Museum Collections Up Close : MNHS.ORG » 1900s

Child’s Beaded Coat

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 06:01:18 +0000

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.

Baseball in Blue

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 06:01:50 +0000

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.

Minnesota Pattern

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 06:01:42 +0000

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.

State Capitol Construction Album

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 06:01:02 +0000

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.

Pillsbury Needle Case

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 06:01:23 +0000

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.

Breakfast

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 06:01:56 +0000

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.

Lawn Tennis Trophy

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 06:01:57 +0000

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.

Shakopee Glass

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 06:01:49 +0000

A clear glass tumbler from the Shakopee Brewery in Shakopee, Minnesota, which was managed by Hubert Nyssen, circa 1900.

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

Army Bayonet

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 05:01:52 +0000

A United States Army Model 1905 knife bayonet features a single-edge blade with a narrow, unstopped fuller running to the point. It is stamped “US / 40486″ on the front and “SA /1906″ on the back with a grenade insignia. The pommel is of the birds-head type. The cross guard is slotted adjacent to the blade, above and below, and forms circular terminals, the upper being larger and pierced to slip over a gun muzzle. The scales are wood, secured by a machine screw that is bushed on both sides.

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

TPWC Pin

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 05:01:52 +0000

A Territorial Pioneer Women Club lapel pin that depicts a gopher flanked by ladyslipper flowers. Circa 1900.

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

McKinley-Roosevelt Hat

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 05:01:00 +0000

A brown felt fedora given to Minneapolis Journal editor Herschel V. Jones by Vice Presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt in 1900 during Roosevelt’s campaign tour of the west. The hat’s leather sweatband is stamped with “MCKINLEY” and “ROOSEVELT” encircled by laurel wreaths joined by a central banner reading “THE / NATION’S / CHOICE”. “THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL” and Roosevelt’s signature have been written on the crown of the hat in ink, while “ROOSEVELT TRIP 1900″ and a long list of tour stop locations have been written on the top of the hat’s brim. The underside of the brim was signed by other members of the tour press corps.

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

Quillwork Breeches

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 05:01:52 +0000

A Lakota boy’s leather knee-length breeche, made on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, South Dakota, circa 1900. They are machine and hand stitched and are lined in white cotton. Quillwork on both sides of the outside leg includes motifs of a thunderbird, a star and flowers using dyed red, green, purple and white quills.

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

Whiskey Bottle

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 05:01:52 +0000

An empty half-pint bottle of Sandell Brothers’ Old Monogram Pure Rye Whiskey, manufactured in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was found inside the wall of a home built in 1907 in the West Side neighborhood of Saint Paul.

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

Gold Medal Flour Doll

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 05:01:42 +0000

A paper doll issued by the Washburn Crosby Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Circa 1900.

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

Bjella Automobile

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 05:01:25 +0000

An open automobile made by altering a horse-drawn phaeton carriage to accept a front-mounted gasoline engine. “Bjella” name-plate attached to the engine compartment above the grille. Made by P.B. Hole and Ole Bjella of McIntosh, Minnesota in 1905-1906.

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

“Ladies” Spittoon

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 05:01:59 +0000

A pink ceramic “lady’s” spittoon with white and gold trim. Made by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles of East Liverpool, Ohio, and purchased for 25 cents at an estate sale at the home of Governor Floyd B.Olson.

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

Dakota Tobacco Pouch

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 06:01:41 +0000

A Dakota tobacco pouch and pipe stem bag. Both are constructed of buckskin and decorated with beadwork panels and fringed edges. Porcupine quill-wrapped tassels terminating in tinkler cones with horsehair tufts are attached to the mouth of the tobacco pouch; the fringe attached to its bottom is also quill-wrapped. Circa 1900.

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

Dakota Child’s Jacket

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 06:01:02 +0000

A Dakota child’s leather jacket decorated with intricate beaded floral design. Dated to the late 19th, early 20th century.

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

Ironclad Souvenir

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 06:01:51 +0000

A miniature souvenir anchor made of iron salvaged from the frigate USS Merrimack, which had been rebuilt by the Confederates as the ironclad warship CSS Virginia during the Civil War. The CSS Virginia was engaged at the Battle of Hampton Roads, sinking or grounding three Union ships before being engaged by another ironclad, the USS Monitor. The world’s first battle between ironclad warships ended in a draw. The Virginia was later destroyed to avoid being captured by Union forces. 1907.

