A deer call made from wood with a piece of tin tied to it, which would imitate a fawn call. Made by Wolf Chief, Hidatsa, in 1918.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this call in our collections database.

A frosted plastic mug celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Minneapolis record store, The Electric Fetus, in 1988. It features a Soul Asylum illustration on one side. Owned by Karl Mueller, the bassist for Soul Asylum.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this mug in our collections database.

A padlock and key that were used the first jail in Hastings, Minnesota, circa 1850.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this padlock in our collections database.

A photograph of a man celebrating his 44th birthday on 4/4/1944.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

Going forward you will find us here:

http://www.mnhs.org/blog/collectionsupclose/itemoftheday

Be sure to bookmark it!

It is opening day for the Minnesota Twins today! Item of the Day presents this triangular pennant from the Minnesota Twins 1965 championship season. In that season the Twins went 102-60 and won the American League. The Twins would go on to lose the World Series to the LA Dodgers and their star pitcher Sandy Koufax. The 102 wins still stands as a team record.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this pennant in our collections database.

A photograph of flooding of the Minnesota River as seen from the old iron truss bridge outside Belle Plaine, Minnesota on April 11, 1951.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A ten-paneled stoneware bowl made by Warren MacKenzie of Stillwater, MN in 1996.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bowl in our collections database.

After Wilson’s death in 1930, his personal collection was donated to the Minnesota Historical Society at his bequest. This donation included journals, reports, photographs, drawings, artifacts and wax cylinder recordings related to his travels to North Dakota. This plethora of information is now connected across collecting areas by including notes from Wilson’s reports that relate with specific objects in the collection. These objects will have an additional Notes section on Collections Online.

Wilson took great interest in many aspects of daily life at Like-a-Fishhook Village. The most notable is the agriculture of the Mandan and Hidatsa which is highlighted in Wilson’s book, Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden. Wilson learned the majority of the gardening techniques from Buffalo Bird Woman and her son, Goodbird.

Goodbird sitting under sliced squash drying on stage, 1916

While the collection has gardening tools such as a scapula bone hoe and deer antler rake, Wilson made sure to collect some of the foods that became a staple of life at Fort Berthold. This includes dried berry cakes, prairie turnips and squash.

Dried squash on string, 1916

The wonderful thing about this collection is that many of the objects, including the squash, appear in Wilson’s collections in multiple formats. There are photographs of squash being harvested, cut up and dried, the actual physical dried squash and the squash knife that was used to slice the squash. Having these collections in various formats along with the information that Wilson wrote, is a great way to connect to the daily activities of the Mandan and Hidatsa. One is able to learn about the tools, the process and the product of Mandan and Hidatsa life and agriculture.

Bone squash knife, 1916

Please use this link to view the objects in this collection and this link to learn more about Wilson’s reports and photographs.

Rita Walaszek
Collections Assistant

A photograph from 1935 showing Arthur and Ole Lervick lying in the undercut of a 12-foot diameter tree, Washington [county/state?].

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A gouache painting titled “Old Saloon” made by Minnesota artist Cameron Booth in 1933.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this painting in our collections database.

A photograph of Bemidji High School basketball fans going crazy during the 1955 State Basketball Tournament.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

An unused ticket for a 1991 Babes in Toyland concert at First Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this ticket in our collections database.

A red circular pin-back button distributed by the Anti-Saloon League, circa 1913.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this button in our collections database.

A “Delphos” evening dress created by Mariano Fortuny of New York, New York, circa 1930s and worn by Markell Conley Brooks of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It consists of the original box with lid, a rose-colored china silk evening gown with Fortuny pleats and Venetian glass beads, and an orange/rose sash with stenciled design.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this dress in our collections database.

A Navajo “Sunday” saddle blanket collected by Albert Gillette and donated to the Faribault House in Mendota, Minnesota, circa 1956.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this blanket in our collections database.

Our interns and staff have been hard at work, and in two weeks we will launch the World War I Daybook blog. Each day beginning April 1 we will be tracking Minnesota’s involvement in “The Great War” with items from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collection, including diaries, letters, artifacts, newspapers, and more. Join us as we delve into the lives soldiers, nurses, senators and suffragists to examine the war from multiple angles.

Don’t miss the all of the World War I and homefront related artifact for that era in our Collections, now available digitally!

