Once a year the turkey takes his place at the centerpiece of our dinner table for Thanksgiving, a holiday situated quietly between the sugar high of Halloween and the shopping frenzy of Christmas. But what do we really know about the turkey? Sketches of five turkeys on logs, ca. 1911. Albert Laessle papers, 1897-1971. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Although he has a reputation for being unintelligent, this claim is unfair. True, a turkey may look up into the sky during a rain storm, but he will, in fact, probably not drown. His neck jerk can be explained away... Continue reading