Buick automobile; Automobiles -- History; Nineteen tens; Transportation -- History
In 1911, you could buy a Buick Model 14 "Bug" with wooden body for $550.00. This included the rubber top, oil lamps, gas headlights, horn and repair outfit. To know when you reached your top cruising speed of 30 miles per hour, you needed...
Hats; Headgear; Congo (Democratic Republic); Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Social life and customs; Lega (African people); Lega (African people) -- Social life and customs; Lega (African people) -- Clothing; Clothing and dress
In African societies, hats are often worn to reveal a person’s place in society or membership in a specific social organization. This hat was worn by a member of a special society called Bwami. Men and women of the Lega peoples in the Democratic...
Where's the music coming from? With the top closed, Delmonicol Nivico's Consolette stereo phonograph disguised itself as a table with brown laminated top. In the early 1960s, "stereophonic sound" was a great improvement over the...
China; China -- History -- Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D.; Lions; Lions in art; Sculpture
Chinese lions may not look much like actual lions from Africa, but they share many characteristics with mythical lions found in folklore traditions around the world. According to Chinese belief, lions chase away evil spirits and bring good luck,...
Chickens are domestic birds. The adult female chicken is called a hen, the adult male is called a rooster, and the young are called chicks. There are many different breeds of chicken that are different sizes and colors. The rooster is larger and...
The cassowary is a large flightless bird that can be found in the rainforests of New Guinea and Australia. This bird has powerfully built legs, stands over 5 feet tall and is well known for having a fierce attitude. On top of its head this bird has...
Japan; Japan -- Social life and customs; Holidays -- Japan; Festivals -- Japan; Dolls; Girl's Day; Japanese tea ceremony
Girl's Day is traditionally celebrated in Japan on March 3rd. Prior to this day, girls display special dolls and doll accessories on a tiered platform with the Emperor and Empress on the top for a week. There are 15 dolls in a traditional set. The...
Butter molds; Switzerland -- Social life and customs; Implements, utensils, etc.;
Early butter molds were shaped like paddles with a decorative carving and used to imprint the design on a mound of butter. Box-like butter molds decorated the top surface as well as the sides. Butter molds and stamps decorated the butter before...
Indians of North America; Nineteenhundreds (Decade); Hair; Hairstyles; Hair-work, Ornamental; Hairdressing
Native American items were often decorated meticulously with paint, beadwork, or quillwork with specific designs. This particular hair ornament was probably made around the early 1900s, and used primarily for decorative purposes. Originally, hair...
Often called “putting food up,” many American households stored fresh meats, vegetables and fruits in glass jars for later use. This 1920s Conservo canner allowed more food to be finished at once saving one from additional time in a steaming...
These fossils are what are commonly known as “sand dollars”. Some types of "sand dollars" are flat when viewed from the side, while others are shaped like a biscuit. All have a shape on top that looks like a five petalled flower,...
Crinoids were prehistoric animals that looked like flowers. Their bodies were pear shaped and covered with plates. Attached to the top of this body were feeding arms that waved in water currents to grab food particles that floated by. These...
The Triton’s Trumpet is a marine mollusk that is found in temperate and tropical waters. It derives it name from the Greek god Triton and for the fact that when the top spirals are cut and removed it is possible to blow into the shell making a...
Indians of South America; Guarani Indians; Guarani Indians -- Social life and customs
The sterling silver composition of this tea set indicates that it was used for special occasions or by a wealthy family. The holder is filled with mate' (tea) to about the top line of decoration, then boiling water is added. The tea is ingested...
This specimen’s scientific name is Stringocephlaus due to its resemblance to an eagle’s beak. This species is one of the largest in the fossil world. In life the shells enclosed a soft body. If you look at the shells from the top, both halves...
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...
Thermometers; Scientific apparatus and instruments; Temperature measurements
This is a “termometro lento” or “slow thermometer.” It was invented by Galileo Galilei in the 17th century. This is a modern reproduction that demonstrates the principles Galileo discovered. The little glass globes go up and down as the...
This toothpick sculpture is a model of the "Huey Hog" helicopter used during the Vietnam War. Terry Woodling used over 8,500 toothpicks in 1991 to finish his model. As a teenager, Terry taught himself to build airplanes. Few people build...
Puppets; Vietnam; Vietnam -- Social life and customs; Puppets -- Vietnam
Due to its climate, Vietnam is a very humid and wet country. For hundreds of years, Vietnamese people have raised crops of rice in fields of water, fished and tended animals to make a living. Water is very much a part of their world and is often...
Zoetropes; Optical illusions; 19th century; Toys; Motion Pictures -- History
The zoetrope or “wheel of life” was invented in 1834 as an optical toy that creates the illusion of motion. In this zoetrope, the images of a woodchopper are placed around the inside of a simple drum with an open top. There are slots around the...