And mark your calendars for the Minnesota Historical Society’s newest exhibit WWI America, opening April 8 at the History Center in St. Paul.

Stephanie Olson
Collections Assistant

A green circular pin-back button from the 1969 Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

See more items from our collection here:

• Saint Patrick’s Day

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this button in our collections database.

A photograph of a Minneapolis truck driver and his pet monkey hearing about the Seabees from a sailor during WWII.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A desktop cigar cutter sold by Nat Sherman and used by Ken Davis, CEO/Founder of Ken Davis Products, Inc. of Minneapolis, MN in the 1980s. Do you remember his barbeque sauces?

See more:

• Ken Davis objects
• Ken Davis Library Materials

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this cutter in our collections database.

A carte-de-visite photograph of John Lunkenheimer of St. Paul. He was a State legislator from 1876-1877 and President of the St. Paul Fire Department for five years in the 1870s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A small two-sided card providing the specifications and properties of a variety of tapes manufactured by 3M. Probably made in the 1970s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this document in our collections database.

A photograph of a dextrose truck parked on a Minneapolis street in July of 1938. The truck advertises candy as a “Delicious Food , Eat Some Every Day!”

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A size six (6) silver thimble in its hinged leather case. The inside cover is printed “C.R. BURCH, / Cooperstown, N.Y.”. Made in the 1890s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this thimble in our collections database.

A plastic slide rule “Pre-Mix Computer” produced and marketed by the Cornelius Company of Minnesota after 1956. The ruler allows the user to set a particular volume of carbon dioxide gas on one side of the ruler, and then relate gauge pressure (measured in pounds per square inch) with beverage temperature (in degrees F). The gauge was part of the company’s pre-mix beverage distribution system, that distributed beverages in large tanks ready to dispense.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this slide rule in our collections database.

A circular felt sign printed with a basketball and yellow text reading “GOLDEN GOPHERS / WOMEN’S HOOPS/ 05/06″ below a printed University of Minnesota logo. The sign is autographed in black permanent marker by coaches and players from the 2005-2006 basketball season.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this sign in our collections database.

An Ojibwe loom-woven and spot-stitched bandolier bag with front pocket. Exhibited at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 as part of the Becker County Indian Exhibit and attributed to the “Becker County Indian Industries.” This bandolier bag is shown hanging on the left in a photograph of the “American Indian collection of Mrs. Jessie C. Yeats, Becker County, Minnesota” (#4969) from the Becker County Historical Society. Mrs. Jessie C West (misspelling for photograph) was Becker County’s representative at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bag in our collections database.

A photograph of workmen stacking boxes of Green Giant peas in February, 1940. Interestingly, the company wasn’t named Green Giant until 1950. It took its name from these peas (which were originally called Prince of Wales).

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

An orange Gore-Tex sled dog jacket used during the 1990 International Trans-Antarctica Expedition led by Will Steger of Minnesota.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this jacket in our collections database.

An 18 inch Fleck Nile Blue Bowl #M1483 designed by Charles Murphy in 1955. Manufactured by Red Wing Potteries, Inc.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bowl in our collections database.

Today is the last day of Black History Month, thus Item of the Day would like to present a newly acquired painting by African-American artist George W. Castone. It is titled “River Scene” and was painted in 1914. He was born in Missouri, but moved to St. Paul and lived there until his death in 1967.

This painting is on view until June, 2017 at the James J. Hill house as part of the Raymond and Ruth Reister collection exhibit.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this painting in our collections database.

A face mask worn by University of Minnesota ice hockey goalie Adam Hauser during the 1998-1999 seasons. The helmet consists of a fiberglass shell with a steel face cage and foam padding held in place by elastic webbing and snaps. The mask has been airbrush painted by Minnesota artist Todd Miska, whose logo “MISKA” is painted on the center forehead area. The design features a maroon background, gold M’s, and a graphic of a ferocious gopher, the mascot of the University.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this mask in our collections database.

A nighttime photograph of the scene after a head-on crash between two locomotives in October, 1945.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A clear green glass beer bottle from the Purity Brewing Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Purity was one of many breweries that went out of business due to Prohibition. Circa the 1910s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bottle in our collections database.

