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Five year fireman’s certificate
According to legislation passed in 1873, Minneapolis firemen who had served five years as active firefighters were entitled to be exempt from jury duty and from paying the poll tax (a requirement for...
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Autumn Scene
Autumn Scene, oil on canvas, painted by John Banvard, circa 1870. Banvard (1815-1891) is known for his panoramic oil paintings, which were often created from preliminary sketches made during his...
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Souvenir autograph fan
Ladies wooden autograph fan of mahogany mounts and natural colored wood leaves with a purple silk ribbon insertions. Fan contains penciled writing on each leaf – memories of a summer in Minnesota....
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Buffalo horn drinking cup
Drinking cup made from a bison horn. The opening is encircled by decorative brass tacks as well as one brass stud with a wire loop for suspension. The horn is smooth on the exterior and has been...
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Willcox & Gibbs sewing machine with cover
Noiseless Automatic Sewing Machine designed by by the Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machine Company in 1871. The treadle and gears run smoothly on this chain stitch sewing machine. The machine is mounted...
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Ivory brisé fan and case
Folding brisé fan made of ivory (brisé fans have individual blade or stick elements instead of a fan leaf). Its blades are attached at the head with a metal rivet. A white ribbon runs throughout and...
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Wedding ensemble
Wedding dress and mantle worn by Adda Thompson of Winona, Minnesota at her wedding in 1879. The ensemble was made by St. Paul dressmaker Mrs. A. Worley. The one-piece purple velvet and satin dress...
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U.S. secretary of war’s uniform hat
United States secretary of war’s uniform hat, used in the 1870s. It was worn by Alexander Ramsey, Secretary of War under President Rutherford B. Hayes and former Governor of Minnesota. The black...
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1870s gown
Gown worn by Mahala Pillsbury, wife of John S. Pillsbury, to ceremonies marking her husband’s inauguration as the eighth governor of Minnesota in 1876. The ivory moiré gown has a one-piece bodice and...
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Druggist’s scale
Druggist’s balance scale used at Finch’s Drug Store in Hastings, Minnesota in the 1870s. The scale is housed within a rectangular wooden box with cut corners. The box is painted black and has a...
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Brooch and earring set
Jewelry set owned by the wife of Moses K. Armstrong (1832-906), U.S. congressman and surveyor of territory in what is now Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The dyed horsehair brooch is woven...
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Gold bracelets
Pair of identical gold bracelets made in the 1870s and used in Red Wing, Minnesota. The engraved low-relief design features flower and leaf elements. The inside of each bangle is polished smooth. A...
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Dakota man’s hide shirt
Dakota man’s painted hide shirt overlaid with beaded shoulder bands, sleeve bands, and triangular neckline bibs, all edged with white ermine pelts and both natural and dyed horsehair. The lower shirt...
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China head doll
Female china head doll with cloth body given to Katherine Gengnagel by her parents, circa 1874. The doll is dressed in clothing probably made by Gengnagel in the 1950s.
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Coffee mill
Coffee mill made in France by Peugeot Freres (Peugeot Brothers) circa 1879. Owned and used by a Norwegian American family who settled in Nicollet County, Minnesota.
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Patent model dust collector
Mahogany and tinned-iron patent model of a flour mill dust collector patented in 1879. Air to be cleaned arrives from the middlings-purifying station of a mill, entering at the bottom of the device...
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Charles E. Furness
Charles Eliot Furness and a companion pose for a tintype photograph in 1873. Furness married Marion Ramsey, daughter of Minnesota governor Alexander Ramsey, in 1875. He died on January 22, 1907 in...
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Doll dresser
Wooden doll dresser made by cabinetmaker Jacob Gengnagel of Wabasha, Minnesota for his daughter, Katherine, circa 1874. The dresser has three drawers, carved wooden handles and an attached pivoting...
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Tintype of Ojibwe family
Tintype photograph of an Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) family group created circa 1870. Photographer unknown. For details, view the tintype in our online collections database.
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Sunday school class photo, 1877
Tintype photograph of the Sunday school class held at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Taylors Falls, Minnesota. A piece of paper accompanying the tintype adds the following information. This...
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