Ambrotype of the family of Jean Baptiste Faribault taken on the occasion of the wedding of his son, George Faribault, to Euphrasine St. Antoine circa 1850.  Present are, clockwise from top left: Alexander Faribault, Father Augustin Ravoux, Jean Baptiste Faribault, Euphrasine St. Antoine Faribault, and George Faribault.

For details, view the ambrotype in our online collections database.

Crib quilt made of printed cotton and pieced in a star pattern. Created in 1853 and used by the children of writer and educator Edward Duffield Neill in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Neill was an important figure in early Minnesota history. He was chaplain to the 1^st Minnesota Infantry during the Civil War; secretary to Presidents Lincoln and Johnson; and a president of Macalester College.

For details, view the quilt in our online collections database.  It is on view as part of the exhibit Minnesota and the Civil War, open to the public at the Minnesota History Center through September 8, 2013.

Learn More:

• Acquired! 1850 Edward D. Neill Letter
• Edward D. Neill and Family Papers

Studio photograph taken circa 1858 of Birdella M. Ross and her (probably twin) sister.

For details, view the photograph in our online collections database.

Daguerreotype of Charles D. Elfelt’s store and Joel Emmons Whitney’s photography gallery at Third and Cedar Streets in St. Paul, Minnesota taken by Whitney in 1852. Christ Episcopal Church is visible in the background at right.

For details, view the daguerreotype in our online collections database.

Five coin silver spoons and a carrying pouch used by the family of writer William Watts Folwell and engraved with the family’s name. Four of the spoons were made by M.C. Haight and the fifth by J. Hollister, all circa 1857.

For details, view the spoons in our online collections database.

Photograph of St. Anthony Falls looking towards the west. Taken by St. Paul-based photographer Joel Emmons Whitney circa 1852.

For details, view the photograph in our online collections database.

Cast-iron, wood-burning stove manufactured by W. Resor and Company in Cincinnati, Ohio circa 1859. The stove features an oval-domed top with a decorative cast-iron finial that lifts to expose two cooking plates and an H-shaped plate between them. Its cast-iron fire box has a side door for adding wood and removing ash. The door swings on two hinges, while two sliding doors at the front open to expose the radiant heat from the fire within. The four identical and interchangeable cast-iron feet are curved and decorative, and are held in place by friction in an angled slot under the stove’s apron or foot rail. All cast-iron pieces feature floral and vegetal designs in relief.

For details, view the stove in our online collections database.

English detached lever escapement pocket watch.  The watch was used by Corporal John Nelson of the 6th Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War.  Manufactured between 1840 and 1853 by Edward J. Dent of London, a renowned clock maker.

For details, view the watch in our online collections database.

Original ambrotype, made in 1859, of Everett H. Bailey and his sister, Catherine Bailey. Everett Bailey served as president of the First National Bank of St. Paul during the early 1900s.

For details, view the ambrotype in our online collections database.

Today’s post concludes our series highlighting State Fair-related artifacts (although the Fair runs through Labor Day, September 3).  If you missed a post, you can browse our archive of the series, which showcased a painting, a pig, a trophy awarded to a team of horses, a 1965 postcard, a milk pail and a 1918 bread-baking demonstration.

Winter bonnet made by Lucretia Brush Pomroy circa 1858 and exhibited by Pomroy’s granddaughter, Alice Pomroy, at the 1955 Minnesota State Fair.  The channel-quilted  bonnet is of black and purple checked silk with quilted curtain and damask silk ribbon ties.

For details, view the bonnet in our online collections database.

Learn More:

• Spectacular Fair: the Minnesota State Fair podcast
• Minnesota State Fair in Archival Film Footage podcast