No,
this has nothing to do with sweet ol’ granny sitting for her family portrait.
Rather it has everything to do with taking advantage of new technologies in
imaging to give virtual (and actual) visitors a more complete view of an object
than they could get seeing it laying in a traditional museum display
case.
Photogrammetry
is the term. Photogrammetry is a photographic technique used in measuring
distances with cameras, oftentimes for aerial maps and the like, but many museums are using
the process (in concert with other scanning procedures) to create visual
virtual 3-D models of objects.
 |
| MSM Accession number 1941.430 |
If
you click on the above image it will take you to a 3-D model created by the Rhode
Island company named The Digital Ark. The Digital Ark did some tests using a photogrammetric
method to create the image you see. They used well over two hundred images of
the piece of scrimshaw and stitched them together with software to make a 3-D
version of the tooth that can be spun in space and viewed from all sides,
giving us the opportunity to display things in an entirely new fashion.
View
the tooth in full screen mode by clicking on the two diagonal arrows. Rotate it
in space by manipulating the image with your computer mouse or touchpad.
Given to the Museum in 1941 by trustee and collector H.H. Kynett, the
tooth in question has on one side patriotic symbols including an American
eagle, a shield and cannons with the motto "E Pluribus Unum" and some
stylized roses. The other side has an anchor, a 3-masted ship with guns, and a banner
displaying the words "Success to our Navy."
While
we are just in the test stages of working with this time-consuming process and technology,
we feel it offers tremendous opportunities to show visitors many different
types of objects in their entirety that they would not otherwise be able to
experience. Wish us luck!