Souvenirs are also prime examples of what Museum Studies Scholar Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett calls “destination culture.” She argues that the meaning of an object is located at its destination, which is to say that the context of an object’s use or display determines its meaning to viewers. The Chinese comb, for instance, was removed from its culture of origin and placed in a new context: first the Green family’s farmhouse in Logan County, Ohio, and then Eloise’s home in Columbus. In these new contexts, the item became a representation of Chinese people that objectified and simplified an entire culture and nation. But it also had particular meanings for Eloise. The story of the comb seemed to remind her of her parents, while her aunt who taught in the Philippines influenced Eloise’s decision to go to college and become a home economics teacher.
While travel had the potential to broaden Americans’ knowledge and understanding of the world, in many ways tourists did more harm than good to the peoples and cultures they visited. In addition to the harm inflicted by souvenirs, sacred grounds and places of historical importance were trampled by naïve, disrespectful, and arrogant tourists. Benevolent travelers, such as missionaries and teachers like Eloise’s aunt, infantilized and destroyed traditional cultures. When these travelers returned or reported home, they spread their attitudes to other Americans, the effects of which are still felt today in places like the Philippines and the entire African continent.
Travel in the early twentieth century reflected Americans’ preoccupation with land and empire. Whirlwind tours across faraway continents provided yet another way to conquer foreign lands and peoples. Tourists unfairly labeled unfamiliar customs as “backward” and the people who practiced them as “uncivilized.” These attitudes generated support at home for the civilizing and uplifting programs of benevolent imperialism, including education and missionary work. This, along with the commodification of other cultures by American tourists’ souvenirs, helped to buttress U.S. empire building across the globe.