History of objects

History of objects

Objects bear witness to events that shape families for generations. When the people are gone, only their objects remain, holding hidden stories about the messiness of their lives. 

History of Objects re-examines my family history through photographing my family’s heirlooms. While digitizing my family’s archive during the pandemic, I noticed in old family photos fragments of heirlooms that now reside in my home. These objects became a connection between the past and present and a conduit to understanding my ancestors’ actions and decisions in a new light. This curated collection of vernacular photographs examine the mother/daughter relationship: the choices women face as they transition from adolescence to adulthood, the expectations and desires mothers put on their daughters, and the decisions they have to make to ensure their own and their children’s preservation.

As I photographed the heirlooms, I contemplated what these objects witnessed, how the events surrounding them shaped my own life, and how my decisions will affect my children’s lives. If only these objects could talk, what lessons could they teach?