Wisconsin 101

Read more about the article OBJECT HISTORY: “SMART” Banner by Dennis Nechvatal

“SMART” Banner by Dennis Nechvatal, Madison, WI, 1983. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society ID #2011.63.2

OBJECT HISTORY: “SMART” Banner by Dennis Nechvatal

Not many people would expect that some of the most legendary music of the late twentieth and early twenty first century was made right here in Wisconsin. During its twenty-seven years of operation, Madison’s Smart Studios was a cornerstone of the music…

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June 24, 2022

Read more about the article <i>Happy Days</i> and 1950s Sentimentality

Music, Theatre & Cinema / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee County / Related Stories / 1965-1987 / Region 8 - South East / Happy Days Bowling Shirt Costume

Happy Days and 1950s Sentimentality

Publicity photo of Fonzie (Henry Winkler) and Richie (Ron Howard) from Happy Days. Source: ABC Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia / Public domain Happy Days — the precursor to other famous spin-offs including Laverne and Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi, and Mork and Mindy — first brought…

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June 2, 2022

Music, Theatre & Cinema / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Grafton / Object Histories / Ozaukee County / Paramount Records 78 / Manufacturing & Trade / Nature & Environment / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Paramount Records Power Wheel

Located near the heart of Grafton, WI, a rusted power wheel sits on the steep west bank of the Milwaukee River. Despite its corroded appearance, this metal device once powered an entire factory responsible for pressing popular shellac records.The history of this…

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December 29, 2020

Sports & Games / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Racine / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Clothing, Apparel & Fashion / Racine County / 1987-2011 / Region 8 - South East / Racine Belles Movie Costume

OBJECT HISTORY: Racine Belles Movie Costume

This Racine Belles costume was worn in the 1992 film "A League of Their Own." The film focused on the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches, tracking a season in the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League. The Peaches played the Belles several times during the film.

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September 10, 2020

Music, Theatre & Cinema / Milwaukee / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Milwaukee County / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Migrant Worker's Cabin / 1900-1918 / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Piano and Song Recital Poster

Mr. Raphael Baez, a well-respected violinist, pianist, composer, and music professor, and his wife Mrs. Mary Schoen Baez, a noted vocalist, had performed together in various music halls in the city of Milwaukee since 1889. The Athenaeum, home of the Women’s Club of Wisconsin, had hosted Mr. Baez and his students throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth…

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September 10, 2020

Wisconsin Made / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Port Washington / Ozaukee County / Paramount Records 78 / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 8 - South East

OBJECT HISTORY: Paramount Records 78

Created by the management of the Wisconsin Chair Company, a furniture making business based in Port Washington, Wisconsin, Paramount Records was initially incorporated to help sell phonographic cabinets in the late 1910s. Relying on resourceful talent recruiters and a relatively cheap production process, Paramount Records became one of the leading blues music record producers in the 1920s, and is today recognized by…

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September 10, 2020