Themes in American History

I think in theory the idea of a virtual museum is a great tool in navigating through history. Having that type of access to the past is not only culturally enriching but its definitely shows us how far we’ve come in technological advancements. However, the “Lost Museum” is a poor representation of what a virtual museum should be. The navigation part is the worst part about the museum. The museum has great potential but learning how to use the zoom in/out, pan left/right tool is disconcerting. I grew impatient and nearly gave up.

I did however find it quite clever that they included the rodent on the 2nd floor that happens to run pass your feet when you open the drawer. When opening the drawer I seen the image below that was pretty interesting to me. This slave was exhibited to be 161 yrs old when the autopsy proved her to be only 80 when she died. Barnum still went on telling people that it was a hoax and she was still alive somewhere. haha!

Comments Off on The Rodent

The “Lost Museum” website really surprises me a lot as I explore it. I have never seen a museum website like this that gives virtual experiences to its views. In real life, the actual P. T. Barnum’s American Museum does not exist anymore, but the website is a continuation of its missions and spirits. Barnum’s American Museum was considered as a key institution that led to the development of nineteenth-century urban culture. But it was mysteriously burn down in 1865. The website is not complicated, and the instructions are very clear. On the right side, there are floor maps of the actual museum. The screen is right in the middle, and you just have to move your mouse around and click. It is very simple and self-explanatory.

I think one of the strengths of using this website as a historical tool is providing people with different forms of historical evidences. Unlike actual physical evidences, the website gives virtual evidences, which is more accessible and convenience. And the weakness is that the screen is not big enough and lack of captions for many items.

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