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.

Place: United States

Jacob's Ladder; Dip Me in the Golden Sea

McCravy Brothers. side 1: Jacob's Ladder; side 2: Dip Me in the Golden Sea (Davis DA-20-1/2), from the album, Religious Songs by the McCravy Brothers (Davis DA-20).78 rpm. Side 1 was recorded in 1930 and initially released on Crown 3078.
Description

McCravy Brothers. side 1: Jacob's Ladder; side 2: Dip Me in the Golden Sea (Davis DA-20-1/2), from the album, Religious Songs by the McCravy Brothers (Davis DA-20).
78 rpm. Side 1 was recorded in 1930 and initially released on Crown 3078. Side 2 was recorded in 1931 and initially released on Crown 3205.

Crown Records was a budget label started by the Plaza Music Company after its merger with the American Record Corporation (ARC) in 1930. Crown oversaw the Homestead Records mail order label from ARC. Crown and its subsidiaries were active until 1933.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1930
1931
date made
1930 - 1931
recording artist
McCravy Brothers
manufacturer
Davis
ID Number
1996.0320.05185
maker number
DA-20-1/2
DA-20
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05185

Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; Oh Susanna

Carson Robison and His Old Timers. side 1: Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; side 2: Oh Susanna (Columbia 36019), from the album, Square Dances (Columbia C 47).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Carson Robison and His Old Timers. side 1: Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; side 2: Oh Susanna (Columbia 36019), from the album, Square Dances (Columbia C 47).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1941
recording artist
Robison, Carson
Old Timers
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.05244
maker number
36019
C 47
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05244

Turtle Dove; The Devil's Nine Questions

Burl Ives. side 1: Turtle Dove; side 2: The Nine Questions (Decca 23965), from the album, Ballads and Folk Songs - Vol. 2 (Decca 431).78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded in 1944. This album was released in 1947.Currently not on view
Description
Burl Ives. side 1: Turtle Dove; side 2: The Nine Questions (Decca 23965), from the album, Ballads and Folk Songs - Vol. 2 (Decca 431).
78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded in 1944. This album was released in 1947.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
release date
1947
recording artist
Ives, Burl
manufacturer
Decca
ID Number
1996.0320.05132
maker number
23965
431
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05132

Camp'otel car-top camping outfit

Autocamping -- traveling with car, tent, and portable, home-like furnishings for cooking and sleeping -- was a very popular family activity in the 1920s.
Description
Autocamping -- traveling with car, tent, and portable, home-like furnishings for cooking and sleeping -- was a very popular family activity in the 1920s. When autocamping became popular again after two decades of depression and war, many vacationing families slept inside their station wagons because of the convenience, economy, and comfort that this ubiquitous postwar vehicle provided. Some families made tents that rested on top of their station wagons. This type of unit provided more space and head room than the car's interior and retained the advantage of distance from insects, snakes, animals, and the cool, damp earth. In 1961, Edmonds Guerrant, an autocamper and mechanical engineer in Fort Worth, Texas, began manufacturing a car-top tent unit that rested on the rain gutter, a metal drip rail around the roof of a sedan or station wagon. The Camp'otel became popular in Texas and was marketed nationally through Sears, J. C. Penney, Western Auto, and other retail stores. Loyal Camp'otel owners travelled in groups, formed an organization called the Penthouse Campers Association, and published a newsletter. The donors of the Smithsonian's Camp'otel, Robert and Delora French, took their two sons on numerous vacation trips in the United States and Mexico between 1963 and 1976. They installed the tent outfit on top of their 1957 Oldsmobile sedan and later on their 1965 Ford station wagon. Mr. and Mrs. French invested in Camp'otel Corporation and knew Edmonds Guerrant and others involved with the firm. Camp'otel Corporation went out of business during the gasoline shortage of 1973-1974. A contributing factor to its demise was the gradual disappearance of rain gutters on new cars.
Image from sales promotion material housed in division object file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1963
maker
Camp'otel Corporation
ID Number
1997.0112.01
accession number
1997.0112
catalog number
1997.0112.01

Home on the Range; (Hush-a-Bye, Ma Baby) Missouri Waltz

Bing Crosby. side 1: Home on the Range; side 2: (Hush-a-Bye, Ma Baby) Missouri Waltz (Decca 2676), from the album, Bing Crosby - Cowboy Songs (Decca 69).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Bing Crosby. side 1: Home on the Range; side 2: (Hush-a-Bye, Ma Baby) Missouri Waltz (Decca 2676), from the album, Bing Crosby - Cowboy Songs (Decca 69).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1939
recording artist
Crosby, Bing
manufacturer
Decca
ID Number
1996.0320.05080
maker number
2676
69
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05080

The Tholins in Emporia, Kansas

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1940s
ID Number
2013.0327.1073
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.1073

Fans with Carl and Pearl Butler

Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.Currently not on view
Description
Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
Associated Name
Butler, Pearl
Butler, Carl
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.090
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.090

Home on the Range; Red River Valley

Gene Autry. side 1: Home on the Range; side 2: Red River Valley (Columbia 37184), from the album, Gene Autry's Western Classics (Columbia C 120).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Gene Autry. side 1: Home on the Range; side 2: Red River Valley (Columbia 37184), from the album, Gene Autry's Western Classics (Columbia C 120).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1946
release date
1947
recording artist
Autry, Gene
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.05056
maker number
37184
C 120
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05056

Snap Your Fingers; I Want to Be In Dixie

side 1: Al Jolson. Snap Your Fingers; side 2: Collins and Harlan. I Want To Be in Dixie (Victor 17075)78 rpm. Side 1 was recorded in 1911. Side 2 was recorded in 1912. This pressing was released in 1923.Currently not on view
Description
side 1: Al Jolson. Snap Your Fingers; side 2: Collins and Harlan. I Want To Be in Dixie (Victor 17075)
78 rpm. Side 1 was recorded in 1911. Side 2 was recorded in 1912. This pressing was released in 1923.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1912
1911
recording artist
Jolson, Al
Collins, Arthur
Harlan, Byron G.
manufacturer
Victor
ID Number
1985.0256.01
accession number
1985.0256
maker number
17075
catalog number
1985.0256.01

Honey Stealin' Blues; On the Killin' Floor

"Doctor" (Peter J.) Clayton. side 1: Honey Stealin' Blues; side 2: On the Killin' Floor (Bluebird 34-0702).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
"Doctor" (Peter J.) Clayton. side 1: Honey Stealin' Blues; side 2: On the Killin' Floor (Bluebird 34-0702).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1942
recording artist; composer
Clayton, Peter J.
recording artist
Lewlar, Ernest
manufacturer
Bluebird
ID Number
1996.0153.08738
catalog number
1996.0153.08738
label number
34-0702
accession number
1996.0153

Limehouse Blues; Zig Zag

Bob Wilber and his Jazz Band. side 1: Limehouse Blues; side 2: Zig Zag (Circle J-1064), from the album, Bob Wilber Jazz Band (Circle S-24).78 rpm.This album was designed was by Jimmy Ernst (born Hans-Ulrich Ernst, 1920-1984), a German-born American painter.Currently not on view
Description

Bob Wilber and his Jazz Band. side 1: Limehouse Blues; side 2: Zig Zag (Circle J-1064), from the album, Bob Wilber Jazz Band (Circle S-24).
78 rpm.

This album was designed was by Jimmy Ernst (born Hans-Ulrich Ernst, 1920-1984), a German-born American painter.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1949
recording artist
Bob Wilber and his Jazz Band
manufacturer
Circle
ID Number
1978.0670.480
maker number
J-1064
S-24
accession number
1978.0670
catalog number
1978.0670.480

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot; Go Down Moses

The Southernaires. side 1: Swing Low Sweet Chariot; side 2: Go Down Moses (Decca 2855). from the album, The Southernaires in a Recital of Spirituals (Decca 83).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The Southernaires. side 1: Swing Low Sweet Chariot; side 2: Go Down Moses (Decca 2855). from the album, The Southernaires in a Recital of Spirituals (Decca 83).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1939
recording artist
Southernaires
manufacturer
Decca
ID Number
1996.0320.05285
maker number
2855
83
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05285