A cowbell with bracket attachment for use with drum kit, used by Lester Burwell in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Burwell bought his drum kit secondhand in 1931 and played it in a three-piece band throughout the 1930s, playing in parks, schools, and bars in the Minnesota State Capitol area, where he earned three dollars for two nights. They also played for events at the Lake Johanna Volunteer Fire Department. The other band members played piano, accordion and banjo. The band last played at a friend’s wedding in 1953. Lester Burwell also played drums a few nights with Whoopie John Wilfahrt’s polka band.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this cowbell in our collections database.

A stereoview photograph of an office interior, possibly the C.A. Pillsbury Company office in the Windom Block, Second Avenue South and Washington, Minneapolis. 1885.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A warning sign from “Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co.” intended to be applied to railroad car doors equipped with charcoal heaters: “WARNING / Poisonous Fumes / HEATED CAR” and additional text printed in red and black ink on yellowish white. Circa 1900-1950.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this sign in our collections database.

A photograph of a sailor and his partner playing table tennis in Minneapolis on December 10, 1942.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A woodcut print on paper titled “Survivors”, made by Minnesota artist Charles Beck, probably in the 1980s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this print in our collections database.

February is Black History Month, and to honor the contributions of Black players to the history of Minnesota sports, the Minnesota Historical Society is pleased to feature one of its newest Acquisitions – a 16 x 20 photograph of the Minneapolis Colored Keystones from 1908. At the time, baseball teams were segregated, and the Negro National League had not yet formed. The Keystones played teams around Minnesota from approximately 1908-1911, including the St. Paul Colored Gophers. The Keystones’ manager, Kidd Mitchell and his wife, Mamie, ran the Keystone Saloon at 1313 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis.

This particular image, labeled 1908, likely dates to the early part of the season based on the lineup of players. It was not uncommon for players to switch teams, and many players had ties to Chicago and Chicago-area teams. The names and positions are annotated on mat and identified as follows.

Back row, left to right: Fred “Pop” Roberts (2nd Base), Dick “Noisy” Wallace (Right Field), Eugene “Cherry” Barton (Left Field), Charles Jessup (Pitcher), “Topeka” Jack Johnson (1st Base), Bobby Marshall (Captain, Utility), George Hopkins (Center Field), Bill Binga (3rd Base). Middle row, left to right: Walter Ball (Pitcher), Edward “Kidd” “K.F” Mitchell (Pres. Manager/Owner), Mamie Lacey Mitchell, Eddie Davis (Secretary), Andrew Campbell (Catcher).

The Keystones appear in some books in the Historical Society’s Collections. They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota by Frank White and Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota edited by Steve Hoffbeck provide rich histories of Black baseball in Minnesota.

Jennifer Huebscher, Curator of Photography and Moving Images

Keystone Buffet, 1313 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

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A metal bottle opener produced by the Jacob Schmidt Brewing Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota, probably in the 1950s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this opener in our collections database.

A children’s buckskin coat with beaded floral motifs on the front and back that are backed with newspaper. On the inside of the jacket is a painted figure with long legs and taloned feet holding a pipe in its left hand and a plumed object in its right. There are two types of red cloth ribbon trim and fringe along the seams and bottom. Jacket is most likely Crow, circa 1900.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this coat in our collections database.

Gratuitously stealing the title from one of my favorite Minnesota history books, Twin Cities Then and Now by Larry Millet , Item of the Day presents an occasional series, Minneapolis Bars Then and (sometimes) Now.

This photograph shows Worwa’s Bar at 2300 University Ave NE in 1963. This location is still a bar/restaurant, Gasthof Zur Gemutlichkeit.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A photograph of a large crowd watching Minneapolis Firefighters battle a huge fire in the milling district in August of 1937.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A machine-woven, rectangular wool shawl used by Mrs. Gernet C. Dodge in the 1860s. The shawl’s bottom edge is fringed and decorated with a paisley motif.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this shawl in our collections database.

A railroad signal lantern, made of iron and painted black, with three lenses, two blue and one red. Manufactured by the Adams and Westlake Company, Chicago, Illinois, early 20th century.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this lantern in our collections database.

A small hand carved wooden bowl with Anna Persdotter’s initials on underside. Made in the late 19th century.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bowl in our collections database.

Recently acquired handwritten lyrics to “I Hope We Can Work It Out” written by Prince in 1977. Later that year, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. and he played this song at a private luncheon.

While the relationship worked for a time, this is the company Prince eventually had many legal disputes with and led him to change his name briefly into an unpronounceable glyph. He was referred to as “the artist formerly known as Prince.” Thankfully, that ended in 2000, when his contract with Warner Brothers expired, and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

To view a PDF of this item, please click on this link.

A photograph of two basketball players fighting for the ball during a Feb 25, 1948 NBL game between the Minneapolis Lakers and the Anderson (Indiana) Packers.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

This world premiere drama is set in 1956. The construction of Interstate 94 destroyed the thriving, tight-knit Rondo neighborhood where homes, stores and businesses once stood. The new freeway tore through the heart of St. Paul’s largest African-American community.

While the neighborhood of Rondo was forever changed, the voices and stories live on. On view in this display are just some of the materials in the collection which document that important community.

The play runs February 4 – 26, 2017.

The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin

This play follows the true story of Harry Chin, one of the many Chinese nationals who landed in the U.S. through a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act; it explores the personal and political repercussions of making a group of people “illegal.”

This display shows materials relating to the Chinese immigrant experience in Minnesota.

The play runs March 18 – April 9, 2017.

Use the History Center Promo Code:  HC2017 for $30 tickets at History Theater!

A United States Cadet Nurse Corp winter uniform from the 1940s which consists of a jacket, skirt, hat and purse, all made of dark gray wool flannel. Jacket has notched lapel collar, button-on shoulder straps, lower front flap pockets, a gray rayon twill lining, and silver Cadet Nurse Corps buttons and insignia. Six-gore skirt with left side zipper placket. Shaped and molded felt hat has a “Cadet Nurse” patch at center front. Label inside reads “Flo / Lill / Models”. U-shaped purse with curved edge, exterior pocket, zipper placket and self fabric shoulder straps. Interior has coin purse and mirror. Label reads “U S CADET NURSE CORPS”.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this uniform in our collections database.

A “Tiddle Tac Toe” game. Cardboard box (A,B) with the playing board (C), two small pieces of green felt (D,E), and 21 small colored plastic disks (F-Z). Circa 1950-70. The game is a combination of tiddlywinks and tic-tac-toe.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this game in our collections database.

A small brass bell worn on the harness of horses pulling streetcars for the Minneapolis Street Railway Company before 1891. It has a rectangular crown that allows it to be attached to a harness.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bell in our collections database.

A postcard from the 1960s showing a map of Minnesota and a fishing scene.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this postcard in our collections database.

A photograph of Twin City Lines rolling out a fleet of new GM buses in Minneapolis on July 7, 1953.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

MNHS is collecting material documenting contemporary social activism and we have received many inquiries about the Women’s March on January 21, 2017, which was one of the largest protests in state history. While we can’t preserve everything, we are interested in collecting items and photos. We are aiming to document:

• Diverse voices
• Varied reasons for marching
• Multiple locations around Minnesota as well as Washington DC

We are taking submissions until March 1, 2017, at which point we will make a selection from the submissions and contact potential donors.

Please submit photos of the event and/or photos of objects with a short description of your experience and the items you are submitting to collections@mnhs.org with the subject line “Women’s March 2017” no later than March 1, 2017.

To offer items not related to this event, please see our Potential Donation to the Collection form. For more information see our How to Donate FAQ.

Thank you!

A Ford pickup truck toy with a metal body, rubber wheels and a moveable tailgate. Manufactured by the Nylint Corporation in the 1970s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this toy in our collections database.

A Merganser duck decoy carved out of hardwood and painted. The artist is unknown.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this decoy in our collections database.

A can of Schell’s Deer Brew Beer, featuring an image of a stag on the label, manufactured by the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, Minnesota, circa 1980.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this can in our collections database.

An ink and ink wash on paper by Erle Loran, 1944. Titled “Self Portrait”.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this drawing in our collections database.

A photograph of a man and his donkey on the picket line at the KSTP studios on May 19, 1952.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

This 1860 photograph shows the Minnesota photographer Charles Alfred Zimmerman with photo equipment and holding a stereo lens used to make photographs like the one of the Stone Arch Bridge seen here last week.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

This silk satin and brocade reception dress was given to the Society in 1920 as part of several large donations of household goods from the LeDuc family of Hastings, Minnesota. General William Gates LeDuc was a quartermaster in the Civil War and then U.S. Commissioner of Agriculture. He sought his fortune in frontier industries — railroads, mining, real estate, lumber, steamboats and farming.

