Luke Crafton
About Luke Crafton
Articles by this Author
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From Hawaii with Love: Samuel Clemens' Letter to William Bowen
Clemens' humdinger of a letter to his old childhood friend shows the renowned humorist in all his folksy glory.
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Indigenous Artifacts: Understanding the Law
Many indigenous tribal objects raise important legal and ethical questions — are they appropriate to own, or buy, or sell? Multiple laws make a complicated field.
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JFK Staffer Shares Administration Stories
Hear more from the Spokane guest who brought her fascinating collection of mementos from her years serving as a press aide to President John F. Kennedy, and see a slideshow of draft speeches and other documents she kept from her time in the White House.
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Who Was Colonel Elmer Ellsworth?
Col. Elmer Ellsworth was a dashing young infantry commander and a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. On May 24, 1861, he became the first Union officer to be killed in the Civil War, during his daring attempt to remove a Confederate flag from a boarding house in Alexandria, Virginia.
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Concerning Confederate Materials in the Marketplace
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW seeks to balance cultural sensitivity with its aim of examining the full spectrum of America's antiques and collectibles.
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Who Was Harry Bridges?
Judith's print represents the role of an important labor leader in the great San Francisco Strike of 1934.
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Photo Gallery: "How Man Learned to Fly" Illustrations
See all 25 of these extraordinary illustrations up close!
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Einstein's Civil Rights Activism
Read Albert Einstein's moving, but little-known, 1946 essay on racism in America.
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Read Salinger's Canine Love Letter
Who's *this* dog's best friend? Read the whole slobbering letter from Salinger's pet "Herman" to "Jigger," the new love of his life.
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Who Was Joe Black Fox?
Little is known about the life of Joe Black Fox, a Sioux chief who featured in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West shows. But turn-of-the-century portraits suggest a man with a big personality.
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What Ever Happened to the "Well-Baby"?
Find out how the rescued baby Don — now all grown-up! — was reunited with the descendants of his rescuer, the recipient of the 1931 Carnegie Hero Medal featured on ROADSHOW!
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Paul Revere: Plagiarizing Patriot?
During ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's June 2012 visit to Boston, appraiser Wesley Cowan and host Mark Walberg visited The Old State House to discuss the little-known pre-Revolutionary feud between one-time friends Henry Pelham and Paul Revere. Their dispute stemmed from a picture that Pelham had designed depicting the deadly incident later dubbed the Boston Massacre, which had erupted in front of the Custom House on the evening of March 5, 1770.
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See Albert Einstein's Letters Up Close
Read a collection of letters written by the eminent astrophysicist.
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Resources on Historical Maps, Colonialism and Indigenous People
An overview of informative resources about the political and cultural issues related to historical maps.
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An 1859 Baseball: What Do the Numbers Mean?
Further research revealed the answer.
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Margaret Bourke-White, Pioneering Photojournalist
In a field of mostly men, Bourke-White had a successful and influential career as a photojournalist, from the late 1920s through 50s.
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Update: Learn Why This Screen Is Actually Korean!
Asian Arts expert Lark E. Mason reflects upon his experience appraising an 18th-century Korean silk screen on ROADSHOW, and the big surprise that came after. The 18th-century Korean silk screen is just one of ROADSHOW's many "Extraordinary Finds" that we will be revisiting in our special 500th Episode airing on Monday, November 4. Read Lark's story to learn more!
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Who Is "Mr. F. Rahne?" Help Us Solve the Mystery!
Who was Harry Houdini writing to in 1910? If you think you know who "Mr. F. Rahne" was, share your ideas in the Comments section below!
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More on the Cuban Revolution
See the guest's memorabilia up close, and learn more about the political revolution led by Fidel Castro, which overthrew the government of President Fulgencio Batista on January 1, 1959.
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Burbank's Geronimo Portraits
E. A. Burbank is understood to be the only artist who painted Geronimo from life. See several of his historic portraits here.
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More on 18th-Century British Trade and Colonialism in Asia
What was the British connection to an embroidered "Mughal textile" crafted in India in the early 18th century?
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"Bacchante and Infant Faun" and the Boston Public Library
Learn more about MacMonnies' sculpture "Bacchante and Infant Faun" and its history with the BPL.
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The Original "Dream Team"
The 1956 US Olympic Basketball Team won gold in the final game against the USSR. They outscored their opponents by at least 30 points per game, a remarkable feat led by iconic players like Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. At the 2006 Tucson ANTIQUES ROADSHOW event, the owner of a rare collection of items from this team, including a signed basketball and scorebooks, shared his family connection to the event with sports memorabilia expert [Simeon Lipman](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisers/simeon-lipman/). "What an amazing ensemble," Lipman said, "Very, very rare to find basketball memorabilia of this era." Learn more about this collection and take a closer look at each of the items in this slideshow.
