An oil on canvas painting made by Samuel Burton showing Christmas Eve in Bohemian Flats, near the University of Minnesota in 1919.

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

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Dark blue and gold felt pennant of the U.S.S. Maumee (AO-2), which was commissioned in 1916 and refueled destroyers at sea during World War I. The pennant reads “U S N [United States Navy] / U.S.S. MAUMEE”.

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

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A pair of non-regulation United States Army officer’s leather calf-length boots worn by Dr. James Martineau of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. The pull-on type boots are equipped with U.S. Army-type German silver (nickel alloy) jack spurs.

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

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An aviator’s brown wool knit hood. The hood covers the whole head and neck except for the face, and is made in two pieces sewn together along the midline. It was worn in France by First Lieutenant David H. Backus, who served as a pilot with both the French Lafayette Escadrille, and the 49th U.S. Aero Squadron during World War I.

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

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A cast iron and wood school desk and bench used in the Watonwan, Minnesota school district, circa 1889-1919.

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

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A lane-stitched beaded leather Teton Dakota vest, circa 1914.

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

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United States Army cavalry enlisted soldier’s dress uniform worn by Private Oscar V. Challander of the 12th Cavalry, Company H. The gold trimmed jacket is draped with a gold aiguillette, has gilt brass General Service buttons and a standing band collar with gilt brass crossed sabers pins at either side with “12″ and “H” in the angles.

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

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An oil on canvas painting titled “Sails on Lake Minnetonka” made by Ada Wolfe in 1914.

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

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The Minnesota Historical Society loves photography and thus declares this week to be the “Unofficial History of Photography Week”. Each day we will post an image from a different photographic method.

Today we present this black and white print of Emma Ray and her Brownie box camera in 1917. Emma was a prolific St. Paul photographer at the turn of the century. Photography was forever changed with the invention of the Brownie camera in 1900. It was a low cost and easy to use format and popularized amateur photography and the candid “snapshot”.

To learn more about the Sadie and Emma Ray photography collection, please watch this podcast.

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

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A Dakota beaded jacket purchased by personnel of Camp Kamaji on Cass Lake, Minnesota in the 1910s.

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

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