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

Glass Dish

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 06:01:28 +0000

Transparent green glass dish created by Michael Tonder of Two Harbors, Minnesota in 1996. The dish is assembled from many small pieces of recycled glass fused together and sand blasted.

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

Ojibwe Family

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 06:01:27 +0000

A photograph showing 5 members of an Ojibwe family in the early 1900s.

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

Dan Patch Trophy

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 05:01:05 +0000

A sterling silver trophy won by Dan Patch, a pacing harness horse from Minnesota that set multiple world speed records that would not be matched until 1938. The inscription on the three-handled cup reads “Presented by / Memphis Trotting Association / FOR WORLDS RECORD / TO HARNESS PACING / WON BY / Dan Patch / Owned by M. W. Savage / Driven by H. S. Herbey / TIME 1:56 Oct. 26-1904.” The trophy was made by the Gorham Company in Providence, Rhode Island.

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

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Bicycle Cape

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 05:01:51 +0000

A woman’s bicycle cape of tan wool with a yoke, stand-up collar and same collar top-stitching. The circular cape is lined in an art nouveau printed cotton of pink, blue, black, brown, tan and beige. Made in the early 1900s.

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

State Fair Ticket

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 05:01:49 +0000

The 2015 Minnesota State Fair opens today and in honor of that we present a week and a half of Fair related Item of the Day posts.

This is a 1908 Minnesota State Fair complimentary admission ticket booklet from the records of the Faribault State Hospital. The front cover reads “COMPLIMENTARY NOT TRANSFERABLE 1908 / MINNESOTA STATE FAIR / 49TH Annual Exhibition / FOR [blank] and LADY / AUGUST 31ST TO SEPT. 5TH 1908 / NO. 1258” the blank is filled in “A. C. Rogers”. While the book originally contained six perforated paper tickets, only numbers 3, 4 and 5 remain attached in the booklet.

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

Plains Knife Sheath

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 05:01:16 +0000

A Plains leather knife sheath circa the late 19th century or early 20th century. The sheath has beadwork decoration on one side and a loom-woven beadwork strap. The sheath beadwork is stitched in a geometric pattern and has blue, yellow and green glass seed beads, sewn with what is probably sinew.

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

Feather Hat

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 05:01:25 +0000

An oversized hat with high crown and inner frame, circa 1905. Hat is draped in black velvet with a band of black and deep red corded silk draped on lower half. The brocade ribbon forms a band at lower crown. Front of hat is trimmed with a circlet of pheasant feathers with very deep red dyed quills extending above hat. Black silk lining.

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

MPL Art Gallery

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 05:01:00 +0000

A view of the art gallery in the Minneapolis Public Library at 10th and Hennepin in 1908.

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

Dakota Bag

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 05:01:36 +0000

A Dakota/Lakota carrying or storage bag made of tanned leather, circa 1900. A beadwork panel on the front of the bag features geometric designs in shades of yellow, blue, green and red on a white background. Similar panels decorate the sides and top flap of the bag, as do pairs of tinkler cones terminating in tufts of dyed-red horsehair.

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

Motorcycling

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 05:01:39 +0000

A black and white photograph of Arthur Roach and friends out on a motorcycle ride in 1905.

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

Plains Knife Sheath

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 05:01:58 +0000

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

Arts and Crafts Tile

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 05:01:18 +0000

A ceramic tile in the Arts and Crafts style, hand built by Gladys Pattee of Minneapolis, MN in the early 1900s.

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

Beaded Jacket

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 05:01:11 +0000

A buckskin scout coat with beadwork and fur trim, possibly made by the Cree or Ojibwe. It was made the early 1900s.

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

Library Table

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 05:01:30 +0000

A large rectangular library table of circassian walnut in an early 20th century interpretation of Renaissance Revival. Top has inlaid marquetry with carved C and S-scrolls. Designed and made by William Yungbauer of St. Paul in early 1904 for Louis W. Hill, St. Paul, MN.

