Wisconsin 101

A group of women are standing outdoors holding signs. One sign reads: "Fights Discrimination." Other signs read: "Kenosha Wis. NOW" and "ERA Wisconsin Women Say YES," c. 1973-1987. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image 147430

Wisconsin’s Feminist Leaders and the National Organization for Women

In the early nineteen sixties, American women organized in pursuit of socio-political change and gender equality. In Wisconsin, women challenged inequitable policies and societal norms by organizing the Wisconsin Commission on the Status for Women and participating in the National Organization for Women…

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August 19, 2021

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Madison / Object Histories / Dane County / Society & Religion / 1945-1965 / Region 7 - South Center / Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

OBJECT HISTORY: Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

For over a century, the First Unitarian Society of Madison has been a center for like-minded individuals to share ideas and connect. The Society’s Meeting House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and stands as a one of his most representative works,…

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August 16, 2021

William Cogswell’s Portrait of Doty ca. 1858. Image courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Doty Island / Madison / Dane County / Related Stories / 1787-1848 / Politics & Government / Winnebago County / Region 4 - Center / Region 5 - Center East / Region 7 - South Center / Ojibwe Presentation Pipe

James Duane Doty

As settlers continued moving westward during the nineteenth century, the United States was a mix of states and large territories. From 1805-1837, Wisconsin was part of the Michigan territory. James Duane Doty spearheaded the movement to create partitions in the Michigan territory, …

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December 18, 2020

Agriculture / Dane County / Madison / Education / Object Histories / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / Society & Religion / 1918-1945 / Region 7 - South Center

OBJECT HISTORY: Jar of Marbles

Today, the Wisconsin State Fair is full of attractions, rides, and great food, but in its early years, it was a place for farmers to gather and share ideas about the agricultural industry. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the state…

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October 6, 2020

Wisconsin Made / Art & Design / Home Furnishings / Edgerton / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Dane County / Object Histories / Everyday Life / Manufacturing & Trade / 1877-1900 / Region 7 - South Center / Pauline Pottery Covered Jar

OBJECT HISTORY: Pauline Pottery Covered Jar

Between 1888 and 1909 the city of Edgerton, Wisconsin was home to six different companies producing nationally recognized ceramic art. The art potteries of Edgerton were part of a late nineteenth and early twentieth century trend known as the American Art Pottery movement. This covered jar, made at Pauline Pottery, represents one example of this broad movement in American ceramics.

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September 10, 2020

Military History / Object Histories / Madison / Dane County / 1848-1877 / Politics & Government / Region 7 - South Center / Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

OBJECT HISTORY: Old Abe, the Live War Eagle

A bald eagle stands guard over the State Assembly Chamber in Wisconsin’s Capitol building. Between two and three feet tall, the raptor has the characteristic white head and tail feathers, a brown body, and a yellow beak and talons. He sits atop a tree stump in front of a large mural called Wisconsin that represents the state’s…

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September 10, 2020