Clothing & Accessories

Women's Gown (cheong sam) ca. 1930

Work, play, fashion, economic class, religious faith, even politics—all these aspects of American life and more are woven into clothing. The Museum cares for one of the nation's foremost collections of men's, women's, and children's garments and accessories—from wedding gowns and military uniforms to Halloween costumes and bathing suits.

The collections include work uniforms, academic gowns, clothing of presidents and first ladies, T-shirts bearing protest slogans, and a clean-room "bunny suit" from a manufacturer of computer microchips. Beyond garments, the collections encompass jewelry, handbags, hair dryers, dress forms, hatboxes, suitcases, salesmen's samples, and thousands of fashion prints, photographs, and original illustrations. The more than 30,000 artifacts here represent the changing appearance of Americans from the 1700s to the present day.

Place: Massachusetts

(Red Cross) Is You & I With Every (Heart) And (Dollar) Pin

Pin shaped like a flag. The flag is brown with white print and red symbols.
Description (Brief)
Pin shaped like a flag. The flag is brown with white print and red symbols. Symbols and text read “(Red Cross) Is You & I With Every (Heart) And (Dollar).”
The American Red Cross was one of the major organizations that conducted relief work during World War I.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
Manee Company
ID Number
2006.0098.0394
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0394

Fearnaught Stallions

A color print of two chestnut horses (Lancet and Fearnaught Boy) with light manes pulling a cutter on a country road. They are joined by a T-shaped tongue, and their harnesses are light and handsome.
Description
A color print of two chestnut horses (Lancet and Fearnaught Boy) with light manes pulling a cutter on a country road. They are joined by a T-shaped tongue, and their harnesses are light and handsome. The driver is wearing a black coat with lapels, gloves, a boat-shaped hat, and a beaver rug over his knees. He is probably their owner David Nevins, Jr. A split rail fence borders the road. Mountains are in the distance, and the landscape is covered with snow.
Lancet and Fearnaught Boy were owned by David Nevins Jr. of Framingham, Massachusetts.
Haskell and Allen’s most memorable productions were their horse prints. A Boston based publisher of lithographs, the firm seems to have issued more large folio images than small. Haskell began as a print seller with Haskell and Ripley (1868) but in 1869 he began a partnership with George Allen. In 1873 they moved to 61 Hanover St in Boston where they prospered for a few years. They went bankrupt in 1878.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1875
maker
Haskell & Allen
artist
Eaton, L. G.
original artist
Leighton, Scott
ID Number
DL.60.3555
catalog number
60.3555

Chantilly Bobbin Lace Motif

One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali".
Description
One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali". Each piece is labeled "10/55, $.45 each". Madame Kefer-Mali was one of four women on the Lace Committee working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium. The lace was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1918
made during
1914-1918
Helped create Commission for Relief in Belgium
Hoover, Herbert
previous owner
Kefer-Mali, M.
maker
unknown
ID Number
2013.0121.42
accession number
2013.0121
catalog number
2013.0121.42

Leg Silque Liquid Stockings, Shade P244 Suntan

While leg makeup has been commercially available since the 1920s, it wasn't until rationing was introduced during the World War II that the product became an essential commodity for many American women.
Description
While leg makeup has been commercially available since the 1920s, it wasn't until rationing was introduced during the World War II that the product became an essential commodity for many American women. Unable to procure silk or nylon hose, many women resorted to painting their legs with products such as Leg Silque Liquid Stockings, made in Boston, Mass., by the Langlois Company. Some industrious users even drew black lines down the backs of their legs to simulate the seams.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1943
maker
Langlois Inc.
ID Number
1985.0481.002
accession number
1985.0481
catalog number
1985.0481.002
maker number
P244

The Black Valley Railroad by artist Emile Ackerman and lithographed by J. Mayer and Company

