Family & Social Life

Bennet Family Record

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.

Date: 2000s

Mack Magaha

Mach Magaha (1929-2003) was a sought-after bluegrass fiddler. A member of Don Reno and Red Smiley's Tennessee Cut-Ups in the 1950s and 1960s, he next worked with Porter Wagoner for nearly twenty years.Currently not on view
Description
Mach Magaha (1929-2003) was a sought-after bluegrass fiddler. A member of Don Reno and Red Smiley's Tennessee Cut-Ups in the 1950s and 1960s, he next worked with Porter Wagoner for nearly twenty years.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1975
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.037
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.037

Stoney and Wilma Lee Cooper

The Coopers welcomed Henry Horestein in their home, a great example of the accessibility of stars just thirty years ago. Wilma Lee (Leigh Leary, b. 1921) and Stoney Cooper (Dale Troy, 1918-1977) ranked as one of the great husband-wife teams in country music.
Description
The Coopers welcomed Henry Horestein in their home, a great example of the accessibility of stars just thirty years ago. Wilma Lee (Leigh Leary, b. 1921) and Stoney Cooper (Dale Troy, 1918-1977) ranked as one of the great husband-wife teams in country music. Their musical careers helped to bridge older and newer styles.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1974
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.038
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.038

Bing Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was made by the Bing Works company in Bavaria, Germany during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was made by the Bing Works company in Bavaria, Germany during the early 20th century. The engine has a black firebox and horizontal boiler with simulated brickwork chimney that is attached to a horizontal slide valve engine and flywheel.
The Gebrüder Bing (Bing Brothers) toy company was founded in Nuremburg, Germany by Adolf and Ignatz Bing in 1863 and operated until 1932. The company was renamed Bing Werke (Bing Works) in 1918 when Ignatz Bing died. While very successful from 1863 until 1912, World War I created an unfavorable export market for German products, and the hard post-war years created additional financial hardships. The harsh political climate in Germany forced the Jewish Bing family to flee to England in 1932, and Bing’s assets were acquired by rival toy company Bub in 1933.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.328984
catalog number
328984
accession number
278175

German Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was produced in Germany by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. Comparisons to other engines reveal similarities to the Schoenner 107 toy steam engine, which was manufactured during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was produced in Germany by an unknown maker during the early 20th century. Comparisons to other engines reveal similarities to the Schoenner 107 toy steam engine, which was manufactured during the early 20th century. Jean Schoenner formed his company in 1875, but sold the business to Falk in 1912. The overtype engine has a firebox that shows wear, with a silver boiler, horizontal valve engine, and flywheel. The engine has platform steps on the front and side, and the base is stamped “F144.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
ID Number
MC.328935
catalog number
328935
accession number
278175

German Toy Steam Engine

This vertical toy steam engine was manufactured by an unknown German company during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This vertical toy steam engine was manufactured by an unknown German company during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a fire box, a vertical boiler with chimney, and a vertical engine attached to a flywheel all mounted on a cast iron base.
Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.322909
catalog number
322909
accession number
220719

Cardboard Castanets

This castanet was made by an undetermined maker, possibly Germany, early 20th century. It is made of cardboard with 2 clappers shaped as a Santa Claus face, stapled on a cardboard base. This was a promotional toy from Goldberg's Department store in Washington, DC.
Description

This castanet was made by an undetermined maker, possibly Germany, early 20th century. It is made of cardboard with 2 clappers shaped as a Santa Claus face, stapled on a cardboard base. This was a promotional toy from Goldberg's Department store in Washington, DC. The castanet is printed:

GOLDENBERG'S
TOY DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
unspecified
Meggers, Edith R.
ID Number
MI.74.28
accession number
314637
catalog number
74.28

Couple Cooking on a Grill near their Camping Tent

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.Currently not on view
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
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.097
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.097

