Family & Social Life

Donations to the Museum have preserved irreplaceable evidence about generations of ordinary Americans. Objects from the Copp household of Stonington, Connecticut, include many items used by a single family from 1740 to 1850. Other donations have brought treasured family artifacts from jewelry to prom gowns. These gifts and many others are all part of the Museum's family and social life collections.

Children's books and Sunday school lessons, tea sets and family portraits also mark the connections between members of a family and between families and the larger society. Prints, advertisements, and artifacts offer nostalgic or idealized images of family life and society in times past. And the collections include a few modern conveniences that have had profound effects on American families and social life, such as televisions, video games, and personal computers.

Oscar Peterson. side 1: Where or When; side 2: Oscar's Blues (Mercury 8922), from the album, Oscar Peterson (Mercury C106).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

Oscar Peterson. side 1: Where or When; side 2: Oscar's Blues (Mercury 8922), from the album, Oscar Peterson (Mercury C106).
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
release date
1950
recording artist
Peterson, Oscar
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1981.0656.471
accession number
1981.0656
maker number
8922
C106
catalog number
1981.0656.471
Herman the Hermit with Cliffie Stone Orchestra.
Description

Herman the Hermit with Cliffie Stone Orchestra. side 1: I Met Her in the Garden; side 2: Beautiful Brown Eyes (Gold Seal 4849), from the album, Cowboy Songs with Cliffie Stone (Gold Seal).
78 rpm.

Herman the Hermit is a pseudonym for Clifford Herman Snyder, father of Cliffie Stone.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1946
recording artist
Herman the Hermit
Cliffie Stone Orchestra
manufacturer
Gold Seal
ID Number
1996.0320.05306
maker number
4849
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05306
various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 2]; side 2: Mordido [part 5] (Mercury 11014), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9. 78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 2]; side 2: Mordido [part 5] (Mercury 11014), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9.
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Jacquet, Illinois
Phillips, Flip
Harris, Bill
McGhee, Howard
Jones, Jo
Brown, Ray
Jones, Hank
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1978.0670.625
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
11014
MERCURY VOL. 9
catalog number
1978.0670.625
Fred Kirby. side 1: Bury My Heart Beneath the Roses; side 2: When It's Reveille Tine in Heaven (Sonora 11150, from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Bury My Heart Beneath the Roses; side 2: When It's Reveille Tine in Heaven (Sonora 11150, from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05163
maker number
1115
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05163
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Hawaiian Cowboy; side 2: Take It Back and Change It for a Boy (Mercury 6091).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Hawaiian Cowboy; side 2: Take It Back and Change It for a Boy (Mercury 6091).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1996.0320.10460
collector/donor number
4613
maker number
6091
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.10460
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Red River Valley; side 2: Loobie Lou Skip To My Lou (Sonora 1123) from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands. side 1: Red River Valley; side 2: Loobie Lou Skip To My Lou (Sonora 1123) from the album, Country Dances (Sonora MS 479).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
1946
recording artist
Ed Durlacher and The Top Hands
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05095
maker number
1123
MS 479
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05095
Sidney Bechet, Don Ewell, Munn Ware, Wally Gordon, Sid Thall & Bill Reinhardt. side 1: Maryland, My Maryland; side 2: Careless Love (Jazz Ltd. 201).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Sidney Bechet, Don Ewell, Munn Ware, Wally Gordon, Sid Thall & Bill Reinhardt. side 1: Maryland, My Maryland; side 2: Careless Love (Jazz Ltd. 201).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1949
recording artist
Bechet, Sidney
Ewell, Don
Ware, Munn
Gordon, Wally
Thall, Sid
Reinhardt, Bill
manufacturer
Jazz Ltd.
ID Number
1978.0670.287
maker number
201
accession number
1978.0670
catalog number
1978.0670.287
Fred Kirby. side 1: Bury My Heart Beneath the Roses; side 2: When It's Reveille Time in Heaven (Sonora 1115), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Bury My Heart Beneath the Roses; side 2: When It's Reveille Time in Heaven (Sonora 1115), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05159
maker number
1115
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05159
Natalia Flores wore this pink silver-embroidered evening gown for her Quinceanera held in Chicago in 2006. Quinceaneras are a Latina religious tradition that celebrate the maturing of a girl into a woman.
Description
Natalia Flores wore this pink silver-embroidered evening gown for her Quinceanera held in Chicago in 2006. Quinceaneras are a Latina religious tradition that celebrate the maturing of a girl into a woman. Traditionally, the celebration takes place on the girl's fifteenth birthday, is religious in nature, and involves her dressing in a formal gown.
American immigrants have strived to preserve their cultural identities through performing these traditions. Although Natalia's mother did not have a Quinceanera in Mexico, she thought it was important for her daughter to experience this custom in America.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2006
distributor
P.C. Mary's Inc.
wearer
Flores, Natalia
maker
unknown
ID Number
2009.0169.001
accession number
2009.0169
catalog number
2009.0169.001
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Slap Her Down Again, Paw; side 2: Teardrops in My Heart (Mercury 6095).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers. side 1: Slap Her Down Again, Paw; side 2: Teardrops in My Heart (Mercury 6095).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Rex Allen and his Arizona Wranglers
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1996.0320.10478
collector/donor number
3981
maker number
6095
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.10478
Red River Dave. side 1: The Last Round-Up; side 2: Wagon Trail (Sonora 1064), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Red River Dave. side 1: The Last Round-Up; side 2: Wagon Trail (Sonora 1064), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
recording artist
Red River Dave
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05217
maker number
1064
MS 464
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05217
Curley Bradley. side 1: Ridin' Down the Canyon; side 2: Carry Me Back To the Lone Prairie (Universal 7501), from the album, Curley Bradley presents the Tom Mix of Radio (Universal U2).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Curley Bradley. side 1: Ridin' Down the Canyon; side 2: Carry Me Back To the Lone Prairie (Universal 7501), from the album, Curley Bradley presents the Tom Mix of Radio (Universal U2).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
1948
recording artist
Bradley, Curley
manufacturer
Universal
ID Number
1996.0320.05063
maker number
7501
U2
catalog number
1996.0320.05063
accession number
1996.0320
Eddie Chamblee. side 1: Back Street; side 2: Lazy Mood (Miracle 133).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Eddie Chamblee. side 1: Back Street; side 2: Lazy Mood (Miracle 133).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1949
recording artist; composer
Simpkins, Lewis
Chamblee, Eddie
manufacturer
Miracle
ID Number
1996.0153.08692
catalog number
1996.0153.08692
label number
133
accession number
1996.0153
Red River Dave. side 1: Empty Saddles; side 2: Red River Valley (Sonora 1066), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Red River Dave. side 1: Empty Saddles; side 2: Red River Valley (Sonora 1066), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
recording artist
Red River Dave
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05215
maker number
1066
MS 464
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05215
Lu Watters and his Yerba Buena Jazz Band. side 1: Antiqua Blues; side 2: Copenhagen (Mercury 11052), from the album, Lu Watters Jazz (Mercury C-103).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

