I’ve decided to review a television called Canadian Pickers
that is currently ongoing in its 2nd season on History Televison. It includes Sheldon Smithens
and Scott Cozens who travel across the country attempting to purchase antiques
and flip them for a profit. In addition
to the business side that allows viewers to keep score, history behind the
antiques they discover are featured, as keeps consistent with other programming
on History Television.
The hosts add credibility to the show, as they should be
considered experts in the field of collectibles. Sheldon is a third generation antiques
dealer, along with being an appraiser and auctioneer. On the website for the production company Cineflix Productions
it further explains how he teaches continuing education courses at the
University of Calgary along with being accredited by the Canadian Associationof Personal Property Appraisers. Scott
Cozens is a lawyer for Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in Calgary, and has been a
collector since childhood. Although both
of them are not history professors, they are both well educated individuals,
and seem to be meticulous in providing accurate information and historical
context. They offer a more practical
interpretation of history as they evaluate the worth of items on the open
market. In the final credits of the
show, it is evident that a serious effort is made to be historically
accurate. Three people are employed as researchers
and there is a senior director of factual content. Archives are listed, and special thanks are
given to various people and museums.
The episode I am choosing to focus on is titled “Adventure Capital” and was released in 2012. The
hosts travel to the region surrounding Ottawa, Ontario, and visit an acreage,
farmhouse, and an English manor (which is part of a heritage site) in search
for treasure. They rummage through the
properties, and interact with the owners attempting to negotiate prices on
antique pieces they wish to acquire.
During this process, interesting pieces that come up are discussed, and
their relevance to Canadian history is considered. As the show caters to its audience, and is
not detailed as academic reports would be, entertainment is paramount to fully
explaining the historical significance. Through
this process quantity is emphasized over quality, and many small bits of history
can be presented through the one hour episode.
Historical content
The show also gives an opportunity for those selling
historical artifacts from their collection to speak about how the collection
was formed, what meaning it has to them, and why they have chosen to select
certain pieces. Through watching multiple
episodes, hardly anyone states that their collections were pursued in search of
financial gain. When selling items, it’s
often done with reluctance, as individuals have an attachment to the collection
they have formed. Certain items were
collected for their historical significance and preserving the past. One such example is of a person who rescued a
print from 1915 of soldiers in a train heading off to war, as families and
friends were sending them off at the railway station. About to be discarded at a yard sale, the
collector wanted the picture saved to preserve the memory, especially for the
families of the soldiers (many of which who did not return). In addition to the collections themselves,
the show allows observers to think about personal collections they may have,
and reflect upon their relevance and meaning personally.
Historical content is often added to the show in
post-production. As certain interesting
artefacts are discovered in a live setting, researchers for the show are able
to dig deeper and provide additional content to the viewer. During the single episode being discussed
here, eight such blurbs appeared throughout the show. A fine example of its use would be after the
hosts discovered a Pequegnat clock that was believed to have been manufactured
in Ontario in the early 20th century. Each model of clock was based on the names of
cities in Canada. Two blurbs appeared
shortly after:
 |
| Berlin model Pequegnat clock |
“Pequegnat made clocks from 1904 to 1943 in Kitchener,
Ontario. Highly collectible, several of
the clocks are now valued over $3,000.”
“Kitchener, Ontario was originally called Berlin, but
growing anti-German sentiment during WW1 led it to being renamed in 1916.”
(Both quotes were taken directly from the visual graphic appearing on the television show)
These blurbs allow for more detailed historical content to
be provided promoting Canadian history, especially in the one referring to
Berlin having its name changed to Kitchener.
Although the information provided is not a detailed account, or enough
to truly completely understand all the history involved with it, an attempt is
made to do more than provide entertainment.
Being broadcast on the History Channel, it is reasonable to assume that
a certain minimum level of historical content must be provided to conform to network
policies.
Although the show generally focuses on Canadian history in
the 20th century, it is not bound by this geographic restraint or
timeline. Pieces from worldwide can find
their way onto the show along with the stories associated with them. Such an example would be when a concubine
chair that originated from Cairo, Egypt was presented. The owner discussed part of the journey on
how it found its way out of Egypt. As
Napoleon’s army had conquered Egypt, his officers had stolen the chair from a
palace as spoils of war. Price was briefly
discussed but the owner made it clear that it was a piece extremely high in
value and would not be up for sale.
