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 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.

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 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 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 wooden beer crate from Engesser Brewing Company of Saint Peter, Minnesota, circa 1916-1920.

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

A prosthetic leg made in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and used by Frank McElroy Bemis of Saint Cloud, who lost his leg through complications from polio at age three. This leg was made for him when he was about 15 so that he could attend high school at Saint Thomas Academy, circa 1913.

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

A maroon satin banner reading “Hamm’s Carnival Club”. It was made by the Western Badge and Novelty Company and used by members of the Hamm Brewing Company’s Marching Club during the 1917 Saint Paul Winter Carnival. See also larger banner, ID Number 7666.1.1.

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

A trunk from World War I. The top of the lid is painted with the words “NO 16 / SGT ICL ERNEST B.L.ECKBERG / DIVISION DET / NO16 HQRS. 79 DIV” in black. On the left side there is a rectangular sheet of aged-yellow paper with a handwritten label that reads “E.B.L. Eckberg / Micalleh, Minn.”

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

A china punch bowl set hand-painted by Magdalene Sherin of Minneapolis, Minnesota, circa 1910-1919. Set consists of a punchbowl and five cups. All feature gold grape and leaf designs with opalescent interiors.

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