They have a wondrous collection of armor and battlements for medieval Europe. I was disappointed to find out, however, that most of the suits of armor were for show or for tournament competition such as jousting. I found myself more interested in everyday objects that were preserved…real objects that real people used.

I went to the Met this past weekend with Paula. She drew, I explored. They have these great reconstructions of 17th century French interiors. They were all of hotels in Paris. I didn’t understand why they were all from elegant hotels in Paris, did only hotels have interiors?