Medium: PhysicalObject

Baby Santa Claus outfit

Date: between 1960 and 1965

Joan Ledeboer arrived just in time for Christmas, on December 3,1963, in Belvue, Kansas. Her aunt and uncle, Mary and David Prickett, bought this infant’s Santa Claus ensemble for Joan’s…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Filipino flag

Date: between 1898 and 1899

Tattered red, white, and blue Filipino flag. The flag was found in a footlocker that belonged to Claude Spurlock (1877-1953), who was born in Perry, Kansas. Spurlock probably acquired the…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Miniature US flag

Date: 1899

Miniature US flag awarded to veterans of the 20th Kansas Infantry Regiment at a commemorative reception in Topeka, Kansas, on November 2, 1899. The flag was found in a footlocker…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Food vending handcart

Date: 1942

Jimmy Knight started his food service career in 1942 with this small lunch cart. Knight used this cart to sell food in downtown Topeka, especially near the Statehouse grounds. Knight…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Construction set

Date: between 1880 and 1900

This set of wooden blocks was owned by Mary Josephine Patterson Hambleton (b. 1879) and later given to her son, Philip Newton Hambleton (1910-1991). They were used in Lincoln, Le…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Architectural building blocks

Date: 1914

The American Manufacturing Concern in Jamestown, New York made these wooden building blocks. Alice Elizabeth Bouse (1912-2002) of Centralia, Kansas received the set as a Christmas gift in 1914.

Medium: PhysicalObject

Bottle whimsy

Date: 1927

Corked clear-glass milk bottle filled a wooden structure made to resemble a Masonic symbol and painted blue. The artist was Frederick I. Douglas (1871-1933), born in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, and…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Bottle whimsy

Date: between 1927 and 1933

Corked clear-glass milk bottle containing a carved wooden figure symbolizing the plantation life endured by the artist’s father. The artist was Frederick I. Douglas (1871-1933), born in Wabaunsee County, Kansas,…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Mourning lithograph

Date: 1879

Framed mourning print commemorating the death of four children from Parkerville, Kansas. This lithograph commemorates the death of Thomas Poole’s four children—Martha (11), Ida (8), Clara (5), and Walter (4)—who…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Flag

Date: between 1937 and 1945

United States jack flag flown on the USS Wichita battleship, a heavy cruiser launched in 1937. Nicknamed “The Wicked Witch,” the USS Wichita served in the North Atlantic and Pacific…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Pennant

Date: between 1937 and 1945

Federal-style pennant flown on the USS Wichita battleship, a heavy cruiser launched in 1937. Nicknamed “The Wicked Witch,” the USS Wichita served in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans during…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Cotton gin

Date: between 1860 and 1865

The Southern Cotton Gin Company of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, manufactured this wood and cast metal cotton gin. Joseph Piazzek, a Polish immigrant living in Valley Falls, Kansas, purchased it for $60.…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Hand painted vase

Date: between 1917 and 1936

Hand painted porcelain vase decorated by amateur artist Gertrude M. Anderson Armantrout. Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1891, Armantrout painted china as a hobby from 1906 to 1936. Some pieces…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Hand painted vase

Date: 1929

Hand painted porcelain vase decorated by amateur artist Gertrude M. Anderson Armantrout. She signed and dated each piece, marking this one “November 1929.” Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1891, Armantrout…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Hand painted Jardiniere

Date: 1915

Hand painted porcelain jardinière decorated by amateur artist Gertrude M. Anderson Armantrout. She signed and dated each piece, marking this one “August 1915.” Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1891, Armantrout…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Child’s dish

Date: between 1916 and 1925

This child’s creamware dish with five yellow chicks was produced by the Roseville Pottery Company. The rolled edge design prevented spilling. Roseville introduced a juvenile pattern line in 1910, using…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Leg brace

Date: between 1950 and 1970

Metal leg brace with leather bands, made between 1950 and 1970. It belonged to the donor’s mother, Betty Jean Funk Thomas (1923 – 2004). Betty was born and raised in…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Square dancing records

Date: 1956

Album containing four records of square dancing music by Carson Robison and his Old Timers, with dance calls by Lawrence V. Loy. Inside front cover has an image of a…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Steiff donkey

Date: between 1920 and 1927

Steiff donkey pull-toy with wooden wheels on metal axles attached to the feet. Covered in gray wool felt with a brown leather saddle and a red felt blanket. Black yarn…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Roof tile

Date: between 1879 and 1880

This ceramic roof tile came from the Hetherington House in Atchison, Kansas. Webster Wirt Hetherington was a prominent businessman in Atchison. He worked at the Exchange National Bank his family…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Dr. Williams Pink Pills for Pale People

Date: 1915

Round wooden pill container marketing (and originally containing) Dr. Williams Pink Pills for Pale People. Containing a combination of iron oxide and Epsom salts, Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills were marketed…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Buffalo Bill bottle

Date: 1971

Regal China produced this “Trophy Bottle” in 1971 for the James B. Beam Distilling Company. Designed for the 125th anniversary of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s birth, it was filled…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Jayhawk bourbon decanter

Date: 1969

The Ezra Brooks Distilling Company of Frankfort, Kentucky created this University of Kansas Jayhawk decanter in 1969. It originally contained bourbon. Erza Brooks had a full line of University mascot…

Medium: PhysicalObject

Dryden planter

Date: between 1946 and 1956

This pale green ceramic planter with a raised triple leaf design on front and back and a drainage hole in bottom was made by Dryden Pottery in Ellsworth, Kansas between…