Nothing further on the history of the situation was presented which is
typical to the format of the show. However
one should not dismiss the historical message that was able to be shared. The viewer can take away that during the Napoleonic
Wars, Egypt was conquered, and also traditions of warfare such as looting
valuables from the conquered was practiced and considered acceptable. The average viewer is not overwhelmed by a
historical narrative, while those in search for deeper history can use the show
as a survey, and further research topics of interest within more complete
sources such as history texts.
Presenting history to the public
It is important to realize that the show is not a
documentary, but a reality show. Instead
of focusing on criticizing what the show lacks, a far more constructive
approach is to evaluate how the show succeeds in promoting history. While in class we had investigated fiction
and myth’s impact on history, yet entertainment seems to be something little
explored. History is full of interesting
stories of people and events. Knowledge
of history is difficult to profit from without treating it as
entertainment. By promoting stories that
spark general interest, and employing a format such as the bargaining process,
allow for a larger viewership. When
considering the general public, there is most likely a trade off between
entertainment and investigating historical subjects more comprehensively. Succeeding in high viewership has allowed the
show to inform a large amount of Canadians with a broad and shallow level of
content.
We also must view the degree of history that is demanded by
the general public. To start with an
example of a parallel field, I would like to look at financial advisors and
their relationship with clients. Reports
to clients are very simple, and attempt to not overwhelm the recipient who is
generally not knowledgeable to the subject (which is why they have hired
professional help). The actual analysis
and construction of a portfolio is a far more complicated process involving
accounting for risk along with numerous financial ratios. Although informing the client of the complete
process would make them better informed, most likely the information would
overwhelm them, and lead to them not reading the information available, even
the simple comprehendible information that was presented in the simple version. Similar to Canadian Pickers, it was
determined that less can be more.
Potential improvement
Although being satisfied that the program is successful in
promoting the level of history it has deemed appropriate does not mean that
there cannot be room for improvement. Focusing
less on quantity of artefacts showcased every episode, there is still
considerable time available further the historical background. Certain items with entertaining historical
backgrounds could be focused upon, and given more time to be explored. Having 5 minute segments on historical
background on these items could definitely further the historical context in
which they existed, and provide a deeper understanding to the viewer. In addition, perhaps a spinoff could be
created, or special episodes in which items from a similar era or region could
be combined to further investigate their history. Whether there is enough consumer demand for
such a program is questionable, however if the goal is to increase historical
content, it can easily be achievable.
Why is this important?
Through investigating the television program Canadian
Pickers allows a view of how history can be presented. Documenting and interpreting history seems of
paramount importance to an academic understanding, however there is another
side of how to present it to the public most effectively. The show was effective in providing
historical content, and including it into a format in which people who are not overly
interested in history can still be informed.
Links to pictures in order they appeared:
I have caught bits and pieces of this show, along with the American version, though I haven't shown any real interest in it. Personally I find they tend to focus a lot more on the price of objects rather than the history, like you mentioned in your improvements paragraph. I do agree that history is more important than quantity. They hosts also happen to be a little too ostentatious for my likings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Kaitlynn. I definitely can understand how the show does not appeal to you. It is not a show that I normally watch, but have caught it a couple times when visiting my parents. I agree that historical content can often be overwhelmed by prices being bargained for.
DeleteThat is why I thought investigating how history is portrayed through entertainment. With individuals having varying tolerance for historical content, we can view to what extent the general public seeks depth in historical narratives. Just as children absorb history through board games, or the process where historical fact gets blended with fiction, history can be presented in many ways.
Maybe a question that could be further investigated is whether the historical content on this show is sufficient enough for a program broadcast on a channel called History Television.
Hey khushbo, pretty interesting comment, and made me laugh. As you are amazed how long people can keep these antiques, I am additionally amazed at the sheer quantity that collections grow to. I am quite positive that many of the collectors on Canadian Pickers could be classified as hoarders.
ReplyDeleteWhen you mention the story about the spoon from the Victorian period, I believe this brings up an interesting dilemma. Investigating a spoon for 15 minutes seems difficult to keep an audience interested for this amount of time. Possibly if there are exciting enough back stories that this would seem feasible. History definitely has exciting tales to present if people take enough time to research and seek them.