LeDuc served as Commissioner of Agriculture in the Hayes administration from 1877-1881. Mary embraced Washington social life.  In her letters she wrote about visiting the White House, social events and her wardrobe. She wrote to her daughter Minnie:  “I have a great taste for all this life.”

This dress was called “ashes of roses” by the donor’s entry in the collections register, referring to the name of a popular color in the 1870s and 80s. Typically “ashes of roses” is described as a faded blush color resembling faded pink rose petals.  It was one of the colors popular during the rise of the Aesthetic period, when neutral colors were understood as more tasteful than the new synthetic aniline dyes and their popular bright hues.

Mary LeDuc’s dress with its combination of ashes of roses silk taffeta and white brocade would have been worn during the LeDuc’s residence in Washington between 1877 and 1881. Both Lucy Hayes and Rutherford Hayes kept diaries and entertainment logs during this period. There are various State Dinners and receptions for the Diplomatic Corps noted during the social season each year but no specific mention of a “Japanese Ball.” Thomas Corwin Donaldson, a personal friend of Hayes, noted in his memoirs a communication from the White House doorkeeper, Thomas F. Pendel, that the “receptions and parties they [the Hayeses] gave were the most expensive and costly ever given in the White House. “

These social engagements are also noted in the diary entries of Lucy Scott West, cousin of Mrs. Hayes, who spent the social season of 1878 in Washington. Her diary is full of almost daily receptions, weekly State Dinners and balls in February and March of 1878.  Lucy Scott described one such event on February 16^th 1878 that the Japanese minister also attended:

“Thursday night I attended Secretary Evarts Reception & Mrs. Jeffrey’s Ball; both most elegant entertainments but “Oh ye Gods & little fishes” what a crush. Upon my word we were half an hour getting up the steps to the dressing room (at Sec. Evarts) & down again. Every body [sic] & his wife was there & the rooms presented the strange appearance of a dense mass of human beings struggling about helplessly in the most inextricable confusion. Two thousand invitations had been issued. The house is lovely & large enough for airy[any] seasonable festivity. The library, supper room & saloon parlors were thrown open on the first floor & there were two or three lovely little apartments up stairs where you could take yr ease & sip coffee, chocolate, or tea. A great many celebrities were present among others the Japanese minister. . .”

The week before, on Feb 7, 1878, Florence LeDuc wrote to her friend Minnie:

“After all I did not enjoy the President’s reception. There was such a great crowd. Papa does not like crowds but must say go as soon as we have spoken to President & Mrs. Hayes. On Monday night we were invited to the Japanese Minister’s – Papa, Mamma, Minnie went. I did not go.”

The Japanese ambassador,Yoshida Kiyonari, served in Washington D. C. for seven years during both the Grant and Hayes administration. One of his accomplishments concluded in an 1879 commercial treaty with Japan, enabling increased trade between the US and Japan. He also coordinated former President Ulysses S. Grant’s visit to Japan in 1879. The Hayes’ formed a particular friendship with Minister Yoshida and his wife. Hayes wrote in 1881. “I shall always cherish most agreeable recollections of the friendship formed with you and Mrs. Yoshida during our late residence at Washington.”

Clearly the Japanese minister and his wife were active in this Washington social life, as were the LeDucs, but the specific occasion for which Mrs. LeDuc wore this dress remains a mystery.

Linda McShannock, Textile Curator

*Special thanks to MNHS textile conservator Ann Frisina for her conservation of this dress and mannequin dressing.

This cyanotype photograph shows spectators crowding the stands for a baseball game at Nicollet Park. Taken around 1900.

In case you don’t know, this photograph is called a cyanotype where iron salts are used in place of silver, producing the blue color. This process was most often used to make blueprints.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

This photograph shows flight attendants Burnece Sorby and possibly Olga Loken, on the wing of a Northwest Airlines airplane in 1939.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

Gratuitously stealing the title from one of my favorite Minnesota history books, Twin Cities Then and Now by Larry Millet , Item of the Day presents an occasional series, Minneapolis Bars Then and (sometimes) Now.