Märklin Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was made by the Märklin Company during the early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was made by the Märklin Company during the early 20th century. The engine consists of a black firebox on tan metal base, vertical boiler with sight glass, steam whistle, and safety valve, a vertical slide valve engine and flywheel.
The Märklin Company was established in 1859 in the town of Göppingen, Germany by tin smith Theodor Friedrich Wilhelm Märklin. Märklin began his business with the production of tin doll houses, but the company soon began producing a variety of tinplate and metal items, eventually specializing in toys that included steam engines such as this one.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.328986
catalog number
328986
accession number
278175

Mailbox

Thousands of homes were obliterated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. One of those homes stood at 2005 Lizardi Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Description
Thousands of homes were obliterated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. One of those homes stood at 2005 Lizardi Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This mailbox is all that remained, except for the front steps and a field of debris.
The hand-painted green flowers and butterflies on this mailbox, and the carefully lettered name and address of the Alexander family, evoke the domestic serenity that was shattered by Katrina's waters. Inside the mailbox a thick layer of dried mud recalled the wall of water that washed over this neighborhood August 29, 2005, when everything in its path was either submerged or destroyed.
The Lower Ninth Ward was a victim of the over-burdened Industrial Canal, whose concrete flood walls collapsed beneath the weight and force of the water. Further afield, a manmade navigation canal, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet ("Mr. Go"), offered a short cut not only to ships leaving the Gulf headed for New Orleans but for storm water moving inland from the Gulf. It was this water that in large part flooded the Industrial Canal and devastated the Lower Ninth Ward.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
Associated Date
2005-08-2005-09
ID Number
2006.3059.01
nonaccession number
2006.3059
catalog number
2006.3059.01

Weeden No. 10 Toy Steam Engine

The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, manufactured the Weeden No. 10 toy steam engine from 1894 until 1903. The toy consists of a horizontal boiler with star-shaped cutouts.
Description (Brief)
The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts, manufactured the Weeden No. 10 toy steam engine from 1894 until 1903. The toy consists of a horizontal boiler with star-shaped cutouts. A horizontal slide valve engine powers a flywheel mounted onto a cast iron base.
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the Youth’s Companion magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.328954
catalog number
328954
accession number
278175

Toy Steam Engine

This vertical engine and boiler was made by a German manufacturer during the early 20th century. The toy is possibly a Schoenner 101/2 model, made by Jean Schoenner in Nuremberg, Germany around 1905. The vertical engine has an iron base, metal firebox, boiler, and chimney.
Description (Brief)
This vertical engine and boiler was made by a German manufacturer during the early 20th century. The toy is possibly a Schoenner 101/2 model, made by Jean Schoenner in Nuremberg, Germany around 1905. The vertical engine has an iron base, metal firebox, boiler, and chimney. The steam powers a vertical engine shafted to a flywheel.
Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
ID Number
MC.328936
catalog number
328936
accession number
278175

Buckman Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was produced by the Buckman Manufacturing Company of Brooklyn, New York around 1871.The walking beam engine has a horizontal boiler, vertical slide valve engine, walking beam, and flywheel all on a cast iron frame.Live steam toys enjoyed a period of populari
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was produced by the Buckman Manufacturing Company of Brooklyn, New York around 1871.The walking beam engine has a horizontal boiler, vertical slide valve engine, walking beam, and flywheel all on a cast iron frame.
Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.329012
catalog number
329012
accession number
278175

Work Gloves

These gloves are protective wear worn on many worksites. The open fingered gloves are reinforced with leather padding to protect the palms. Product information says the open fingers provide ease of motion.
Description
These gloves are protective wear worn on many worksites. The open fingered gloves are reinforced with leather padding to protect the palms. Product information says the open fingers provide ease of motion. They were used by Jillian Gross while working for Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit, non-government organization advocating affordable housing around the world.
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Jillian Gross had worked with Habitat for Humanity for three years learning woodworking and house-building skills. Groups such as Habitat for Humanity marshaled volunteers, tools and lumber to step in when it became clear that normal avenues of housing assistance were overwhelmed.
In November 2005, Habitat for Humanity launched “America Builds on the National Mall,” a demonstration house-building marathon in Washington, D.C. in which the basic components of 51 homes were assembled within a week and shipped to the Gulf Coast. Upon completion of the project Ms. Gross, one of the house building leaders during this event, donated her tool belt, tools and protective wear to the Smithsonian Institution.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1997-2005
Associated Name
Habitat for Humanity
maker
Ironclad
ID Number
2005.0276.06
catalog number
2005.0276.06
accession number
2005.0276

