After several years of photographing artifacts for the Elgin History Museum, in Elgin Illinois, Ira A. Marcus had a desire to create images that emphasized the aesthetic qualities of the objects he had been documenting. Upon sharing his idea for an exhibit that merged history with art, the Museum’s director and curator gave him access to photograph items in the Museum’s vast collection. This book tells the story behind the resulting exhibit, including commentary on each of the exhibit’s images. Also included in this volume are a number of images that could not be displayed in the exhibit due to space and budget constraints.