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

Beaded Wall Hanging

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 05:01:55 +0000

An Ojibwe loom-beaded wall hanging featuring floral design. This item was purchased in the area of Leech Lake, Minnesota, from members of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa who would travel south to gather wild rice. Made in the early 1900s.

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

Dakota Moccasins

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 06:01:34 +0000

A pair of beaded Dakota moccasins with split tongues ending in tinkle cones. Made sometime between 1870 and 1920.

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

Paper Fan

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 06:01:31 +0000

A Japanese paper fan with carved wooden sticks, circa 1900.

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

Bandolier Bag

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 06:01:27 +0000

A White Earth Ojiwbe bandolier bag made in the early 1900s and owned by Darwin S. Hall who was chairman of the Chippewa Indian Commission.

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

Grange Voting Box

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 05:01:54 +0000

Today is voting day for the 2014 midterm elections and in that spirit, we present this wooden voting box used by the Minnesota State Grange, the first state grange to be established in the United States in 1869. It has a hinged “secret” compartment and contains 42 marbles and 12 black plastic cubes.

The Grange is a secret and ritualistic fraternal society of farmers and others interested in agriculture.

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

Rocking Chair

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 05:01:00 +0000

A bentwood willow rocking chair painted dark green with an open style flared back and a rolled log seat. Used on the donor’s porch in the early 1900s.

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

Game Bag

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 05:01:19 +0000

A Plains Indian (probably Dakota) “possibles” bag of tanned hide decorated with glass beads and tinned-iron cones with horsehair inserts, circa 1850-1900.

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

U of M Jersey

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 05:01:12 +0000

A maroon and gold University of Minnesota football sweater worn by Egil Boeckmann in 1903. Stitched to the back in gold colored wool felt is “M/ 6 to 6″. Boeckmann scored the touchdown that tied the Minnesota-Michigan game in the first “Little Brown Jug” game; it was worn to celebrations following the game.

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

Beaded Bag

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 05:01:08 +0000

A small leather drawstring bag with beaded floral designs, made in Blackduck, MN sometime in the early 1900s.

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

Plains Cree tobacco pouch

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 05:01:15 +0000

This buckskin pipe bag has beadwork on the lower half that is sewn on heavy cotton canvas and applied; ribbon binds the top edges of the bag. The beadwork and general shape of the bag indicate its origin with the Plains Cree, made in the early 1900s.

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

First License Plate

Jason Onerheim — Fri, 02 May 2014 14:30:37 +0000

On this day, May 2 in 1903 the first Minnesota automobile license plate was issued to R.C. Wright of St. Paul for his Packard. This is that plate. It was issued by the State Boiler Inspector and is made of black leather with a brass number 1.

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

Beaded drawstring bag

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 14:30:36 +0000

A large beaded leather drawstring bag with six metal ornaments and blue wool yarn. The bag is either Cheyenne or Dakota (probably Teton) and is from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, N.D. Circa 1900.

This bag can also be seen in person in our current Library Lobby display of Native American beadwork. It is open during regular Library hours.

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

Schuetzen Rifle

Jason Onerheim — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 15:30:40 +0000

Single shot percussion Schuetzen rifle. A Schuetzen rifle is a single-shot target rifle commonly used by competition shooters from 1875 to 1945. This rifle has a heavy octagonal steel barrel and walnut half stock decorated with brass nails and checkering at the wrist, an inlaid brass dog, and a carved fore end cap. It also has an elaborate locking system, a double-set trigger, and a Swiss style butt plate. Made by Bachner Brothers in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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

Cree Beaded Holster

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:30:07 +0000

A Cree beaded leather gun holster made as a tourist item in the early 1900s.

For details, view this holster in our collections database.

Herz Iron

Jason Onerheim — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 15:30:03 +0000

Help Mate gas hand iron made of cast iron with a chromed finish and black painted wood handle grip. Made by the HERZ Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota in the early 1900s.

For details, view this iron in our collections database.

Snow Scene

Jason Onerheim — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 15:30:33 +0000

A street scene in Heron Lake, MN after a large 1909 snowstorm.

For details, view this postcard in our collections database.

Bad Luck Stickpin

Jason Onerheim — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:30:42 +0000

Stickpin in the form of a black cat with the words “My Mascot” written in silver. Circa the early 1900s.

