Wisconsin 101

Elsa Ulbricht: A Pioneer for Women’s Work

Due to its longevity and the number of women employed, historians consider the Milwaukee Handicraft Project to be one of the most successful programs sponsored by the Works Project Administration (WPA). The WPA funded many public works projects during the Great Depression as a…

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April 23, 2025

Art & Design / New Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / Milwaukee / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / Region 8 - South East / Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

OBJECT HISTORY: Milwaukee Handicraft Project Portfolio

A seagull is eating fish for lunch, disrupting the regularity of the water’s waves as it splashes around. This is a scene so common on the Milwaukee shores of Lake Michigan that it served as design inspiration for local craftsmen, and in…

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April 23, 2025

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Baraboo / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Related Stories / 1918-1945 / Sauk County / Region 7 - South Center / Usher Uniform

Stars of Silent Film

The Ringling Theatre featured many forms of entertainment throughout the years, including live theatrical performances as well as silent films. At the time when the theatre was built in 1915, silent films were becoming more popular because advancements in film technology allowed…

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July 18, 2024

Baraboo / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Related Stories / 1900-1918 / Sauk County / Region 7 - South Center / Usher Uniform

The Al Ringling Theater

Albert (“Al”) Ringling was the eldest brother of the Ringling family and was credited with both the creation of the famous Ringling Brothers Circus and the construction of the Ringling Theatre. Al also played an incredibly important role within the circus as its program…

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July 18, 2024

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Baraboo / New Object Histories / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / 1900-1918 / Sauk County / Region 7 - South Center / Usher Uniform

OBJECT HISTORY: Ringling Theater Usher Uniform

On November 17, 1915, the Ringling Theatre opened in the city of Baraboo, Wisconsin; the newest movie palace in the area at a time, these venues were becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States. Movie palaces were a curated experience, where one…

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July 17, 2024

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Broad History / Columbia County / Madison / Dane County / Milwaukee County / Milwaukee / Lodi / Ethnicity & Identity / Sports & Games / Related Stories / Global Connections / Region 7 - South Center / Region 8 - South East / Wooden Curling Stone

Curling’s Growth in Wisconsin

When the Scottish migrated to the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they brought more with them then just bagpipes; they brought the growth of curling, a winter sport in which the players slide heavy granite blocks across icy terrain…

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June 20, 2024