Collections Up Close

Colin Kelly
Poster Collection, One-sheet poster 1942
Location no. E448.11 a71

Sometimes the smallest objects are the most interesting. This little tin canister, measuring 1 5/8 inches in diameter and 5/8 inch deep, was discovered buried in a yard off of St. Paul's West Seventh Street. In fact, it was found along with nearly 70 other identical tins. Now, finding 70 of anything in a yard is unusual, but these are no mere containers. No, these tins once held condoms.

"3 Merry Widows" was a popular brand of prophylactic in the early 20th Century, and this aluminum container probably dates to the 1920s or 1930s. Latex condoms didn't take over the market until the 1930s, so the three "widows" once contained inside may have been of the older cement rubber variety. While the thicker rubber condoms had their disadvantages, they were more durable, and could even be reused.

The donor, having found so many of these items near her house, naturally wondered if her neighborhood once hosted a bordello. The location - half-way between downtown St. Paul and Fort Snelling - certainly would have been convenient. Unfortunately, a search through the Society's library was inconclusive. (But really, those businesses weren't the type to be listed in city directories!) We might speculate that the tin came from a brothel, but we won't state it as fact, just to be safe - like the tin's original owner.

Matt Anderson
Objects Curator

This unusual looking contraption is called a steelyard, and had you been alive during the late nineteenth century you probably would’ve already known that, as they were quite abundant. Steelyards are weighing devices that were most often found in rural areas, particularly on farms. They were used for weighing everything from household goods to grain to animals and even newborn babies. Although similar weighing devices date back more than 2,500 years, the most common version in America was sometimes referred to as a Scandinavian steelyard and resembled the one in this photograph. Steelyards were usually hand forged by a town’s local blacksmith, but two in the MHS Collection were brought to Minnesota by Scandinavian immigrants; one from Norway and the other from Iceland.

Scale model of the Lake Superior ore boat Edmund Fitzgerald. Upper bow deck includes observation cabin, horn, searchlight, and liferaft. Upper stern deck includes 2 lifeboats, ladders, crane, 6 barrels, and a smokestack. The smokestack has a painted yellow star on its side. A four-wheeled metal trolley straddles the top of the mid-deck. The lower deck is surrounded by a gate made of needle head posts and wire.

November 10, 2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest boat on the lake at that time. All 29 members of the crew were lost. Although the Coast Guard conducted an extensive and thorough search, there is no definitive reason to date for its sinking other than the weather.

Additional pictures of the Edmund Fitzgerald can be viewed online at: http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections/2009/09/images-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald/