Wisconsin 101

OBJECT HISTORY: Lifesaving Medal

All along Wisconsin’s 820 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, storms could mean the difference between profit and financial ruin, survival and terrifying death. This lifesaving medal reminds us of the risks that sailors and Wisconsin’s maritime communities have routinely faced since the early 19th century, and it documents the personal bravery, dedication, and ingenuity of those who would rescue their fellows…

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September 9, 2020

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee / Object Histories / Milwaukee County / Clothing & Fashion / Ethnicity & Identity / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / 1980-2000 / Region 8 - South East / Earlene Fuller's Bowling Shirt

OBJECT HISTORY: Earlene Fuller’s Bowling Shirt

This shirt, which features an African kente cloth print, was designed, made and worn in the mid-1990s by Milwaukee's Earlene Fuller, an African American bowler and seamstress.

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September 8, 2020

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: <i>Happy Days</i> Bowling Shirt Costume

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / Clothing & Fashion / Curators' Favorites / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Region 8 - South East / Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

OBJECT HISTORY: Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

This bowling shirt costume from the television series Happy Day speaks to Wisconsin's association with bowling. Milwaukee, where the show was set, was known as the bowling capital of America.

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September 8, 2020

Read more about the article Earlene Fuller and the African American Bowling Scene in Milwaukee

Theodore Henderson, Earlene Fuller, Louise Westbrooks, and Taylor Richards wear African-inspired bowling shirts designed and made by Earlene Fuller, Milwaukee, April 1995. Source: Image courtesy of Pauline McCollum

Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Clothing & Fashion / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / 1960-1980 / 1980-2000 / Region 8 - South East / Earlene Fuller's Bowling Shirt

Earlene Fuller and the African American Bowling Scene in Milwaukee

Earlene Fuller designed and made bowling outfits for numerous black and white teams in Milwaukee and elsewhere from 1970 through the mid-1990s. She was a member in two African American bowling organizations — the National Bowling Association and the Milwaukee Bowlers Guild, Inc. — and in the 1990s began incorporating kente cloth and other African-inspired fabric patterns into the shirts she made for her own teams.

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May 27, 2020

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Ethnicity & Identity / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Global Connections / 1900-1920 / Politics, Society & Government / 1920-1940 / Region 8 - South East / Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Wisconsin’s 1918 Special Election for Senate and the Trial of Victor Berger

In 1918, Wisconsin held a special election to fill the seat of recently deceased Senator Paul Husting, who had been elected in 1914. The election was a three-way race between Democrat Joseph E. Davies, Republican Irvine L. Lenroot, and Socialist Victor L. Berger. Running under federal indictment, Berger placed third. He won 26% of the vote statewide in the April Senate election, winning 11 counties.

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April 13, 2020

Milwaukee / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / 1880-1900 / 1900-1920 / Politics, Society & Government / 1920-1940 / 1940-1960 / Region 8 - South East / Victor Berger Campaign Banner

Victor Berger and the Sewer Socialists

Victor Berger, one of the "Sewer Socialists," became the first Socialist to serve in the United States House of Representatives, winning the election in Wisconsin’s 5th congressional district in 1910.

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April 13, 2020