Presented by Pamela Vittorio
60-Minute Presentation (All)
In this case study, the presenter traces a mysterious black dagger, once possessed by one of three great-grand uncles who had served in the Canadian Army during WWI. The story entails the actions of a brave soldier and perhaps, his unavoidable emotional reaction to the trauma of war and later return to North America, only to encounter the Spanish Influenza pandemic. Proving who carried the dagger back from the theater of France (Vimy Ridge) and who may have originally owned it was a challenge. Strategies for tracing the dagger (or any object) are demonstrated so attendees can apply the same skills when searching for their own objects or artifacts. Techniques can be applied generally, like creating a timeline or determining the make, year, or place of an artifact’s creation (to some extent). The presenter offers a “hypothetical” original owner of the dagger, based on the combination of facts and resolution of myths – but one that may only (finally) be proven by testing the DNA left on the artifact itself.
