History and Mystery
Over the years, The
Such was the case more than 25 years ago when I received a letter from a collector inquiring about a series of paper mache figures that he had purchased from an antiques dealer. The figures were 1-2 foot tall and included baseball players, street vendors, children and fashionable ladies. The only specific link to
The only possible suggestion I could offer was that the figures were used to help promote a Company produced motion picture film called Refreshment Through the Years. In that film, there are sequences that show scenes from a baseball game and a delivery wagon similar to the one owned by the collector. It is certainly not an exact match, but it was the best I could do.
Fast forward to 2010 when this same collector wrote to me again, asking whether the Archives would be interested in assuming the curatorial responsibility for the figures, as he was downsizing. I still do not know why these materials were created or how they were used, but the figures are now in Atlanta, and I am glad to add them to our collection.
If anyone reading this column has any ideas as to how these figures were used, please let us know.
Ted Ryan is the Director of the Archives and oversees the collections and exhibits. He loves social media and in addition to the blog, Ted runs the Archives Twitter and Facebook feeds.
Jamal Booker is the processing archivist, responsible for cataloging and digitization. A huge music fan, he also films and edits all of the videos on the site.
Justine Fletcher recently received her MA in Archives Management, and supports the Archives team in a variety of roles.
Ashley Callahan manages digital communications and social media at 
Archivist Emeritus.