This black and white allegorical print depicts the course of destruction through drinking. A train with its engine labeled "Distillery" is stopped at "Drunkard's Curve Station".
Description
This black and white allegorical print depicts the course of destruction through drinking. A train with its engine labeled "Distillery" is stopped at "Drunkard's Curve Station". The train is leaving a tranquil valley and heading toward doom with skeletons and snakes in the background. The print has a considerable amount of descriptive and interpretive text.
This print was created by the artist Emil F. Ackermann, who was born in Dresden, Germany in 1840 and came to the United States in 1848. Ackermann eventually went to work for the lithography firm of J.H. Bufford and Sons, which produced the lithograph in the 1860s.
It was issued by the Massachusetts Temperance Alliance and published by Reverend Steadman Wright Hanks in his book The Crystal River Turned Upon the Black Valley Railroad and Black Valley Country -- A Temperance Allegory (also known as The Black Valley: The Railroad and the Country). Hanks called the print "probably the most successful temperance lecture in the country." Stedman Wright Hanks (1811-1889) was a Congregational minister in Lowell, Massachusetts, as well as an author, artist, and fervent supporter of both the temperance and anti-slavery movements. Hanks spoke to audiences around the United States about the evils of overindulging in alcohol. In addition to his book about the Black Valley Railroad, his published works included Sailor Boys, or, Light on the Seaand Mutineers of the "Bounty and compiled a temperance song book and served as a representative in the Massachusetts General Court. He is also noted for performing the sermon commemorating John Quincy Adams death at the St. John Street Congregational Church.
This print was produced by J. Mayer and Company. Julius Mayer was a lithographer in Boston from 1857-1872. He was associated with Prang & Mayer (1857-1860), Mayer & Stetfield (1861-1862), and J. Mayer & Co. (1863-1872). His prints included scenes of Boston and Portland, Maine.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1863
copyright holder
Hanks, S. W.
artist; engraver
Ackermann, Emil
lithographer
J. Mayer and Company
ID Number
DL.60.2890
catalog number
60.2890
accession number
228146

Ben Morrill

Color print of a dark brown trotting horse pulling a sulky and driver. White picket fence in background.A color print of a dark brown stallion pulling a sulky and driver on a race track. The equipment is streamlined and colorful.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a dark brown trotting horse pulling a sulky and driver. White picket fence in background.
Description
A color print of a dark brown stallion pulling a sulky and driver on a race track. The equipment is streamlined and colorful. The driver wears a maroon jacket, white shirt, purple pants, a blue cap and yellow gloves. The track is enclosed by a white picket fence.
Ben Morrill was foaled in 1868 from Winthrop Morrill and the Harrison Ames Mare in Winthrop, Maine. He was owned by T.B. Williams. His career ran from 1872-79. Ben Morrill never reached the level of the Grand Circuit horses, but he was well loved throughout New England and Canada and a particular favorite in Boston. On October 29, 1874 Ben Morrill, driven by J.J. Bowen, won two out of nine heats at Prospect Park Fairgrounds in a race for trotters that had never raced under 2:30. Ben Morrill sired seven trotters that reached the under 2:30 achievement.
Haskell and Allen’s most memorable productions were their horse prints. A Boston based publisher of lithographs, the firm seems to have issued more large folio images than small. Haskell began as a print seller with Haskell and Ripley (1868) but in 1869 he began a partnership with George Allen. In 1873 they moved to 61 Hanover St in Boston where they prospered for a few years. They went bankrupt in 1878.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1875
maker
Haskell & Allen
artist
Howe, E.R.
original artist
Leighton, Scott
ID Number
DL.60.3538
catalog number
60.3538

Slavery as it Exists in America./ Slavery as it Exists in England.

This 1850 print offers a defense of slavery in America by satirically comparing it with a perceived system of “wage slavery” in England.
Description
This 1850 print offers a defense of slavery in America by satirically comparing it with a perceived system of “wage slavery” in England. In the top panel, two Northern men and two Southern men look upon a group of seemingly content slaves who are shown dancing, playing music, and smiling. The Northerners are surprised at this scene, amazed to find that popular assumptions at home about slavery were unfounded. The Southerners hope that the Northerners will return home with a new perspective on slavery, but demonstrate their readiness to fight for their rights if necessary. The lower panel shows a gathering of people outside of a cloth factory in England. On the side of the factory, a sign reads, “Sale / A Wife to be Sold.” On the left, a young farmer talks to his childhood friend, who appears as an old man. The older figure explains that life in a British factory producing cloth ages one more quickly, and that the workers die of old age at 40. To their right, a mother looks down upon her three children, lamenting “What wretched slaves, this factory life makes me & my children. Continuing right, two factory workers contemplate running away to the coal mines, where they would only work for 14 hours instead of their current 17. On the far right, two rotund men, a priest and a tax collector, approach the workers with books labeled “Tythes” and “Taxes.” In the right corner, a man thanks God that he will soon die and be free of his “factory slavery.” Below the panels is included a portrait of the bust of George Thompson, a Scottish abolitionist. An accompanying quote from Thompson reads, “I am proud to boast that Slavery does not breathe in England,” although the creators of this print would argue otherwise. It was printed by British born John Haven ( born ca 1817), who was active in New York City at 3 Broad Street 1846-1848. He then moved to 86 State Street, Boston where he was active 1848-1850. He is known for designing maps as well as for prints on Manifest Destiny and prints with political commentary.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1850
depicted
Thompson, George
maker
Haven, Joshua P.
ID Number
DL.60.3490
catalog number
60.3490