Lilly Brothers

The Lilly Brothers began as an old-time duet on radio stations in West Virginia, but eventually moved into bluegrass with the addition of a banjo.
Description
The Lilly Brothers began as an old-time duet on radio stations in West Virginia, but eventually moved into bluegrass with the addition of a banjo. They are credited with bringing the bluegrass sound to New England and the Boston area, with lengthy stints at the Hillbilly Ranch from 1952 into the 1970s.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.062
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.062

Empire B-30 Toy Steam Engine

The Metal Ware Corporation of Two Rivers, Wisconsin produced the B-30 model toy steam engine during the first half of the 20th century, beginning in the 1920s. This toy steam engine’s boiler was electrically heated, with the heating element inside the red cast iron base.
Description (Brief)
The Metal Ware Corporation of Two Rivers, Wisconsin produced the B-30 model toy steam engine during the first half of the 20th century, beginning in the 1920s. This toy steam engine’s boiler was electrically heated, with the heating element inside the red cast iron base. The nickel plated copper boiler has a sight glass on the left, a safety valve inside the chimney stack, a steam whistle, and throttle for the horizontal slide valve engine that powered the flywheel and driving pulley. Advertising shows this engine powering accessories like a lathe and water pump, and touts the toy as “the finest a boy ever had for mechanical instruction and fun.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 20th century
ID Number
MC.328988
catalog number
328988
accession number
278175

Falk Toy Steam Engine

This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Josef Falk Company of Nuremberg, Germany during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a vertical engine run by a vertical boiler over a firebox on a cast iron base.
Description (Brief)
This toy steam engine was manufactured by the Josef Falk Company of Nuremberg, Germany during the early 20th century. The toy consists of a vertical engine run by a vertical boiler over a firebox on a cast iron base. The engine bears the stamp “JF 597” and the makers mark “JF Ngb.”
Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.328938
catalog number
328938
accession number
278175

Grandpa Jones and Ramona Jones

Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones (1913-1998) enjoyed a long, distinctive career in country music. At age 22, he began to play the Grandpa character, with his high-topped boots, bushy mustache, and suspenders. Ramona Riggins (b.
Description
Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones (1913-1998) enjoyed a long, distinctive career in country music. At age 22, he began to play the Grandpa character, with his high-topped boots, bushy mustache, and suspenders. Ramona Riggins (b. 1924), whom he later married, accompanied him on fiddle and mandolin. Appearing regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and the television show Hee Haw, Grandpa Jones became a well-known character with his banjo-playing, old-time stories, songs, and jokes.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.047
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.047

German Toy Steam Engine

This horizontal toy steam engine was manufactured by an unknown German company during the early 20th century. The horizontal brass boiler with chimney sits on an iron metal firebox.
Description (Brief)
This horizontal toy steam engine was manufactured by an unknown German company during the early 20th century. The horizontal brass boiler with chimney sits on an iron metal firebox. The slide-valve engine is attached to a crankshaft and linked to a gearing that is connected to the flywheel. The engine has a decorative flyball governor.
Live steam toys enjoyed a period of popularity from the 1880s until the 1930s. The miniature steam engines were marketed as both toys and instructive devices that mimicked full-scale steam-powered machines and allowed every boy and girl to be their own engineer. In toy steam engines, a heating source is introduced into the firebox below the boiler (early toys used lit wicks fueled by denatured alcohol, later toys used electricity) which heated the water to produce the steam pressure that ran the engine. A variety of accessories could be powered by the engine; attachments included windmills, pumps, grinders, and electric lights.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
ID Number
MC.322910
catalog number
322910
accession number
220719

