Legs in the air

Is it a bad thing when museum pieces are displayed or photographed incorrectly? A viewer might run the risk of misunderstanding the piece. When it comes to objects that are only used for one purpose, or that need to be interpreted in one specific way, this can be very misleading. Texts from unknown languages, for example, can end up being displayed upside down or mirrored. Museum directors are never happy when confronted with such errors. That’s why museums nowadays are often more honest about existing doubts regarding an object. Captions often read: “Possibly used for…” or “Probably meant as…”. This doesn’t prevent all mistakes, but does reduce the chances of making one.

But more often, correct and incorrect are not at all black and white. Sometimes an artist changes their ideas about their work. With ethnographic objects, like this washboard, their purposes and uses might vary. The manner of presenting an object becomes a matter of making decisions, and therefore also up for debate. Maybe it’s not all that weird that this washboard has its legs up in the air.