Buttons

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1925
ID Number
DL.252318.0087
catalog number
252318.0087
accession number
252318

Ipswich Black Silk Bobbin Lace Border

This black silk bobbin lace was made in Ipswich, Massachusetts, around 1790. The thread is 2-ply, S-twist black silk. The ground is kat stitch, which is also known as Paris ground. Point ground, Cross, twist, twist, twist, is used only as a filling.Currently not on view
Description
This black silk bobbin lace was made in Ipswich, Massachusetts, around 1790. The thread is 2-ply, S-twist black silk. The ground is kat stitch, which is also known as Paris ground. Point ground, Cross, twist, twist, twist, is used only as a filling.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1770-1810
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.H39069
catalog number
H39069
accession number
113420

The Famous Roan Horse Capt Mc Gowan as He Appeared in His 20th Mile

Color print of a trotting horse (Capt. McGowan) pulling a sulky on a racetrack. A white picket fence borders the track. The caption indicates that this is River Side Park, Brighton, Mass. on Oct.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a trotting horse (Capt. McGowan) pulling a sulky on a racetrack. A white picket fence borders the track. The caption indicates that this is River Side Park, Brighton, Mass. on Oct. 31, 1865.
Description
A color print of a brown horse attached by a light harness to a sulky with a driver who is intent on holding the reins. The driver wears a heavy red sweater and beaked cap. The sulky is red and highly polished. A picket fence borders the track. Pretentious country homes are in the wooded area beyond the park. It is a scene of River Side Park, Brighton, Mass. on Oct. 31, 1865.
Captain McGowan was bred in 1857 by Sovereign and Sally Miller, but his pedigree is debated. It is believed that he was born in Kentucky and owned by Samuel Emerson of Boston. He set a record in 1865 of trotting 20 miles in one hour (56 minutes, 25 seconds).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
maker
J. H. Bufford and Sons
ID Number
DL.60.3595
catalog number
60.3595

Whaler's Monkey Belt

After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing.
Description
After a whale was captured and killed, its carcass was towed by the whaleboat to the side of the mother ship for processing. Cutting up the whale was done by crewmen standing on a wooden plank, or cutting stage, rigged out over the side of the ship so that they could stand directly over the body. Crewmen used this canvas “monkey belt” to secure themselves while they stripped the whale of its blubber. It was dangerous and slippery work. If a sailor slid into the water he risked drowning or being attacked by sharks looking for an easy meal.
date made
1883
ID Number
AG.057716
catalog number
057716
accession number
2009.0184

J. Fenimore Cooper

Black and white print; bust portrait of a man (James Fenimore Cooper).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print; bust portrait of a man (James Fenimore Cooper).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Cooper, James Fenimore
publisher
Peabody & Co.
Childs & Inman
maker
Pendleton's Lithography
ID Number
DL.60.3130
catalog number
60.3130
accession number
228146

The Arkansas Traveller

Colored print depicting the famous folktale of the Arkansas Traveller, Col. Sandy C. Faulkner. In this scene, Col. Faulkner, on horseback, encounters a family outside a broken-down log cabin. A man sits in front of the cabin playing a fiddle.
Description (Brief)
Colored print depicting the famous folktale of the Arkansas Traveller, Col. Sandy C. Faulkner. In this scene, Col. Faulkner, on horseback, encounters a family outside a broken-down log cabin. A man sits in front of the cabin playing a fiddle. Other family members are gathered in the doorway, with one boy sitting outside.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870
depicted
Faulkner, S. C.
maker
J. H. Bufford and Company
ID Number
DL.60.2431
catalog number
60.2431
accession number
228146

Chantilly Bobbin Lace Motif

One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali".
Description
One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali". Each piece is labeled "10/55, $.45 each". Madame Kefer-Mali was one of four women on the Lace Committee working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium. The lace was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1918
made during
1914-1918
Helped create Commission for Relief in Belgium
Hoover, Herbert
previous owner
Kefer-Mali, M.
maker
unknown
ID Number
2013.0121.40
accession number
2013.0121
catalog number
2013.0121.40