For details, view this pin in our collections database.

2013 Fishing Opener

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:30:31 +0000

Calvert Fredric Spensley and an unidentified companion pose with their catch of fish circa 1900. For details, view the photograph in our online collections database.

The 2013 Minnesota fishing season begins May 11.

Ojibwe family portrait

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:30:53 +0000

An Ojibwe family poses for a portrait in a photographer’s studio circa 1905.

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

Sled

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:30:40 +0000

Wooden sled with two sets of steel runners and a steerable front end that can be flexed in order to turn the sled, and that snaps back into a forward position by means of a steel spring. Used by Peter H. ffolliott, Sr. and family circa 1900.

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

Debutante’s coat

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:30:47 +0000

Coat of beige velvet and gold lame beaded with rhinestones and cut crystals and featuring a fur collar and cuffs. The coat was made by dressmaker Julia Tomasek of St. Paul, Minnesota and worn by Hazel Thompson, a St. Paul debutante, between 1905 and 1909.

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

Morton Indian School class picture

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:30:55 +0000

Students attending the government-run school for American Indian children in Morton, Minnesota pose for a class picture. Photographed by N.B. Andersen circa 1905.

A large-scale reproduction of this photograph has been incorporated into Then Now Wow, an interactive exhibit designed especially for kids and families now on view at the History Center in St. Paul.

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

Nutting fire extinguisher grenade

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:30:10 +0000

Fire extinguisher grenade made by the Nutting Fire Grenade company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The spherical yellow glass flask has a neck sealed with either lead or wax and cork. A paper label affixed to one side reads, “How to Use / In case of Fire throw or / break the / GRENADE / So the contents will be / scattered in the / Flame.” The paper label affixed to the neck reads “DIAMOND”. The bottle contains a fluid with some particle sediment; it is probably carbon tetrachloride. The fire grenade was hung from a nail at the top of a door frame in the upstairs apartment at the Dahlgren Brothers General Store in Onamia, Minnesota, by the wire loop around the neck of the bottle. Manufactured circa 1908.

To view more historical firefighting objects, and to learn about the dedication of the Minnesota Fallen Firefighter Memorial on September 30, 2012, watch our podcast Firefighting in Minnesota: A Salute to the Fallen.

Charlotte Hill’s wedding gown

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:30:12 +0000

Two-piece satin wedding gown worn by Charlotte Hill, a daughter of railroad magnate James J. Hill, at her wedding to George T. Slade on October 9, 1901. The gown’s top has a high lace neckline banded in satin and a pleated tulle bodice insert. The fitted and boned bodice is lined in silk taffeta and has small lapels and back hooks. The modified leg of mutton sleeves have wing cuffs with chiffon undersleeves. A wide tucked band buttons at the elbow to form sleeve accents. The skirt’s train is three and a half feet long, and a wide silk tulle ruffle trims the hem. The entire gown is lined in silk taffeta.

For details, view the gown’s skirt and top in our online collections database.

Learn more:

The Hill House Servants: Life Downstairs podcast
The Hill Family Collection podcast
Hill Family Collection portal
James J. Hill biography
More Hill family artifacts

Minnesota State Fair, 1905

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 14:30:37 +0000

To celebrate this year’s Minnesota State Fair, the Item of the Day blog is offering a series of posts featuring artifacts, art and photographs from fairs past. Look for a new post every weekday until August 31.

Photoprint on paper of a pig and spectators at the 1905 Minnesota State Fair. Photographer unknown.

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

Learn More:

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

Pharmacy scale

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:30:38 +0000

Encased pharmacy balance scale manufactured between 1900 and 1914 by Troemner Scales in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The scale has a wood frame with glass windows encompassing three sides, a base drawer with two pull-out drawers, a pivoted brass horizontal beam of equal-length arms with a weighing pan attached to each arm, and four adjustable metal feet. A knob on the front adjusts the height of the balance rod. The storage drawer contains measuring trays, weight balances and an envelope with pharmacy stickers reading “1914.”

