineer.

But I never needed any such document to do so in California. Indeed there are lots of people who have never been to college being referred to as engineers.

One does need to be a PE to sign off on civil engineering drawings and documents, and some other things, but I am not in that field.

buwaya said...

To be clear, Napoleon was a monster.

Not as depraved a monster as many of those who would come a century later, and an improvement, in detail at least, over many of the monsters of the French Revolution, but he was on the whole a general European disaster.

He made wars when he didn't have to, and continued them when peace was possible.
His wars had an independent demographic effect on Europe, such were their scale.
Wars on the scale he invented were disasters in themselves.

Yancey Ward said...

"It was said to be 1.5 inches long. That is perhaps the source of those stories about his small stature."

In Napoleon's defense, he had gone swimming in the Atlantic just before he died.

rhhardin said...

Being around Abzug was like living in an airport, was the quote.

Fernandinande said...

"object handler"

It's borrowed from programming, which is why it became popular around 1990.

robother said...

A new defense against wife's complaints that I am a hoarder. I'm simply an object handler, specializing in tools.

tcrosse said...

That's what you get if you objectify Chelsea Handler.

Hagar said...

The title of "engineer" is not protected. Traditionally it only means someone who tends to engines; thus locomotive engineer, marine engineer, etc., and today such things as hair styling engineers, software engineers, etc.

"Professional engineer" is protected and means someone who is qualified to offer to perform professional engineering services for a fee. To qualify as a professional engineer you must have at least a bachelor's degree in civil, mechanical, electrical, or chemical engineering (all with sub-branches), pass an initial engineer-in-training exam, work in an established engineering office for 4 or more years, pass a professional engineering exam, and finally obtain a license to practice in the state in which you may wish to offer your services.


madAsHell said...

Bella - from the Latin meaning pretty, beautiful
Abzug - from the German meaning division, or subtraction

Sounds like a character from a Vonnegut book.....completely conflicted!!

chickelit said...

Danno asked...Was Harvey Weinstein an object handler?

No, more of an abject handler.

Howard said...

we are our hands: we man ipulate

Sebastian said...

"His coroner chose to sever Napoleon's penis and keep it as a souvenir . . . perhaps, with the vagaries of fate, it will again someday be on the market. It would make an interesting gift for the man who has everything."

Well, if a Koons rabbit can fetch $91M, surely Napoleon's penis can garner $??.

John henry said...

Meade, Buwaya, Hagar,

Restrictions on the use of the term Engineer vary from state to state.

Re qualifications, in Puerto Rico, at least in the early 80s, one did not need an engineering degree to become a PE. Since PR is under the same National certification agency, I assume this was the case generally. I know I would have had reciprocity in a number of states had I gotten my PE in PR.

I would have had to show experience, get some high level recommendations (Colegio board members? I don't remember) then take the EIT and PE exams.

I looked into it but it was an awful lot of work to learn what I would have needed to know to pass the EIT exam.

People with engineering degrees in PR but not PE usually put Juan Ocasio BSME or the like.

My daughter graduated in 98 with BSChE. She took the EIT and passed it. She also has an MS in Engineering Management. She has never seen the need to take the PE exam.

Done very well starting as a process engineer for BP, then mostly quality engineering for a number of years, becoming a production manager a couple years ago and, since May 1, plant manager. Unless she planned to do engineering consulting, probably a step down at this point, a PE is as useless as tits on a bull.

She used to complain that everybody she met in industry would ask "Oh, are you John Henry's daughter?" Now I complain because people ask me if I am her father. Not really complaining, of course. Could not be prouder.

John HEnry

walter said...

When you pay S/H, one of these folks gets half.

Hagar said...

Surprised (and somewhat appalled) to hear Puerto Rico allowed "grandfathered" (non-degreed) PE licenses as late as the 1980's.

What BP does within the company is their business, but I am pretty sure that for jobs requiring "engineering design" it prefers to have PE's in charge.
The idea with a college degree is to have some assurance the person has been exposed to the general scientific principles governing engineering design and is able to recognize when he is getting out of his depth and must seek other expert advice.

Thus, some years ago when a balcony collapsed and injured several people and it was found that the failure was due to an improperly designed joint in the steel rod hangers supporting the balcony, the principals of the engineering design firm were held responsible for having failed to properly review the shop drawings submitted by the steel supplier.

Narr said...

Hardy, I think, called Napoleon a benefactor of mankind to the extent that he made his times so damn interesting to posterity; like most Great Men (OK, how about Men Hard To Ignore) he is probably both more admired and more defended than he should be.

He was the last and greatest of the virtuosic horse-and-musket generals, the man who set the bar. He was a multifaceted genius, a mensch, but he had way too much ego and he couldn't think past the next battle and campaign (some readers will know this isn't original), and fatally his worldview and approach to family proved to be much too Nostra Familgia to establish a lasting dynasty.

Even Andrew Roberts, an admirer, admits as much; Cathal Nolan is much less kind.

Narr
He's a great example of some good things, and an even better example of some bad things

narciso said...

well maybe czar alexander might have been more disposed to liberalism, if not for napoleon's onslaught, and perhaps alexander 2nds revolution comes 50 years earlier,

Howard said...

Most useful shit gets designed and built by unlicensed guys who have more in common with hot-rodders than PE's.

Tina Trent said...

You can almost smell that Seventies font.

JAORE said...

Thus, some years ago when a balcony collapsed and injured several people and it was found that the failure was due to an improperly designed joint in the steel rod hangers supporting the balcony, the principals of the engineering design firm were held responsible for having failed to properly review the shop drawings submitted by the steel supplier.

The original design had the supporting rod pass through each layer of walkway. A modification led to the rod terminating at an intermediate level. The rod supporting the lower levels was some inches away leaving a shear plane.

In hind sight, where everyone sees 20:10 it was a failure waiting to happen.

FWIW I am no longer an engineer, I let my P.E. license lapse when I retired.

Bilwick said...

Abzug predated Red Diaper Barry, Breadlines Bernie, et al, in having Commie ties and somehow making them seem respectable, or just denying them.