William Ellery model Pocketwatch

During the Civil War Army physician Dr. G. D. O'Farrell received this watch as a gift from grateful patients.In the 1850s watchmakers at what would become the American Watch Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, developed the world's first machine-made watches.
Description
During the Civil War Army physician Dr. G. D. O'Farrell received this watch as a gift from grateful patients.
In the 1850s watchmakers at what would become the American Watch Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, developed the world's first machine-made watches. They completely redesigned the watch so that its movement could be assembled from interchangeable parts made on specialized machines invented just for that purpose. They also developed a highly organized factory-based work system to speed production and cut costs.
In its first decade, the firm's work was largely experimental and the firm's finances were unsteady. The name of the company changed repeatedly as investors came and went. Operations moved from Roxbury to Waltham in 1854, and the Panic of 1857 brought bankruptcy and a new owner, Royal Robbins. Reorganization and recovery began, and output reached fourteen thousand watches in 1858.
Renamed the American Watch Company the next year, the firm was on the brink of success from an unexpected quarter. During the Civil War, Waltham's watch factory designed and mass-produced a low-cost watch, the William Ellery model. Selling for an unbelievable $13.00, these watches became a fad with Union soldiers. Just as itinerant peddlers had aroused the desire for inexpensive clocks, roving merchants sold thousands of cheap watches to eager customers in wartime encampments. By 1865, the year the war ended, William Ellery movements represented almost 45 per cent of Waltham's unit sales.
This William Ellery model watch was a gift to Army surgeon G. D. O'Farrell from his patients at White Hall, a Civil War hospital near Philadelphia. The inscription on the dust cover of O'Farrell's watch reads: "White Hall USA Gen'l Hospital, Feb. 15, 1865 Presented to Dr. G. D. O'Farrell, USA by the patients of Ward C as a token of regard & respect for his ability as a surgeon and unswerving integrity as a man."
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1864
presentation
1865
maker
American Waltham Watch Co.
ID Number
1987.0853.01
catalog number
1987.0853.01
accession number
1987.0853

The Life and Age of Man: Stages of Man's Life from the Cradle to the Grave by Frederick Gleason

This colored print depicts a male from infancy to old age in decade-long spans, which was a popular and recurring theme of genteel society during the 19th Century.
Description
This colored print depicts a male from infancy to old age in decade-long spans, which was a popular and recurring theme of genteel society during the 19th Century. The figures are shown on ascending steps up to age 50 and then descending, with age 100 being the lowest to the right. Each image portrays a well-dressed youth or man in appropriate attire for his position in society (i.e., gentleman, soldier, elder). Verses beneath each figure associate a depicted animal with that stage of life. In the lower center is a small vignette of three men drinking at a table while a young man and women walk away. The devil gestures between the two groups.
This print was produced by Frederick Gleason (1814-1896). a lithographer and publisher in Boston, Massachusetts. Born in September 1814 in Germany, Gleason moved to the United States in October 1836, and began his career as a bookbinder. He became a citizen in June 1840. He is best known for establishing the popular illustrated weekly Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion in 1851, modelled on the Illustrated London News. At the time an innovation in American publishing, it brought him considerable success. After the Pictorial, Gleason published Gleason's Literary Companion from 1860–70; Gleason's Home Circle from 1871–90; and Gleason's Monthly Companion from 1872–87. He was married a second time after his first wife died, and he died November 6, 1896 in Boston.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1850
maker
Gleason, Frederick
ID Number
DL.60.2933
catalog number
60.2933
accession number
228146

bracelet

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1840-1860
hair of
Robinson, Mary A.
ID Number
1997.0143.007

Sailor's Sea Chest

Dating to the 1790s, this sailor’s sea chest would have been one of the owner’s most important possessions. The crew on sailing ships typically owned little property—perhaps only what would fit into a chest like this one.
Description
Dating to the 1790s, this sailor’s sea chest would have been one of the owner’s most important possessions. The crew on sailing ships typically owned little property—perhaps only what would fit into a chest like this one. Not only did his chest store a sailor’s personal belongings, but it also served as his table, his chair, his bank and his bureau. These chests also gave a sailor an opportunity for personal expression through carvings, paintings, and decorations.
Carvings, a name “Jan Smart” inside a heart, and the date 1799 decorate this pine chest. It is unknown whether the name refers to the owner of the chest or someone else. The chest is broader at the base than at the top, giving it greater stability at sea. Fancy brass handles at each end provide lifting points. The top displays fancy carving around the edge, and inside there are small compartments on either end.
ID Number
DL.63.828
catalog number
63.828
accession number
245875