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

Tortoise shell fan

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:30:53 +0000

Tortoise shell folding fan used by the family of James J. Hill circa 1900. Its sticks are constructed of true tortoise shell carved with floral designs and appliqued with silver and gold floral foil patterns. The leaf is made of printed paper which has been hand-colored and gilded. On the recto are multiple 17th century figures arranged in a court scene, with insets providing detail; on the verso is a pastoral courting scene.

Learn more:

Speed Holman’s baby shoes

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:30:03 +0000

Shoes worn by aviator and stunt pilot Charles “Speed” Holman of Minneapolis during his babyhood and early childhood, 1898-1903. The shoes have leather uppers and soles and close with metal buttons. Holman died in an air show accident in Omaha, Nebraska in 1931.

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

Scythe

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:30:31 +0000

Iron hand scythe with wooden handle. Used in the blacksmith shop of Rudolph A. Kunz, Sr. in St. Paul, Minnesota, circa 1903-1910.

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

Dakota woman’s jingle dress

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:30:38 +0000

Dakota woman’s jingle dress made by Lucy Pair in 1905. The dress consists of three pieces: a layered, dyed cotton muslin blouse; a layered, dyed cotton muslin skirt; and a cotton belt, all decorated with tin jingle cones made from tobacco cans. This type of dress was traditionally worn for ceremonial healing purposes and, more recently, at pow-wows. The dress was donated by a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution from Wheaton, Minnesota.

For details, view the dress and belt in our online collections database.

Contact print

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:30:48 +0000

Contact print made by amateur photographer Sadie Ray circa 1908. Ray appears at left in the first image on the second row, along with her husband, Elmer, and daughter, Emma. The Ray family lived in St. Paul and Excelsior, Minnesota.

Watch the podcast What a Picture is Worth: The Sadie and Emma Ray Photography Collection for more information about the Rays and the dozens of photographs taken by mother and daughter. To view additional pictures, visit our online collections database.

Moccasins

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:30:47 +0000

Pair of sinew-sewn leather moccasins with rawhide soles lined in blue cloth. The moccasins are decorated with glass seed beads arranged in a geometric design and feature heel seam fringe, leather thong tie closure, and a split tongue with attached metal tinkler cones and remnants of red feathers. Predominant colors are white, blue, rose red, green, and orange. Created circa 1900; possibly Dakota.

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

Tiffany studios vase

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:30:38 +0000

Tiffany Studios ovoid vase of opaque glass with an iridescent exterior of light yellowish green, medium reddish purple, metallic gold, and strong blue. “L.C.T.” and “U744″ are etched into the base. Circa 1904.

Wadena and Joseph Charette

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:30:43 +0000

The Ojibwe chief Wadena and Civil War veteran Joseph Charette (also a chief) pose for a photograph at the White Earth Indian Reservation in 1907. Charette, right, was also known as Joe or Joseph Critt, as well as by his Ojibwe name, Wenji-maadab.

For more details, view the photograph in our Visual Resources Database, where you’ll find additional images of Charette:

Chief Joseph Charette, White Earth (1897)
Chief Mich-e-me-ge-shick, Joe Charette, Theodore Beaulieu and unidentified man, White Earth (ca. 1905)
Chief Joseph Charette and unidentified Ojibwe man, White Earth (1908-1916)
Joseph Charette, White Earth (1910)

Menu holder

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:30:47 +0000

Menu holder used by the family of James J. Hill at their house on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue circa 1900. The holder consists of a curved steel spindle on a cast iron openwork wall bracket formed in an oval shape with a crest, gadrooning, C-scrolls, a stylized petaled flower on a leafed stem, a quatrefoil where the spindle attaches to bracket, and an inverted keyhole at the top for mounting. The bracket is painted black with areas of the original gold-colored paint remaining.

The menu holder is one of many artifacts featured in “The Hill House Servants: Life Downstairs,” a Collections Up Close podcast about the lives of the Hill family servants.

Handmade washing machine

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:30:47 +0000

Handmade wooden washing machine. Made in 1904 by a St. Paul building contractor and Czech immigrant. The machine is made from a wooden box with a corrugated wooden interior, a hinged metal lid on top, a small metal handle on the front and back, and a large metal handle on either side. The four legs are on swivels so the entire box can be rocked back and forth.

For more details, view the machine in our online catalog.

