Collecting pieces of Minnesota's past for the future
About
The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and makes available a wide range of materials chronicling Minnesota's history and culture. The goals of the Collections Department are to collect and preserve; provide access and interpretation; and engage in education and outreach. This blog is a tool to share these stories and let people know what is happening in the department.
Biscuits!
Who's making biscuits this week? Who's using lard?
This biscuit recipe card is circa 1900. Ingredients (in addition to lard) include Dr. Sherman's Baking Powder and Milwaukee Belle Flour.
Catering
As we are too well aware, Thanksgiving will look different this year. There seem to be more catering options than ever; here's a look at a caterer from the past.
This pamphlet is advertising Howard's Catering Specials; inside are black and white photographs of banquet spread and listings of available meats. This dates between 1955 - 1959.
Giant Poppin' Fresh!
This statue of Poppin' Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy, stands on a blue wood base and holds a clear plastic motorized globe which spins when plugged in. The statue was used at Pillsbury's Riverside Technology Center, Minneapolis, circa 1995. I
t’s 8 feet tall!
Six Barbers
This photograph is of six barbers, including Sylvester Young. Young owned and operated Young Brothers Barber Shop in Minneapolis, 1950s -1991.
World War I Sheet Music
The MNHS Library holds a tremendous collection of World War I sheet music! This one speaks to many of us.
"Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning" was written by Irving Berlin in 1918.
The first line of chorus is: "Oh, how I hate to get up in the morning, oh, how I'd like to remain in bed..."
See many more digitized examples here: http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/lb00015.xml?return=q%3Dsheet%2520music
Luxury
A young family friend, looking forward to his 11th birthday, announced that for his birthday he wanted "all the trappings of luxury." This fits the bill, doesn't it?
This is a dressing gown from 1860, worn by Benjamin S. Judkins. The knee-length gown features a paisley-printed top layer over a black under-layer.
Black Cats
Since today is Friday the 13th, we found ourselves thinking about superstitions, which led to thinking about black cats.
And look at these cuties! One pair of women's Mary Jane-style black leather shoes with white cutouts and stitching to represent a cat face and tail. The platform rubber soles have the `"Anarchic" label. Used by Gwen Kachelmyer of Saint Paul, circa 2002-2006.
The Home or the Saloon
This election poster from 1888 poses the question: The Home or Saloon Which! Will You Support.
The main body text compares number of people with alcohol-related jobs on the Democratic, Republican, and Prohibition city tickets.
Be sure to join the virtual event "Women in Bars" this afternoon to learn more about the temperance and suffrage movements.
https://www.mnhs.org/event/8540
Happy Veterans' Day
Today we remember with thanks all of the Veterans of our country for their service.
This photo is of Fort Snelling National Cemetery in 1949.