Fisherman’s Oilskin Hat

Gloucester fishermen working on the North Atlantic were exposed to harsh weather conditions. Waves and freezing rain splashed over the decks and into the dories while the men worked.
Description
Gloucester fishermen working on the North Atlantic were exposed to harsh weather conditions. Waves and freezing rain splashed over the decks and into the dories while the men worked. For some measure of protection, fishermen in the 19th century wore oiled clothes, the precursors to today’s waterproof foul weather gear.
This hat, referred to as a “Cape Ann sou’wester” because of its wide use in the fisheries around Cape Ann, Mass., is made of soft oiled canvas and lined with flannel. It has an elongated brim in the back to keep water from running down the wearer’s neck and inside his clothing. Ear flaps for warmth are also part of the hat’s design.
A catalog from the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London claimed that with the sou’wester, “no class of seamen were so comfortably clothed as the New England fishermen.” At the time of the exhibition’s opening, sou’westers cost about $6.50 per dozen.
This Cape Ann sou’wester was displayed at the London exhibition, courtesy of its manufacturer, A. J. Tower of Boston, Mass. It was part of a display of the latest gear used and worn by American fishermen.
date made
early 1880s
used
late 19th century
on exhibit
1883
ID Number
2009.0157.03
catalog number
102126
accession number
2009.0157

A Day with the Chickens

This print is one of fifteen chromolithographs that were included in the 1889-1890 folio "Sport or Fishing and Shooting" published by Bradlee Whidden of Boston and edited by A.C. Gould.
Description (Brief)
This print is one of fifteen chromolithographs that were included in the 1889-1890 folio "Sport or Fishing and Shooting" published by Bradlee Whidden of Boston and edited by A.C. Gould. These prints are based on watercolors that were commissioned for the publication, and illustrated by prominent American artists. Each folio illustration was accompanied by a single leaf of descriptive text followed by an account of the depicted sporting scene. The publication was advertised as having been reviewed for accuracy by a renowned group of anglers and hunters prior to printing.
This print was originally titled and numbered on the text page as 12. A Day with the [Prairie] Chickens. R. F. Zogbaum. Depicted are two hunters shooting at prairie chickens. A dog stands at point flushing birds out of the brush. In the background a man sits in a horse-drawn wagon.
The artist was Rufus Fairchild Zogbaum (1849-1925) known for his images of horses, cowboys, and battle scenes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1890
publisher; copywriter
Bradlee Whidden
lithographer
Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company
artist
Zogbaum, Rufas Fairchild
ID Number
DL.60.2721
catalog number
60.2721
accession number
228146

Her Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britian

Colored print; profile bust of a young Queen Victoria wearing a crown of flowers in her hair and long dangling earrings.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print; profile bust of a young Queen Victoria wearing a crown of flowers in her hair and long dangling earrings.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
depicted
Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India
maker
Moore, Thomas
ID Number
DL.60.2307
catalog number
60.2307
accession number
228146

Leaving Brighton Hotel for the Mill-Dam/ Summer

Color print of numerous carriages and horses on the road in front of a four-story white building identified as "Brighton Hotel"A color print of a four-story white frame hotel (Brighton Hotel) with shuttered windows and a veranda that extends around it.
Description (Brief)
Color print of numerous carriages and horses on the road in front of a four-story white building identified as "Brighton Hotel"
Description
A color print of a four-story white frame hotel (Brighton Hotel) with shuttered windows and a veranda that extends around it. Next to it is another hotel building, a covered breezeway to shelter horses, and a long horse shed. The large yard in front of the complex is filled with horses and carriages, some out of the driver’s control and threatening to collide. There are sulkys, box wagons, and a handsome coach for four and a driver. The people are quite fashionably dressed. This is part of a pair that includes a winter scene.
Haskell and Allen’s most memorable productions were their horse prints. A Boston based publisher of lithographs, the firm seems to have issued more large folio images than small. Haskell began as a print seller with Haskell and Ripley (1868) but in 1869 he began a partnership with George Allen. In 1873 they moved to 61 Hanover St in Boston where they prospered for a few years. They went bankrupt in 1878.
Howe was a Boston lithographer in the 1870’s, having his business on School Street and then Hanover Street. He was an artist often listed as a lithographer.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1871
maker
Haskell & Allen
artist
Howe, E.R.
ID Number
DL.60.3552
catalog number
60.3552

Rarus, The Fastest Trotting Horse in The World.