Milwaukee Road agent’s telephone

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:30:17 +0000

Candlestick-style telephone used by Milwaukee Road railway agents. The Milwaukee Road (also known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad) operated for almost 150 years from its founding in 1847 until its merger with the Soo Line in 1986. The telephone was manufactured by the Western Electric Company circa 1904.

For more details, view the telephone in our collections catalog.

High chair

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:30:15 +0000

Windsor-style child’s high chair used by the grandchildren of James J. and Mary T. Hill at their home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, circa 1900. The wooden high chair has a dark walnut finish with wear on the footboard.

Learn More:

Food press

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Cast-iron, multi-purpose press used for processing lard, fruit, sausage and vegetables. Used by the family of James J. Hill at their home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, circa 1891-1916.

Edwardian taffeta dress

Lizzie Ehrenhalt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:04:21 +0000

Taffeta dress made by Minneapolis dressmaker Madame Rose H. Boyd between 1906 and 1910. The dress is two pieces and has a matching belt. The bodice has tucks and lavender lace decorating the front, with lace trimming the sleeves and high neck.

Folding Lavatory

Adam Harris — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:00:12 +0000

Stainless steel fold-down sink, for use in a rail car. Sink has a lid which pulls down to reveal a single faucet and small soap holder, while the inside of the lid forms a wash basin. Manufactured by The Adams and Westlake Company, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1900s.

Bicycle license plate

Adam Harris — Tue, 10 May 2011 19:02:37 +0000

Bicycle path license issued by the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902. The license plate consists of an aluminum frame with a celluloid insert that reads “BICYCLE PATH LICENSE / 1902 /1620 / MINNEAPOLIS”. Plate was probably meant to be affixed to the front fork of a bicycle.

Pince-nez eyeglasses and case

Adam Harris — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:08:56 +0000

Pince-nez eyeglasses worn by Minnesota Governor John A. Johnson. Pince-nez are eyeglasses clipped to the bridge of the nose. The lenses of these spectacles are joined at the center by a “C” shaped bridge. The spectacles are accompanied by a hinged sterling silver case lined with purple velvet. The case is engraved with a floral motif and the words “GOVERNOR / JOHN A. JOHNSON” on the front. John A. Johnson was the first Minnesota-born governor of the state and the first to die in office.

Floral brocade boots

Adam Harris — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:20:10 +0000

Floral brocade eyelet lace boot with a french heel rimmed with silver trim. Size 4 1/2 or 5. Circa 1900.

State Capitol Toolbox

Adam Harris — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:14:17 +0000

Toolbox and carpenter’s tools used by William Martin Knudsen during construction of 1905 capitol building. Contains 48 woodworking tools including drill bits, planes, files and two hand saws.

Fragment of Execution Rope

Adam Harris — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:36:56 +0000

This short length of rope is a fragment of the execution rope used on February 13, 1906 in the hanging death of William Williams at the Ramsey County Jail in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Williams had been convicted of murdering John Keller and his mother in Saint Paul in April of 1905. The grisly slowness of Williams’ death led to the abolishment of capital punishment in Minnesota. Williams’ was the last execution to take place in Minnesota and the death penalty was removed from state criminal law in 1911.

Minnesota State Training School for Boys Inmate Case Files and Commitment Papers

Lori Williamson — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:57:14 +0000

St. Paul was once well known as safe haven for thugs, hooligans, and ne’er-do-wells like the Barker Gang and John Dillinger. But it also held to its bosom one of Chicago’s gangland luminaries—and Al Capone’s chief rival—George “Bugs” Moran. Moran was born as Adelard Cunin on August 21, 1891, in St. Paul.

In her 2005 biography, The Man Who Got Away: The Bugs Moran Story, Rose Keefe notes that “Records pertaining to [Moran’s initial lawlessness] are meager, so the details are incomplete” but that he was pinched for a robbery in downtown St. Paul in 1909. Many of these missing details can be found in Cunin’s inmate case file 3067 from the Minnesota State Training School for Girls and Boys.

