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| | The National Park Service stated that it would use the head count of 1.8 million as reported in the Washington Post, believing this number to be a record for any event held in Washington, D.C. | | The National Park Service stated that it would use the head count of 1.8 million as reported in the Washington Post, believing this number to be a record for any event held in Washington, D.C. |
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| − | ==Security== | + | ===Security=== |
| | The District of Columbia police force doubled temporarily in size with the addition of 8,000 police officers from around the United States. The police force was assisted by 1,000 FBI agents to provide security for the event, and the Secret Service Counter-sniper team was assigned to hidden locations throughout the area. Ten thousand National Guard troops were also on site, including the 153rd Military Police Company of the Delaware National Guard with 5,000 troops providing security duty in a ceremonial capacity and 1,300 unarmed troops aiding Park Police in crowd control at the National Mall. The FAA maintained airspace restrictions over Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was chosen as the designated survivor to ensure continuity of government in case of catastrophe, and he spent inauguration day at a U.S. military installation outside of the Washington, D.C. area. | | The District of Columbia police force doubled temporarily in size with the addition of 8,000 police officers from around the United States. The police force was assisted by 1,000 FBI agents to provide security for the event, and the Secret Service Counter-sniper team was assigned to hidden locations throughout the area. Ten thousand National Guard troops were also on site, including the 153rd Military Police Company of the Delaware National Guard with 5,000 troops providing security duty in a ceremonial capacity and 1,300 unarmed troops aiding Park Police in crowd control at the National Mall. The FAA maintained airspace restrictions over Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was chosen as the designated survivor to ensure continuity of government in case of catastrophe, and he spent inauguration day at a U.S. military installation outside of the Washington, D.C. area. |
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| | ==Artifacts in the Collection:== | | ==Artifacts in the Collection:== |
| | *[[Trifold Brochure featuring Plan of the Washington, D.C. Mall]] | | *[[Trifold Brochure featuring Plan of the Washington, D.C. Mall]] |
| | + | *[[Three Commemorative Fare-cards for the Washington, D.C. Metro]] |
| | + | *[[Invitation to the Presidential Inauguration of 2009]] |
| | + | *[[Ticket for the Presidential Inaugural Parade, January, 2009]] |
| | + | *[[Hair Extension found on Pennsylvania Avenue]] |
| | + | *[[Ash from a Safety Flare from Washington, D.C.]] |
| | + | *[[Metal Skeleton and Red Paper Remains of a Safety Flare, Washington, D.C.]] |
| | + | *[[Metal Plate with Letters and Numbers relating to the Automotive Industry]], Connecticut Avenue Bridge, Washington, D.C., 2009 |
| | + | *[[Gravel Specimens from the National Mall, 2009]] |
| | + | *[[Laminated Press Pass for Inaugural Ceremonies, 2009]] |
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| − | 2. Three Metro Cards for the Washington, D.C. area Public Transportation System. Paper with magnetic strip for reading passenger fares. Commemorative imprints for the Presidential Inauguration. Washington, D.C. 2009.
| + | [[category:American Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies, 2009| ]] |
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| − | 3. Invitation to “Attend and Participate” from The Presidential Inaugural Committee for the Inauguration of Barrack H. Obama and Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Washington, D.C. Tuesday, 20th January, 2009.
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| − | This invitation, printed by a “Thermographic” method resembles an intaglio, or a raised, copperplate engraving. In spite of its formality it mentions no specific events, simply encouraging the recipient “participate” on public streets and through utilization of public, temporary sanitation facilities, but rather is an acknowledgment of the campaign supporters of the candidates in question from the 2008 electoral season. Its aims appear to be the excitement of citizens support for, and feelings involvement in, the new administration.
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| − | 4. Ticket for the Presidential Inaugural Parade. Bleacher seating one block from White House, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., January, 2009.
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| − | 5. Hair Extension. Black Polyester or Polymer fiber. Slightly dirty and in tangled condition. Collected on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Mall. Washington, D.C. (see No. 9) 19th January, 2009.
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| − | Hair extensions date as far back as ancient Egypt when both men and women wore wigs. Baroque and Georgian hair styles for featured high wigs and even elaborate model ships. The Enlightenment frowned upon artifice in women's hair, yet by the Romantic era fashion turned to elaborate Apollo knots. In the mid Victorian era hair pieces were used extensively in Europe and the Americas by a burgeoning middle class. Edwardian women wore false hair additions to create the pompadour hairstyle.
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| − | In the 1920’s shorter women's hair styles, including “bobbing” and the “permanent wave” were preferred to extending hair, but in the 1940s longer hair came back into fashion, with or without wigs. The 1960s saw trends for much larger, longer hair. “Coils”, “bouffants” and “beehives” used extravagant hair pieces. Wigs made from real or artificial hair were commonly worn from the 1960s into the early 1970s. In the 1980s and big hair was fashionable, perhaps in lamentable ways, but this trend avoided artificial hair.
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| − | In the 1990s hair pieces or wigs became more affordable and more widely accepted. Celebrities (“Spice Girl” Victoria Beckham for instance) were probably imitating African American fashion trends (or the trends of drag queen superstars) when they popularized hair styles featuring extensions. Currently the trend is more widespread. Teenagers looking for long hair have extensions as do older women trying to replace thinning hair. An array of synthetic fibers and natural human hair are utilized. In the Autobiography of Malcolm X mention is made of hair straightening techniques, most of which were inconvenient as well as involving chemical irritants, noxious smells and even pain. The preference for straight hair over curly is considered in light of the prevalent racism of the day.