Color print of a bay trotting horse pulling sulky and driver.A color print of a bay horse pulling a sulky and jockey on a track. His equipment is designed for speed. The jockey wears a jacket, white shirt, long pants, and billed cap.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a bay trotting horse pulling sulky and driver.
Description
A color print of a bay horse pulling a sulky and jockey on a track. His equipment is designed for speed. The jockey wears a jacket, white shirt, long pants, and billed cap. A grassy pasture with pond and trees borders the track, with low hills in the distance.
Rarus was bred by R.B. Conklin upon his retirement in New York in the early 1800s. His dam was called Nancy Awful because she had terrible tantrums, but Conklin bred her to Rysdyk’s Hambletonian to produce a stunning bay trotting prospect. Rarus was marked as a future champion from birth, and Conklin gave him an over-abundance of attention compared to the other horses on the farm. In his first practice race at age three, Rarus trotted the mile in three minutes. Rarus won his first scrub race at age six under the training of James Meade on August 21, 1874 in Long Island, winning a purse of $800. He was then transferred to Brooklyn to train under James Page and lowered his record to 2:28 ½ in one season. His early rival, Kansas Chief, was a former cowpony, and the two went back and forth in winnings for two seasons before Conklin changed Rarus’ driver to John Splan. Rarus was then entered in the Grand Circuit, where he won continuously for two years. Conklin continually turned down offers for the horse up to $45,000 because he believed the same amount of money could be won in purses. Rarus was hailed as “King of the Turf” for a short time after beating Goldsmith Maid’s on August 3, 1878 in Buffalo. His time, 2:13 1/4, was promoted as the “Greatest Achievement on Record.” Z.E. Simmons finally purchased Rarus for $36,000, but the sale was poorly timed. Because it was to take place before an exhibition, track officials were furious and banned both Rarus and Conklin from all tracks forever. With no choice, Simmons sent Rarus to Robert Bonner’s farm. Rarus was eventually inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 1978 as an “Immortal.”
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1878
maker
F. M. Haskell & Co.
ID Number
DL.60.3535
catalog number
60.3535

Mr. Gus Williams the American Star Comique by Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company

This black and white print is a three-quarter length portrait of Gus Williams wearing a dress coat and hat and carrying a walking stick. Beneath the portrait are the words “American Star Comique.” The left side of the poster appears to have been cut off.
Description
This black and white print is a three-quarter length portrait of Gus Williams wearing a dress coat and hat and carrying a walking stick. Beneath the portrait are the words “American Star Comique.” The left side of the poster appears to have been cut off. A portion of the title (the letter "S") and the edge of another image are still visible. The Opera House performance dates are advertised on an affixed datebill that is pasted on the bottom margin. A torn fragment of a small oval portrait of Williams is affixed to the upper right corner.
Gus Williams (1848-1915) was an American comedian and songwriter. He was born Gustave Wilhelm Leweck, Jr., in New York City, the son of a German American furrier. Leweck set out for the American West in his early teens but got only as far as Indiana, where he went to work as a farmhand. In 1862, Leweck joined Union troops fighting the Civil War as part of the 48th Indiana Infantry. He apparently got his start as an entertainer putting on shows as a drummer boy for his fellow soldiers. He first appeared on stage in 1864 during the Union Army’s occupation of Huntsville, Alabama, where he performed in The Pirate’s Legacy: The Wrecker’s Fate by Charles H. Saunders. After the war, Leweck toured with Tony Pastor's vaudeville group and became known for singing and performing comic skits with a German accent. He appeared in a number of German farce comedies, including Our German Senator and One of the Finest . He was known for writing his own songs, both comic and sentimental. In 1885 Leweck took the stage name Gus Williams. He also worked to secure better wages for vaudeville performers and was said to have been the first to earn 500 dollars a week for doing stage monologues. Williams committed suicide in his sixties, possibly because of health concerns and his declining career.
This lithograph was produced by Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company. The Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company was founded by William H. Forbes (ca 1836-1915), who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, England in 1848. Forbes became an apprentice in the lithography business while still a boy and established William H. Forbes and Company in Boston in 1861. The firm expanded to become Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company in 1875 with hundreds of employees and offices in Boston, New York, Chicago, and London. During World War II, the company became a major printer of allied military currency but went out of business later in the 20th Century.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Williams, Gus
maker
Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company
ID Number
DL.60.3059
catalog number
60.3059
accession number
228146

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