Wisconsin 101

Delonge Studio, Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright, c. 1930. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image ID 26555.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic Architecture

Born in 1867 in Richland City, WI, Frank Lloyd Wright designed nearly 150 buildings in Wisconsin alone, as well as numerous homes and churches across the United States. Wright’s philosophy of matching an architectural structure to its natural environment, along with his…

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August 19, 2021

Art & Design / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Dane County / Madison / Related Stories / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / 1945-1965 / Region 7 - South Center / Frank Lloyd Wright Pew/Bench

Unitarianism and the Madison Meeting House

Once enjoying unobstructed views of Lake Mendota and sharing its land with the University of Wisconsin’s experimental fields, the First Unitarian Society Meeting House now sits on UW-Madison’s Medical campus. Designed in 1947 by Frank Lloyd Wright to embody the mission of…

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August 19, 2021

Art & Design / Industry / La Crosse / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Object Histories / Ethnicity & Identity / Global Connections / La Crosse County / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Region 3 - Center West / 1965-1987 / King Gambrinus Statues of LaCrosse

OBJECT HISTORY: King Gambrinus Statues of La Crosse

The King Gambrinus statue located in La Crosse, Wisconsin depicts the king of beer and brewing.[1] The origins of the statue, specifically its sculptor and construction date, are unknown. Weighing in at approximately 2,000 pounds, this concrete statue is 15 feet tall.…

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August 17, 2021

Music, Theatre & Cinema / Grafton / Art, Sport & Entertainment / 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

Agriculture / Education / Madison / Object Histories / Dane County / Curators' Favorites / Manufacturing & Trade / 1918-1945 / Society & Religion / 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 / Music, Theatre & Cinema / Art, Sport & Entertainment / Port Washington / Object Histories / 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