Weeden No. 37 Toy Steam Engine

The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts produced this Weeden Force No. 37 toy steam pump during the late 19th to early 20th century.
Description (Brief)
The Weeden Manufacturing Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts produced this Weeden Force No. 37 toy steam pump during the late 19th to early 20th century. The vertical boiler is connected to a vertical engine that drives a pump which was capable of spraying water from the attached hose.
The Weeden Manufacturing Company was founded in New Bedford, Massachusetts by William M. Weeden in the early 1880s, originally producing a variety of tinplate household items. In 1884 it introduced the Weeden No. 1 Steam engine as “a new and great premium for boys” who were subscribers to the Youth’s Companion magazine. Weeden made over a hundred different models of toy steam engines until the company ceased operations in 1952.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
ID Number
MC.328964
catalog number
328964
accession number
278175

Bonita dress

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2009
maker
Stop Staring! Designs Inc.
Estrada, Alicia
ID Number
2010.0003.02
catalog number
2010.0003.02
accession number
2010.0003

142. Evening Parties: First Set in Quadrilles Botton Couple

hand colored stereograph; woman at right with back to photographer in magenta dress with skirts pulled up showing her ankles; man at left with back to photographer in suit; additional people seated and standing in backgroundCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
hand colored stereograph; woman at right with back to photographer in magenta dress with skirts pulled up showing her ankles; man at left with back to photographer in suit; additional people seated and standing in background
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-early 20th century
ID Number
2012.3033.0402
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.0402

A Dinner Party

hand colored stereograph; men and women gathered around a table for a dinner party; men in tuxedos; women wearing off the shoulder, full skirted dressesCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
hand colored stereograph; men and women gathered around a table for a dinner party; men in tuxedos; women wearing off the shoulder, full skirted dresses
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th-early 20th century
ID Number
2012.3033.0423
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.0423

Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light

Afrika Bambaataa. Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Sound (Tommy Boy TB1601). 2-record set.33-1/3 rpmCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Afrika Bambaataa. Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Sound (Tommy Boy TB1601). 2-record set.
33-1/3 rpm
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
2004
maker
Tommy Boy
ID Number
2006.3038.01
nonaccession number
2006.3038
catalog number
2006.3038.01
maker number
TB1601

1900 - 1920 Salesman's Sample Porcelain Bathtub

By the early 20th century, many in cities and towns lived in homes with bathrooms. Consumers now viewed tubs as plumbing fixtures rather than furniture, along with sinks and toilets.
Description
By the early 20th century, many in cities and towns lived in homes with bathrooms. Consumers now viewed tubs as plumbing fixtures rather than furniture, along with sinks and toilets. In providing recommendations for fixtures in this new room, advice manuals and sanitary specialists preached against the heavy, free standing tubs behind which dust and dirt could collect.
Bathtub manufacturers began to market built–in porcelain tubs, which they claimed were more durable and more easily cleaned than those of metal or iron enamel. Soon porcelain tubs came in various colors, “lend(ing) themselves to the most refined artistic and delicate (bath) decorations.”* The Trenton Potteries Company, maker of this sample, was one of the larger manufacturers of porcelain tubs in the United States.
Many bathers, now accommodated by indoor plumbing and hot water, took to the tub for pleasure and relaxation, as well as to get clean. Ivory Soap advertisements emphasized this: “Ah—my Ivory bath—it’s a pleasure—pure pleasure.”** The bathtub became the center of the cleanliness ritual. The bathroom was on its way to becoming one of the featured and larger areas of the home in the later 20th and 21st centuries.
For more information on bathing and bathtubs in the 19th and early 20th century, please see the introduction to this online exhibition.
*Archibald M. Maddock, II, The Polished Earth: A History of the Pottery Plumbing Fixture Industry in the United States, (Trenton, NJ, 1962), 275.
**Ivory Soap ad, 1953
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early 20th century
1900-1920
manufacturer
Trenton Potteries Company
ID Number
1980.0823.01
accession number
1980.0823
catalog number
1980.0823.01

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