Last week I went to the Preservation Lab at work, and saw a few objects that reaffirmed my belief in the value of preserving material culture.

The first was a rough cotton smock that had been worn every day for one and a half years by a Jewish woman at the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The second was her blanket, which was dark grey and had been woven from strands of human (presumably Jewish) hair. The blanket was very soft, and very chilling, to touch.