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Cultural Bias in 19th-Century Depictions of Native Americans
A closer look at *Our Wild Indians*, an 1883 ethnographic memoir by Col. Richard Irving Dodge.
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Read the Letter: Ray Bradbury Honors a Beloved English Teacher
In 1979, novelist Ray Bradbury learned that his favorite high school teacher had died. In response, he wrote a touching letter expressing his appreciation for her influence on him.
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See More: Bridget Bate Tichenor
Tichenor was a model, fashion editor, and surrealist artist who seemed to live "13 lifetimes in her lifetime." See and find out more!
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Read a Letter from Anaïs Nin to Her Childhood Friend
The budding author corresponded with her close friend Eleanor during summer vacations away from their homes on Long Island.
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Who's James Carpenter? The Man Who Bought Ohr's Pottery
Learn more about the man who purchased thousands of pieces of George Ohr pottery in the 1960s, and was instrumental in developing a market for the "Mad Potter's" work.
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Racism in the Use of Native American Images
Native Americans have been the subject of racial stereotypes and exploitation in white American culture and enterprise throughout the nation's history.
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The West Point Class of 1861
How the West Point class of 1862 became the class of 1861.
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Hermann Goering: What's the Explanation for "Glass on the Lips"?
The captured German Luftwaffe commander committed suicide by ingesting potassium cyanide while imprisoned at Nuremberg. According to a guard, Goering bit down on a small glass capsule containing the poison.
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Mr. Jefferson’s Recommended Reading
In 1822 a Virginia man wrote Thomas Jefferson in search of self-improvement. See the impressive reading list he received in reply!
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A Portrait of Edith
After the Boston ROADSHOW event, the owners share a fascinating letter from a descendent of Lilla Cabot Perry confirming that Edith Agnes Grew is the girl in the painting.
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See More Works by Roberto Burle Marx
Landscape architect, nature lover, modern artist.
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Remembering Edward Gorey's "Mystery!" Artwork
Watch a compilation of _Mystery!_ title sequences down through the years, with animations by Edward Gorey.
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Under the Sea: Maritime Law and Treasure Hunting
Resources on ownership of artifacts salvaged underwater.
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"Only Angels Have Wings": A Model Performance
Watch this model's Hollywood debut in the 1939 classic "Only Angels Have Wings!"
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Owning Animal-Derived Objects
More information about the laws and regulations that govern the owning and trading of artifacts derived from animals.
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Read the Dramatic Letter Written by an Eyewitness to Lincoln's Assassination
In 1865 a young man named John E. Bingham wrote a moving first-hand description of the fateful events of Friday night, April 14, at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Read his dramatic letter here.
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Aesthetic Movement: A Break with the Past
Like most transitional periods in art, the Aesthetic Movement was frenetic and short-lived — but important.
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Nijinsky & the Psychologists: True or False?
Sometime in the early 20th century, when Russian dancer Waslaw Nijinsky began painting, a contemporary newspaper article claimed his artwork had caught the attention of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. These letters from the famed fathers of Western psychology suggest otherwise. Read the letters for yourself below.
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Spirit of Ecstasy? Buyer Beware
Appraiser Nicholas Dawes shares his expert advice for art and antiques shoppers on the hunt.
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Read RFK's Letters Up Close
Get a closer look at personal letters written by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to his friend Ralph "Rip" Horton.
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Slideshow: Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW
What should *you* bring with you to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW ... or not?
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Slideshow: John Trumbulll's Right on the Money
A closer look at John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" as seen on our littlest-used piece of U.S. currency — the $2 bill.
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Kennedy and Johnson Archive
See more of Cecil Stoughton's personal Camelot collection below.
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Chicago Black Hawks: What's in a Name?
A vintage Chicago Black Hawks jersey at the Austin ROADSHOW raised the complicated and ongoing controversy of racial stereotypes in sports mascots.
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Understanding Henry Ford: Innovator & Antisemite
Examining the legacy of an enigmatic figure who was one of the 20th century's most innovative industrialists, as well as a peddler of virulent antisemitism across America.
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Must Read: Bill Clinton's 1968 Letter Home from Oxford
While a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in 1968, a young Bill Clinton exchanged letters with a friend back home in Arkansas. Published here for the first time, the document reveals the future president's early political acumen, attention to details, and a folksy charm that would become one of his trademarks.
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The Purloined Portrait: Tracing Poe's Disappearing Daguerreotype
Follow the circuitous story of a rare Edgar Allan Poe daguerreotype that disappeared, but was ultimately found
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The Normandie — A Legend Undiminished
Before the age of air travel, transatlantic ocean liners were a source of national pride and intense rivalry among a number of European powers.
