Mirrors; China; China -- Social life and customs; China -- History -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Over the past 3,000 years, mirrors have become more than just a grooming aid in the Chinese culture. Mirrors, through the years, were also used as tokens of love, political gifts, and burial items for the afterlife. They were usually owned by the...
Not all dinosaurs were big or had long necks and sharp teeth. Many dinosaurs were quite small, such as this Prenoceratops which is less than 6 feet long and 3 feet tall and would have weighed less than 150 lbs in life. This dinosaur was a herbivore...
This Arsenio Hall autographed crew jacket is from the late-night Arsenio Hall Show which premiered January 3, 1989 and ran until May 27, 1994. The show was the "hip place" for talents like Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Louis...
Harley-Davidson Incorporated; Harley-Davidson Motor Company; Bicycles; Bicycles--History;1910s; 1920s
Founded in 1903, the Harley-Davidson company's goal was to take "the work out of bicycling." Ironically, the company produced bicycles from around 1916 to 1924. Meant to appeal to children and young adults, the bikes were painted and pin...
Quilts -- Korea; Quiltmakers -- Korea; Folklore -- Korea
The village on the top of this sleeping child's quilt is the land of Dokabi, Korean trolls. Whimsical and mischievous, Dokabi can be identified by the horns on the tops of their heads. The village is complete with a centralized water well, a train...
This large block of Indiana limestone contains the remains of a living colony of animals that lived well over 300 million years ago. The most abundant of these fossils are ancient creatures known as crinoids. Crinoids are animals that still exist...
Balances (Weighing instruments); Scientific apparatus and instruments; 1940s; Marian College (Indianapolis, Ind.); Indiana
This kind of scale is called an analytical balance. It was used in a laboratory to “weigh” objects (it actually measures the mass) and is very precise. The doors are there to keep away dust and air currents that may change the results of the...
Yoruba (African people); Yoruba (African people) -- Social life and customs; Chairs
In ancient and current Yoruba culture, people of importance are symbolically and physicallly separated from the rest of society. At specific times, the feet of alaase (rulers, priests and initiates) must not be in physical contact with the earth....
The Sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and can grow up to sixty six feet. It can be found in oceans world wide. Its head alone equals about one third of its entire body. These water living mammals can dive to at least 3,300 feet,...
Military uniforms; Uniforms World War 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Women; United States. Navy -- Women -- History
During World War I, about 11,275 women served in the Naval Reserve. Female Yeoman, often called Yeomanettes, joined approximately 1500 women serving in the Navy Nurse Corps when the war ended in 1918. Yeomanettes served mostly as secretaries and...
United States. Navy -- Women; World War 1939-1945; Military uniforms
WAVES were "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service." During World War II, President Roosevelt created this special division of the Navy shore jobs so that more men would be available for combat. Unlike earlier conflicts when women...
Baby Louie is a very unique dinosaur specimen representing an unknown giant species of oviraptor with some very bird-like characteristics. This Late Cretaceous specimen consists of the fossilized remains of a small dinosaur emerging from an egg....
Mammoths are extinct relatives of modern day elephants. They last roamed the continent during the Pleistocene Epoch more than 15,000 years ago. This specimen is the jaw of one of these creatures. It was discovered in a gravel pit in central...
Clothing and Dress; Dresses; 1900s; Indianapolis (Ind.); L.S. Ayres and Company
Mrs. Charles Mayer, Sr. wore this afternoon dress about 1903 in Indianapolis for special occasions. Local fashion designer George Phillip Meier designed this elegant dress for her while he worked from the L.S. Ayres Department Store. Meier first...
Electronic voting; Voting-machines; Voting; Elections; Marion County (Ind.); Elections -- Equipment and supplies
Thousands of Marion County, Indiana residents voted at this machine between the 1930s and the 1980 election. During this time, many African Americans struggled to gain the civil rights Caucasian men and women enjoyed. Even though the 15th Amendment...
Chaps continue to be essential work gear for cowboys. Leather chaps with large, loose side flaps are called "batwing" chaps and are the style most often seen at rodeos. While different regions of the country may have different styles, the...
This playhouse was built in the late 1920s for Evelyn Lilly, daughter of pharmaceutical businessman Eli Lilly. It was built in the Greek Revival style, was furnished with child-sized furniture, and even had electricity for an overhead light and a...
Kites; China; China -- Social life and customs; China -- Folklore; Kites -- China
The first kites were probably flown in China more that 3,000 years ago. Like this kite, they were made by stretching silk over bamboo frames. Kites continue to be an integral part of Chinese culture today. Each year, people all over China celebrate...
The first kites were probably flown in China more than 3,000 years ago. Like this kite, they were made by stretching silk over bamboo frames. Each year, people all over China celebrate Kite Festivals on the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese...
Founded in the United States in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low began the Girl Scouts based upon Sir Robert Baden-Powell’s Boy Scouts and Girl Guides program in England. Now in 90 countries, 3.6 million Girl Scouts explore the world around them...
