Family & Social Life - Overview
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.
"Family & Social Life - Overview" showing 1935 items.
Page 192 of 194
Blue Sky Boys
- Description
- Beginning in 1936, brothers Earl (1919-1998) and Bill Bolick (b. 1917), known for their intricate melodies on guitar and mandolin, influenced many other duet performers. The Blue Sky Boys retired in 1951, but returned to performing in 1962, drawn by the rising interest in folk and traditional country music.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1974
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.002
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.002
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Hughes Family Show
- Description
- Many acts in country music were built around brother duos and family members.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.007
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.007
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Del McCoury
- Description
- Del McCoury's voice is known as one of the finest examples of traditional bluegrass's "high lonesome" sound. Delano Floyd McCoury (b.1939) got his first big break in 1963 when Bill Monroe hired McCoury's band to play a few shows. McCoury briefly joined Monroe's band, but returned to a successful career with his own group. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2004.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1975
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.013
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.013
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Osborne Brothers
- Description
- After performing individually with Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, and other headliners in the 1940s, Sonny (b.1937) and Bobby (b. 1931) Osborne became one of the most popular and innovative bluegrass groups of the postwar era. Experimenting in the mid-1960s, they added piano, steel guitar, and electric instruments. While these ventures angered traditionalists, their innovative sound attracted a new younger audience to country music.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1974
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.040
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.040
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fans with Carl and Pearl Butler
- Description
- Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1973
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.090
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.090
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Couple grilling
- Description
- Some fans traveled great distances to participate in music festivals, and would camp nearby. This couple brought a grill to make a meal or two.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- negative
- 1972
- 2003
- maker
- Horenstein, Henry
- ID Number
- 2003.0169.097
- accession number
- 2003.0169
- catalog number
- 2003.0169.097
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Citizen Fire Company Parade Hat
- Description
- In the early 1800s, classical images associated with Greece and Rome became popular in America. In art and architecture, Americans sought to link their young nation to these republics of antiquity. The Roman goddess Libertas, representing personal sovereignty, was changed into Lady Liberty and adopted as an American symbol. The Citizen Fire Company chose Liberty as their emblem at its founding in 1836. Depicted on this parade hat, the female figure holds an American shield in one hand representing strength and protection. The red liberty cap atop a pole in Liberty's other hand was an internationally known symbol of the American Revolution that was also adopted from the Roman Empire.
- Date made
- c.1840-1860
- associated
- Citizen Fire Company #3
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0027
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0027
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Diligent Hose Company Fire Hat
- Description
- The Diligent Hose Company chose a beehive as their primary icon. It has been a symbol of industry, hard work, and cooperation used by many different organizations. The beehive, along with their name of Diligent, implies that the members persistently worked together to serve the community in their role as firemen. Although the beehive and five-pointed star are also Masonic symbols, that does not necessarily link company members to the society. Many Masonic emblems were well known and used by other organizations around the time of the Revolution. A fire company and a Masonic lodge were similar in their male-only, predominantly artisan membership.
- Date made
- 1820-1860
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0032
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0032
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Fairmount Fire Company Fire Hat
- Description
- The emblem painted on this Fairmount Fire Company's parade hat was inspired by William Rush's sculpture entitled "Nymph and Bittern." This somewhat feminine symbol seems unusual until the history of the sculpture is known. The artwork was part of a fountain commissioned to commemorate the completion of Philadelphia's new water system in 1822. The system was state-of-the-art, and the statue was considered the best piece of public art in America. Wearing these hats linked the Fairmount Company with Philadelphia's technological advancement, cultural supremacy, and proud fire fighting history.
- Date made
- 1820-1860
- associated
- Rush, William
- maker
- Shotwell & Garden
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0037
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0037
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Northern Liberty Hose Company Fire Hat
- Description
- The work of art on this parade hat of the Northern Liberty Hose Company combines a number of patriotic emblems. The female figure, known as Lady Liberty, is a personification of the United States. In her left hand, Liberty holds a pole with a red liberty cap on top. The liberty cap was originally a Roman symbol given to freed slaves. It became an internationally known symbol of the American Revolution when colonists carried them atop poles in parades and rallies. The U.S. flag and shield are also included in the picture. Possessing similar features, both of these symbols were adopted by the Continental Congress. By the design of the flag, it can be determined that this parade hat was painted after 1795. Before that date, the thirteen stars of the flag were arranged in a circle, not the pattern visible on this hat.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1835-1860
- associated
- Northern Liberty Hose Company No. 4
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0073
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0073
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center