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| − | Varying methods have been found for attaching hair extensions with varying levels of convenience, reversibility and safety. Usually the extension is attached to a small group of collected hair strands. Adhesion and removal of extensions involve wax, glue, chemicals or heat all of which can damage existing human hair and scalp. Semi-permanent hair extensions can be quite costly for each application and their usual duration is only four months.
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| − | From its coloration, and from the demographic make-up of both the city of Washington, D.C., and that of the out of town visitors during inauguration week, our specimen is believed to be a black fashion accessory, perhaps discarded due to lack of adhesion. It has seen some abrasion, and confusion of strands, perhaps it was even stepped on by the crowds in the national capital that week. At the very least, it falls into our category “Tangled Things”.
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| − | 6. Ash from a Safety Flare. Used in traffic and pedestrian control efforts during the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, Washington, D.C. 2009
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| − | Flares produce their light through the combustion of a pyrotechnic composition. The ingredients are varied, but often based on strontium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or potassium perchlorate and mixed with a fuel such as charcoal, sulfur, sawdust, aluminum, magnesium, or a suitable polymeric resin. Flares are used for distress signals (especially in marine emergencies) and for extreme traffic conditions, such as the crowds attending various celebrations and rituals connected with, or simultaneous with, the Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies, which in January of 2009, saw one of the largest crowds ever assembled in the United States Capital’s history.
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| − | 7. Metal Skeleton and Red Paper Remains of a Flare. The metal infrastructure positions the flare itself, in a vertical manner, allowing flow of oxygen for combustion. The paper is singed, and ring-shaped. Collected nearby Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 2009 (See: Ash from a Flare, above.)
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| − | 8. Metal Plate with Letters and Numbers. Severely oxidized and in abraded condition. Found of the Connecticut Avenue, Rock Creek Bridge, Washington, D.C. January 20th 2009
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| − | Text: “Ford 5E212 F3VC AA BIG L 2 246”
The letters and numbers on this plate refer to an industrial process that may become more intelligible in the light of future research.
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| − | 9. Gravel from the National Mall, Washington, D.C. Collected 19th January, 2009.
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| − | Part of the McMillan Plan the gravel walkways encompassing the National Mall are a laid with a pleasing, naturally rounded limestone pebbles, tawny ochre in color, complimenting both the rich red of the seneca sandstone Smithsonian Castle and the somewhat severe Neoclassicism of the James Russell Pope designed National Gallery.
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| − | Etymology: The word gravel comes from the French gravelle, meaning “coarse sand”.
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| − | The National Mall as it appears today owes its design to the McMillan Commission, named for Sen. James McMillan of Michigan who was chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia. Some of the greatest American architects, landscape architects and urban planners of the day served on the McMillan Commission, including Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Charles F. McKim, as well as noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who worked to fully implement the original design for the National Mall by Pierre Charles L'Enfant.
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| − | Gravel aggregates are harvested from both glacial and alluvial natural deposits including limestone, granite, trap rock and other durable minerals. These are then processed by a series of crushing, screening, blending and washing operations. Large gravel deposits are a common geological feature, formed as a result of the weathering and erosion of rocks. The action of rivers and waves has tended historically to pile up gravel in large accumulations.
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| − | 10. Laminated Press Pass for the Inaugural Ceremonies, Washington, D.C. January, 2009. It seemed like there were more portable toilets in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration ceremonies, than anyone had ever seen before.
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| − | Loan artifact from the collection of Jon Gilbert Fox.
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Inauguration Overview
Official Ceremonies
The Presidential Inauguration Celebration for 2009 began on January 17, 2009, with a train ride from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Official events were held in Washington, D.C., from January 18 to 21, 2009, including the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, a day of service on the federal observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future concert event, the inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, an inaugural luncheon at National Statuary Hall, a parade along Pennsylvania Avenue, ten inaugural balls at the Washington Convention Center and elsewhere, a private White House gala and an inaugural prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.
Crowd Estimates
The National Park Service stated that it would use the head count of 1.8 million as reported in the Washington Post, believing this number to be a record for any event held in Washington, D.C.
Security
The District of Columbia police force doubled temporarily in size with the addition of 8,000 police officers from around the United States. The police force was assisted by 1,000 FBI agents to provide security for the event, and the Secret Service Counter-sniper team was assigned to hidden locations throughout the area. Ten thousand National Guard troops were also on site, including the 153rd Military Police Company of the Delaware National Guard with 5,000 troops providing security duty in a ceremonial capacity and 1,300 unarmed troops aiding Park Police in crowd control at the National Mall. The FAA maintained airspace restrictions over Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was chosen as the designated survivor to ensure continuity of government in case of catastrophe, and he spent inauguration day at a U.S. military installation outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
No one from the crowds at the inaugural ceremony and parade was arrested as of 6:00 p.m. Inauguration Day, which according to a federal agent, was not usual.
Artifacts in the Collection:
- Trifold Brochure featuring Plan of the Washington, D.C. Mall
- Three Commemorative Fare-cards for the Washington, D.C. Metro
- Invitation to the Presidential Inauguration of 2009
- Ticket for the Presidential Inaugural Parade, January, 2009
- Hair Extension found on Pennsylvania Avenue
- Ash from a Safety Flare from Washington, D.C.
- Metal Skeleton and Red Paper Remains of a Safety Flare, Washington, D.C.
- Metal Plate with Letters and Numbers relating to the Automotive Industry, Connecticut Avenue Bridge, Washington, D.C., 2009
- Gravel Specimens from the National Mall, 2009
- Laminated Press Pass for Inaugural Ceremonies, 2009
