Props in Pictures: World's Oldest Watch
You never know what you're going to find in a picture be it a photo or a painting. In this case, experts think they've found the oldest example of a watch in a painting of Cosimo I de Medici, the Duke of Florence. It was painted in 1560. What objects have you seen depicted in your photographs? Send me an email and let me know.

Weekend at the Museum: America's Kitchens
I'm a foodie, albiet a wheat, dairy and nut free foodie, but one just the same. I love food and cooking so naturally I was drawn to the article in the Boston Globe on historic kitchens. Oh goody I thought. I've already visited a couple of the kitchens mentioned--the Gropius House and the Culinary Arts Museum, but I've added a couple to my list. Towards the end of the article was a mention of a traveling exhibition called

Photographs Help Solve the Case
A couple of Saturday's ago armed with Netflix and a new wifi enabled Blu-ray DVD player I sat down to watch movies. My selection made my daughter roll her eyes--Breaking the Mayan Code based on the book by Michael Coe. It was totally fascinating. I had no idea that a set of photographs taken by Alfred Maudslay beginning in 1881 were key in solving the Mayan writing. He dragged large format cameras and glass plates to the ruins and took gorgeous images of the ruins. I highly recommend this documentary!

Weekend at the Museum: American Independence Museum
This week I'm featuring the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire. Visitors can tour their Ladd-Gilman House and the Folsom Tavern, but if you visit today you can hear me lecture on The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation. I'll be there at 1 pm. Sign up in advance if you're interested in a photo consultation. Anyone in attendance receives a pre-publication offer from Kent State University Press. You can pre-order the book for a special price. Hope to see you there!

Queries and Answers: Photographic Value
A recent sale of photograph's at Christie's auction brought in 7.5 million dollars. The items sold included a set of Edward Curtis photos of American Indians. If you've ever wondered how much a photograph in your collection was worth here's a few things to keep in mind. I'm not a photographic appraiser, but I've spent enough years as a curator and as a photo collector to have a general sense of value. Was your image taken by a notable photographer?A gorgeous daguerreotype by Southworth & Hawes is worth more than a carte de visite taken by a local studio. Is it unique? What type of photo is it? Who's depicte