This photograph shows John’s Bar at 2500 Marshall Street in 1953. Today, this location is still a bar, Tony Jaros’ River Garden.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A photograph of a City of Minneapolis workman spreading salt and sand on the Hennepin Ave bridge on November 15, 1956.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A memorial quilt made for Margaret Hill, member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, in 2009. The quilt was created by two of her students, Jackie Anderson and Cecelia Olson. The rectangular machine-quilted quilt includes 15 color photo-transferred images showing Hill either teaching or working on basketry and beadwork projects and also illustrating her finished work.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this quilt in our collections database.

A ribbed rolling pin with paper label, made in Newfolden, Minnesota, and retailed at Ingebretsen’s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this rolling pin in our collections database.

An 1883 stereoview photograph showing the Stone Arch Bridge under construction in Minneapolis.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A glass half-gallon beer bottle from John Hauenstein Company of New Ulm, Minnesota, circa 1934-1969. The bottle has a trademark on the silkscreened paper label and the glass factory’s markings on the base.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bottle in our collections database.

A photograph of two women riding a motorized bicycle on a warm January day in 1942.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A clear glass “Minnesota” or “Muchness” pattern open flared compote (footed shallow dish) produced by the United States Glass Company, circa 1898-1904, as a part of their “States” series of glassware patterns. The compote’s decorative pattern includes a repeated eight-point “Star of the North” motif as well as round lumps representing lakes and triangular crosshatching representing evergreen trees.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this compote in our collections database.

A radiophone in high impact plastic casing with telephone receiver fitted into handle on top. Manufactured by Motorola, Inc., Chicago, Illinois and used by The Soo Line railroad in the 1960s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this phone in our collections database.

Join us in celebrating the re-opening of the Minnesota State Capitol building today, January 3, 2017! After 3 years of restoration, renovation and technical updates the building is finally open to the public. Please visit the capitol website for more information on tours.

In honor of this occasion, the Item of the Day presents the first page of a recently acquired state capitol construction photo album. It contains over 275 photographs taken during the construction of the capitol building between 1896 and 1905. Please visit the finding aid for the collection here, and the entire album can be seen (as a PDF) here.

A postcard from the 1930s that states, “Greetings from Rochester, Minn.”

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this postcard in our collections database.

A photograph of the 1938 Hamline University basketball team contemplating the basket.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A quarter plate daguerreotype showing Mr. and Mrs. Marshall B. Pierce, taken in the 1850s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A clear, ribbed glass, pint-sized Seven Seas dandruff shampoo bottle. The bottle has a paper label on the front describing the product, its properties, uses and ingredients. Seven Seas shampoo was produced by Rayette, Incorporated, a cosmetic supply and equipment company based in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the 1950s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this bottle in our collections database.

A promotional item from Target consisting of two concentric paper discs, used for pairing wines with food items sold at Target. The outer disc lists 8 types of wine, the inner disc 8 food items. Inner disc is rotated to pair a food item with a wine, and a rating for that paring is revealed in a small slot on the inner disc. 2002.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this disc in our collections database.

A portrait of 3M employee Arthur Fry inspecting his invention, the Post-it note.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A rectangular paper holiday card from the Domestic European Ferret Fanciers and Breeders Association of Minnesota, located in Saint Paul. It features a color photograph of four ferrets with a Christmas tree, stocking and snowman basket. Printed in 1991. Have a happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Boxing Day!

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this card in our collections database.

A photograph of a man, possibly named Bill, out ice-fishing with his home made shelter on January 26, 1948.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A red, green and black rubberized fabric placemat advertising Schmidt’s City Club Beer, with an image of the Schmidt Brewery of Saint Paul, Minnesota, circa 1940.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this mat in our collections database.

An incised ceramic sculpture titled “Relationship” made by Dan and Lee Ross of Hovland, Minnesota, circa 2000.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this sculpture in our collections database.

A souvenir needle case produced by the Pillsbury Company for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, Missouri, 1904.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this case in our collections database.

Visually stunning women’s formal wear is a highlight of the MNHS costume collection.   Minnesota Dressmakers:  The Business of Dressmaking is expanded research about costume in the MNHS collection dating between 1880-1920. About 100 garments are identified by the label of the dressmaker’s business sewn into the garment and represent 25 different prominent businesses operating in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Dressmaking by 1900 had become the third most important occupation for women.  These business owners and the seamstresses they hired supplied custom-made fashion to their clients at a time when ready-to-wear was an emerging concept.   Enjoy this new resource   that provides business histories and biographical information on the women engaged in this work.

