May 15, 2017 This week’s object of the week is an unassuming black blouse that donor, Ms. Hyacinth Easthagen, called, “not beautiful,” and “not well finished.” Although Hyacinth, the great-granddaughter of the woman who owned the blouse, was not impressed with [...]
May 8, 2017 Above: Aqua Jester Mike Hogan used this trunk at Aquatennials from the 1950s to the 1990s. Clowns, jesters, and fools have existed for many hundreds of years in literature, dramatic performance, and pop culture. Children grow up seeing [...]
May 1, 2017 Working in collections, it is not unusual to come across an item that leaves us with many questions about its origins and story. This peach silk and lace nightgown was paired with a bonnet and slippers, and was [...]
April 24, 2017 Our object of the week this week is a gorgeous bodice donated by Nancy Piazza. The bodice traveled from the donor’s great grandmother in Sicily to Piazza’s grandmother, who had settled in Minneapolis, MN. The Piazza family went [...]
April 17, 2017 In the early years of airline flights, flight costs were prohibitively expensive for many Americans. In order to cater to wealthy customers, airlines wanted to create an environment where people felt lavished, complete with beautiful female attendants. It [...]
March 13, 2017 Robert “Fish” Jones, with his signature beard and moustache In 1876, a man named Robert Jones moved from New York to look for opportunities out west, and settled in Minneapolis. Missing the fresh fish so easily found on [...]
March 6, 2017 In the late 1800s, Hennepin County was home to a population of African Americans who had moved north to find opportunity after the Civil War, along with those who had escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. While many [...]
February 16, 2017 On Valentine’s Day, secret admirers and sweethearts give one another heart-shaped boxes and lockets, red roses and bouquets, and candies with little love notes like “BE MINE.” Stores sell clothes and even lingerie with red hearts emblazoned across [...]
January 12, 2017 This Soap Box Derby car is called “Tinker Toy,” and was the winning Soap Box Derby car in 1959. It went on to compete in the All American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio. The car was built [...]
December 13, 2016 By Mara Taft, collections volunteer This chair was used by Franklin Steele (1813-1880), a founder of Minneapolis and prominent in the lumber industry. Stylistically, this a bentwood chair with a cane bottom. Manufactured by the Thonet company in [...]