Lu Watters and his Yerba Buena Jazz Band. side 1: Antiqua Blues; side 2: Copenhagen (Mercury 11052), from the album, Lu Watters Jazz (Mercury C-103).
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1950
recording artist
Lu Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band
artist
Martin, David Stone
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1978.0670.640
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
11052
C-103
catalog number
1978.0670.640
various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 3]; side 2: Mordido [part 4] (Mercury 11015), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9. 78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 3]; side 2: Mordido [part 4] (Mercury 11015), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9.
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Jacquet, Illinois
Phillips, Flip
Harris, Bill
McGhee, Howard
Jones, Jo
Brown, Ray
Jones, Hank
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1978.0670.626
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
11015
MERCURY VOL. 9
catalog number
1978.0670.626
F. Carlton Booth. side 1: We Shall See His Lovely Face; side 2: Jesus Gives Me a Song (Singspiration 1042). from the album, Singing (Singspiration 4). 78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
F. Carlton Booth. side 1: We Shall See His Lovely Face; side 2: Jesus Gives Me a Song (Singspiration 1042). from the album, Singing (Singspiration 4).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Booth, F. Carlton
manufacturer
Singspiration
ID Number
1996.0320.05024
maker number
1042
4
catalog number
1996.0320.05024
accession number
1996.0320
WLS Family Album published by Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937.This booklet features articles about the WLS (World's Largest Store) radio station in Chicago, established by the Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1924.
Description (Brief)

WLS Family Album published by Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago, Illinois, in 1937.

This booklet features articles about the WLS (World's Largest Store) radio station in Chicago, established by the Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1924. It also features images and biographies of musicians who performed on the WLS program, National Barn Dance, one of the first American country music radio programs and a direct forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry, on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee.

date made
1937
maker
Sears, Roebuck and Co.
ID Number
2017.0191.09
accession number
2017.0191
catalog number
2017.0191.09
various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 1]; side 2: Mordido [part 6] (Mercury 11013), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9. 78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

various artists. side 1: Mordido [part 1]; side 2: Mordido [part 6] (Mercury 11013), from the album, Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 9.
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Jacquet, Illinois
Phillips, Flip
Harris, Bill
McGhee, Howard
Jones, Jo
Brown, Ray
Jones, Hank
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1978.0670.624
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
11013
MERCURY VOL. 9
catalog number
1978.0670.624
Red River Dave. side 1: The Last Round-Up; side 2: Wagon Trail (Sonora 1064), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Red River Dave. side 1: The Last Round-Up; side 2: Wagon Trail (Sonora 1064), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
recording artist
Red River Dave
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05213
maker number
1064
MS 464
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05213
Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05158
maker number
1114
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05158
Greer Garson Coloring Book produced by the Merrill Publishing Company in 1944. This 48-page coloring book features drawings of actress Greer Garson in her costumes against blue background and stars.
Description
Greer Garson Coloring Book produced by the Merrill Publishing Company in 1944. This 48-page coloring book features drawings of actress Greer Garson in her costumes against blue background and stars. The pictures and texts describe typical activities of the film star: on the movie set in various films, her acceptance of an Academy Award, promoting war bonds, tending to her Victory Garden, and reading letters from her husband in the Navy.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1944
publisher
Merrill Publishing Company
associated institution
MGM
depicted
Garson, Greer
maker
Merrill Publishing Company
ID Number
2001.3007.15
nonaccession number
2001.3007
catalog number
2001.3007.15
Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Fred Kirby. side 1: Somewhere a Heart Is Breaking; side 2: Hello My Baby (Sonora 1114), from the album, Hillbilly Tunes (Sonora MS-477).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Kirby, Fred
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05162
maker number
1114
MS-477
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05162
Charlie Parker with strings. side 1: April in Paris; side 2: If I Should Lose You (Mercury 11037), from the album, Charlie Parker With Strings (Mercury C-101).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

Charlie Parker with strings. side 1: April in Paris; side 2: If I Should Lose You (Mercury 11037), from the album, Charlie Parker With Strings (Mercury C-101).
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Clef, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1949
recording artist
Parker, Charlie
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1978.0670.628
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
11037
C-101
catalog number
1978.0670.628

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