The research to identify these businesses took on a life of its own as staff, volunteers and interns combed city directories, newspapers, census data, death records, birth records, family papers, photographs, maps, and probate records.  Occasionally, we found family members to interview. We looked at every possible source of information for clues into these women’s lives in order to imagine their relationships as proprietors, workers or clients.

This project was supported by The Bean family grant for business history, the Ken and Nina Rothschild Endowment fund for business history and women’s history, and support from Art and Cultural Heritage Funding.

Linda McShannock, Associate Curator

Minnesota Dressmakers:  The Business of Dressmaking

A photograph of a Northwestern Aeronautical spokesman showing off the MN made US Army CG-4A Transport Glider at an April, 1943 show in Minneapolis.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A package of six Scotch brand lint remover pads, made by the 3M Company in the 1960s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view these lint removers in our collections database.

A “Satellite Space Race” card game in original box made by Ed-U-Cards Manufacturing Corporation of Long Island City, New York. circa 1957-1965.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this game in our collections database.

The Civil War is chock-full of tales of tragedy narrowly averted, often in the form of a bullet being stopped by a bible residing in the chest pocket of some fortunate soldier.  However, such occurrences aren’t always accompanied by documentation to substantiate their authenticity, making this sword belt worn by Lt. William Paist of the Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry an especially intriguing artifact.

A native of Ohio, Paist moved to Saint Paul in 1855 and started a real estate business, which prospered until the financial panic of 1857.  In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company H of the Eighth Minnesota, which served nearly two years in the U.S.-Dakota War until the unit was transferred to the Civil War’s Western Theater.

In December, 1864 the Eighth Minnesota Regiment participated in the Third Battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where they fought against Southern troops for the first time.  On December 7, William Paist, now a lieutenant, was leading his company in battle when he was wounded.  Like many Civil War soldiers, Paist was a prolific writer and penned this account two days later in a letter to his family:

“I was struck once with a grape shot – it is a cast iron ball about as large as a small walnut.  My belt plate saved my life as it struck it & bent & mashed it all up…could not speak for 10 minutes & when I did come too supposed the ball was in my belly but a faithful corporal by the name of Josiah Lothrop was beside me with the ball in his hand. I have it now & intend to string it to my sword.”

Lt. Paist survived the war and returned to Minnesota where he became a successful farmer and a founding member of the North Star Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.  The Minnesota historical Society holds the papers of William Paist and his family, and now the ball and sword belt from that fateful day in 1864.

Adam Scher, senior curator

A postcard showing a group of men eating breakfast(?) in the cook shack in a logging camp near Bemidji in 1908.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this postcard in our collections database.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Judge Miles Lord last Saturday. He was born on the Iron Range and became a towering legal figure in Minnesota and the nation. Prior to being appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, he served as Minnesota’s Attorney General from 1955 – 1960 and U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota from 1961 – 1966. He was known for issuing rulings in favor of those regularly disenfranchised, such as minorities, women, consumers, and environmentalists.  His friend Hubert Humphrey called him “the people’s judge.”

Learn more about this important figure here:

• Miles Lord in Collections Online
• Miles Lord in the Library Collection

A pair of Ojibwe leather gauntlets decorated with floral beadwork. Dated circa 1900-1950.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view these gloves in our collections database.

A photograph of a tall high jumper standing next to a short judge at a May 1937 track meet at the University of Minnesota.

This image forms part of our Minneapolis and St. Paul Newspaper Negative collection. Additional photographs in this series may be available in the library, please view the finding aid here.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this photograph in our collections database.

A sterling silver trophy from the 1907 Minnesota State Lawn Tennis Championship for women’s doubles, won by Marguerite Davis.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this trophy in our collections database.

A pair of Minnesota Twins uniform stirrups. Navy blue machine knit with appliquéd Twins logo of a white “T” over a red “C”. Circa the late 1970s or early 1980s.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view these socks in our collections database.

A pair of orange shorts worn by a member of the Minnesota Kicks soccer team, printed with the number ‘12′. These could have been worn by Ricardo Alonso, Charlie George or Peter Short. 1976-1981.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view these shorts in our collections database.

A home jersey worn by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter during the 1995 season. Carter played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1990 to 2001 and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

For more information or to purchase a photograph of this item, view this jersey in our collections database.