What do a wooden gavel, a double-tiered baseball trophy and an 80-year-old restaurant menu have in common? They're among the 4,000 artifacts in the U.S. House of Representatives collection. Rebecca Sheir visits the Capitol Building to talk with the House's very first curator, who's tasked with tracking down and conserving the artworks and artifacts that give a human face to the federal government's lower legislative body.
More from Rebecca Sheir
Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version)
(00:03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir
What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground
(00:06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir
What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Is Virginia Really For Lovers?
(00:05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir
The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.
Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation
(00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.
An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble
(00:06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.
From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again
(00:03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.
A Beer'n'Burger Stock Exchange: The Big Board
(00:03:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A new restaurant is trying to corner the market on neighborhood pubs, with beer prices that fluctuate in real time, based on customer demand.
Keeping It Clean For Nearly 80 Years: The Talented Jim Dandy
(00:04:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Meet a man who's been dry cleaning for nearly 80 years, with a little bit of stain-removing savvy... and a whole lot of love.
Injera Bread & Shark Meat: Tasting Ethiopia & Jamaica
(00:04:46)
From: Rebecca Sheir
What happens when Africa and the Caribbean culinarily collide in the U.S. capital? Dig in and find out!
The House That Beer -- and Pyrophobia -- Built
(00:04:42)
From: Rebecca Sheir
After losing a home and two breweries to fire, one German beermaker vowed not to let history repeat itself... and built an extraordinary house that would never go up in smoke.
Piece Description
What do a wooden gavel, a double-tiered baseball trophy and an 80-year-old restaurant menu have in common? They're among the 4,000 artifacts in the U.S. House of Representatives collection. Rebecca Sheir visits the Capitol Building to talk with the House's very first curator, who's tasked with tracking down and conserving the artworks and artifacts that give a human face to the federal government's lower legislative body.
Broadcast History
This piece originally aired on WAMU 88.5's Metro Connection, 7/22/11.
Intro and Outro
INTRO: OUTRO:Rebecca Sheir is a host and producer at N-P-R member station W-A-M-U 88-5 in Washington, D-C.