On July 11, 1907, fifteen-year-old Cunin was called into court to address the matter of his own delinquency. Already on probation, he explained that he got into a couple scrapes one night when “a lot of fellows” were chasing down horses below State Street, down by the boats. Having spoken of one scrape already, Cunin continued: “Then I walked a little ways and I met another boy, and I stood there and watched him, and then he made a rush at me and I started to run and he tripped me and throwed [sic] me down.” “And you cut him pretty bad, didn’t you, you stuck the knife right into him?” asked the judge, to which Cunin’s probation officer answered for him: “He had eight stitches taken in it.”

Because Cunin was a minor, he was sent to the State Training School on September 3, 1907, for “incorrigibility.” The bulk of his case file consists of correspondence and so-called investigation reports. The former includes letters from friends and family to him, pleas from his mother and clergy to the school superintendent for Cunin’s reinstated parole, and responses to same.

The investigation reports chronicle Cunin’s ongoing misconduct that delayed any parole reinstatement. For example, Cunin was written up on November 9, 1907, for “talking and planning escape” and had acquired a chisel and auger from the school’s carpenter shop to execute the plan. Yet six months later, when a reverend from St. Paul Cathedral inquired on Cunin’s status, Superintendent F. A. Whittier responded, “He is by no means the best boy we have nor is he the worst.” His conduct may have improved (albeit temporarily): He was released to his mother on parole on February 27, 1909, but returned on July 22 after being arrested for “petit larceny.”

Cunin settled the matter himself by escaping on September 1, 1909. Though the school offered a $10 reward (approximately $236 in 2009 dollars), Cunin soon made his way to Chicago. Keefe notes in her biography, “Adelard Cunin disappeared from the public record for good. The name and persona that replaced him became bigger than he had ever been.”

There are thousands of other Minnesota State Training School for Boys inmate case files. Although Superintendent Whittier didn’t consider Adelard Cunin the worst boy, one wonders whether Carl Panzram was.

Carl Panzram was twelve years old when he was admitted to the School in 1903, and unfortunately, it was only the first of many institutions in which he was incarcerated. In later years, Panzram was a confessed serial killer and was executed at the Leavenworth Federal Prison in 1930. There are twenty-seven punishment slips in Panzram’s case file, along with letters from his mother, Lizzie. She inquired when Carl would be released from the School, since she needed his help on the family farm in Polk County, Minnesota. Filmmaker John Borowski is making a documentary about Panzram; more information about the Panzram story can be found on the website for the film.

Christopher Welter, Collections Assistant

Charles Rodgers, Government Records Specialist

Sequined black satin and lace evening gown

Adam Harris — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:54:42 +0000

Black satin and lace gown with sequin and bead trim. Made by dressmaker Mary Molloy, Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1904-1908.

Swede Hollow Etching

Adam Harris — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:57:16 +0000

Swede Hollow
by George Earl Resler (1882-1954)
Etching, circa 1915-1925

Swede Hollow was one of the oldest settlements in Saint Paul, Minnesota, occupied originally by Swedish immigrants in the 1850’s. The neighborhood also later served as a home for other groups of new Minnesotans, including Polish, Italian, and Mexican Americans. George Earl Resler, a Minnesota printmaker, was exceptionally skillful at finding and conveying the beauty of routine, everyday scenes. As he does here, Resler often depicted tenement housing, back alleys, and even difficult labor conditions, realities that were often purposefully overlooked or ignored by many Minnesotans.

Benjamin Gessner, Collections Assistant

Japanese paper fan

Adam Harris — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:54:57 +0000

Japanese paper fan with carved wooden sticks, circa 1900.

Halloween costumes over the years

Adam Harris — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:37:51 +0000

A collection of children’s Halloween costumes over the years.

Upper left, Edward K. Prichett, Jr. dressed for Halloween, 1901.

Upper right, Halloween trick or treaters, 1934.

Lower left, Mary, Jeffrey and Brent Miletich in Halloween costume, 1961.

Lower right, Benji and Kristen Woitas in their Halloween costumes, St. Paul, 1979.

More Halloween photos can be viewed at the Visual Resource Database.

First Minnesota license plate

Adam Harris — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:33:18 +0000

Rectangular black leather automobile license tag with a brass number ‘1′ on the center front. This was the first automobile license plate that was issued by the State Boiler Inspector in the State of Minnesota, 1903.