"ARTIFACTS"
The full articles from my internship at Indianapolis Monthly. The "Artifact" section of Indianapolis Monthly's print magazine features historical items in Indiana that each have a story to tell. Previous artifact items include the replica of a Dalek from Doctor Who, a vintage Garfield phone and vintage paper peepshows.
Movie Prop
Vintage: 2014
By the time James Dean came home to visit his cousin Marcus Winslow in the mid-1950s, the actor from Fairmount was one of the most famous movie stars in the country. Winslow had made a toy car from wood and metal, and a photographer named Dennis Stock captured an iconic image of Dean pushing his young cousin down a hill in the vehicle. "Jimmy got a big kick out of it," Winslow recalls. "We used to shoot down that big hill, and one day we just left it there. It fell to pieces." This replica of the car, owned by the James Dean Gallery in Fairmount, Indiana, was used in the movie Life, which chronicled the relationship between Dean and Stock. "Those pictures always remind me of when I saw Jimmy last," Winslow says. "Those are some of my favorite memories."
Makeup Compact
Vintage: 1920s
Looking to create a special ensemble for the Snakebite Ball on the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 a few years ago, local race fan Jody DeFord came across this compact at the Southport Antique Mall. "I was absolutely over the moon to find it," she says. "It looked so unique." As it turns out, the IMS handed out quite a few of these in the early 20th century to the wives and girlfriends of drivers. This one, which is more ornate than most, features a racer from the roaring '20s with a driver inside. The tradition of gifting the compacts ended in the 1950s, but DeFord's tradition of donning hers hasn't. "It's on display in our house most of the year," she says," but I always carry it in May when I'm going to a racing event."