Becky FifieldFeb 25, 20163 minThe Brutal and the Beautiful New York State MuseumThis weekend, Dr. V, Jake, and myself went up to Albany to visit the New York State Museum. We had the very good luck of running into...
Becky FifieldDec 31, 20152 minAn Unfortunate Title for a “Great” Article on Penn StationDavid W. Dunlap writes the rather fun Building Blocks column for The New York Times. On December 30, 2015, his contribution was titled...
Becky FifieldDec 30, 20152 minSamuel Adams’s Mother Was a FifieldRL Fifield vacuuming samplers with a dental vacuum in the old Textile Conservation Lab, MFA Boston, 2001. Back in the early aughts, I was...
Becky FifieldDec 5, 20151 minWanderlust Fodder: Atlas Obscura’s Interactive Map of Roadtrips in American LiteratureMr. I sent me a link recently to Atlas Obscura’s “The Obsessively Detailed Map of American Literature’s Most Epic Road Trips.” It is...
Becky FifieldNov 5, 20152 minThomas Bewick, Newcastle Wood Engraver (1753-1828)Oil painting on canvas, Thomas Bewick (1753-1828). Cherryburn, Northumberland, National Trust. NT 530359. In digging through the British...
Becky FifieldOct 16, 20143 minThe Zoo, the Park, and a Baltimore BefuddlementI’m not an expert on Baltimore, by any means. I’ve never lived there. I was born in Towson and grew up in Carroll County. But Baltimore...
Becky FifieldMay 9, 20143 minDon’t Confuse Geisha and Courtesans (Oiran and Tayu)Images of geisha and courtesans are often mislabeled. For those unfamiliar with subtleties in the styling and wear of kimono, obi, and...
Becky FifieldJan 22, 20142 minWanderlust Wednesday: Hudson and Manhattan Railroad ReduxBetter known as the PATH, the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad began shuttling passengers through its cast iron tunnels between Manhattan...
Becky FifieldNov 7, 20131 minBye Bye Schrafft’s: Losing More Unique Buildings on the UESSchrafft’s at 155 E. 79th Street as it appeared in 1944. A “Rat Poison” sign appeared on the front door of 155 East 79th street....
Becky FifieldAug 28, 20131 minWanderlust Wednesday – TaorminaA few photos from a trip to Taormina, Sicily. It was early March and nearly desolate of tourists: perfect. Vegetation on the way to the...
Becky FifieldAug 5, 20131 minMuseum Monday – Chester County Historical SocietyChester County Historical Society. In addition to Swarthmore College’s Friends Historical Library, Wednesday also took me to the Chester...
Becky FifieldJul 5, 20131 minHistoric Philadelphia Mapping ResourcesMy research on indentured and enslaved servants’ lives has led me to mapping out their existence on historic maps of Philadelphia. I’m...
Becky FifieldJun 12, 20132 minWanderlust Wednesday – Indianapolis, and a little about PhiladelphiaThumbs up: Indianapolis. Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station on a Saturday night, the usual bustle gone. The World War I memorial. RL...
Becky FifieldJun 11, 20131 minTransportation Tuesday: Sad state of affairs for train transport in IndianapolisI was really impressed with downtown Indianapolis. Ambitious restaurants. People on the streets. Bike Lanes. A canal walk trimmed with...
Becky FifieldJun 6, 20132 minGardening and MemoryThe garden as family member, visible toward the right back. Photos marking family events and visits always took place in the yard. My...
Becky FifieldMay 31, 20131 minFun with Fraktur – Women’s Dress in a Drawing from Winterthur MuseumAn embroidered apron at LACMA, similar in concept to those depicted in the Winterthur fraktur below. M.2007.211.131 I’m not a...
Becky FifieldMay 21, 20132 minTrans. Tuesday: We Survived The Parade of TrainsJust barely. RL Fifield 2013. Dr. V. indulged my whim to visit the assemblage of historic trains at New York’s Grand Central Terminal...
Becky FifieldMay 8, 20131 minWanderlust Wednesday: TucsonThe end of March found my mom and I in southern Arizona. My great uncle Mr. B has a cattle ranch outside of Tucson, where he set up...
Becky FifieldApr 12, 20132 minA Very Scary Moment in a Dark Alley: Trashing a Disney Princess KitchenI was scooting through my apartment building’s basement (a wonder in systems and architecture) on my way to pick up a package at the...
Becky FifieldMar 13, 20132 minPost Offices for SaleWhat is Westminster, Maryland’s claim to fame? Westminster, Maryland’s RFD Historical Marker. Besides being my childhood hometown, it was...