Body and Soul; Rosetta (part 1)

various artists. side 1: Body and Soul; side 2: Rosetta [part 1] (Mercury 11030), from the album Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 5 (Mercury)78 rpmCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
various artists. side 1: Body and Soul; side 2: Rosetta [part 1] (Mercury 11030), from the album Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, Vol. 5 (Mercury)
78 rpm
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
composer
Hines, Earl
Wood, Henri
lyricist
Heyman, Edward
composer
Green, Johnny
lyricist
Eyton, Frank
Sour, Robert
manufacturer
Mercury
ID Number
1996.0153.11927.02
catalog number
1996.0153.11927.02
accession number
1996.0153
label number
11030

Flip and Jazz; Honeysuckle Rose

various artists. side 1: Flip and Jazz [part 3]; side 2: Honeysuckle Rose (Vox 16029), from the album, WNEW Saturday Night Swing Session, Vol. 1 (Vox VSP 303).78 rpmWNEW (AM 1130) was a New York based radio station.
Description

various artists. side 1: Flip and Jazz [part 3]; side 2: Honeysuckle Rose (Vox 16029), from the album, WNEW Saturday Night Swing Session, Vol. 1 (Vox VSP 303).
78 rpm

WNEW (AM 1130) was a New York based radio station. This recording features jazz radio broadcasts from the station, recorded in 1947.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1947
recording artist
Eldridge, Roy
Powell, Specs
Colicchio, Mike
Phillips, Flip
Safranski, Eddie
Casey, Al
manufacturer
Vox
ID Number
1978.0670.681
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
16029
VSP 303
catalog number
1978.0670.681

Old Ship of Zion; Didn't It Rain

The Bibletone Jubileers. side 1: Old Ship of Zion; side 2: Didn't It Rain (Bibletone S-2009), from the album, Jubilee Spirituals (Bibletone SP).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
The Bibletone Jubileers. side 1: Old Ship of Zion; side 2: Didn't It Rain (Bibletone S-2009), from the album, Jubilee Spirituals (Bibletone SP).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
release date
ca 1947
recording artist
Bibletone Jubileers
manufacturer
Bibletone
ID Number
1996.0320.05038
maker number
S-2009
SP
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05038

Is the Range Still the Same Back Home; Home on the Range

Red River Dave. side 1: Is the Range Still the Same Back Home; side 2: Home om the Range (Sonora 1063), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Red River Dave. side 1: Is the Range Still the Same Back Home; side 2: Home om the Range (Sonora 1063), from the album, Songs of the West (Sonora MS 464).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
manufacturer
Sonora
ID Number
1996.0320.05212
maker number
1063
MS 464
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05212

Gonna Move This Wicked Race; Turn Your Radio On

Oak Ridge Quartet. side 1: Gonna Move This Wicked Race; side 2: Turn Your Radio On (Capitol 48022), from the album, Songs from the Grand Ole Opry (Capitol AD 86).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was made by Carlos Andreson.
Description

Oak Ridge Quartet. side 1: Gonna Move This Wicked Race; side 2: Turn Your Radio On (Capitol 48022), from the album, Songs from the Grand Ole Opry (Capitol AD 86).
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was made by Carlos Andreson. Andreson, also as Anderson, (1905-1978) was an American painter, lithographer, and teacher. A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Andreson studied at the University of Utah, then subsequently in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Berlin. In 1933, Andreson returned to the United States, creating paintings and drawings of early pioneer life for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and teaching at Utah Arts Center. After the start of WWII, Anderson was commissioned by Abbott Laboratories to paint medical subjects at the stateside Naval hospitals. Andreson moved to San Francisco after the war where he produced artwork for the Oakland Army Base.

Location
Currently not on view
release date
1948
recording artist
Oak Ridge Quartet
manufacturer
Capitol
ID Number
1996.0320.05118
maker number
48022
AD 86
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05118

Nearer, My God, To Thee; Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand

Nelson Eddy (singing in four-part harmony). side 1: Nearer, My God, To Thee; side 2: Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand (Columbia 17388-D), from the album, Hymns We Love (Columbia M-646).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was made by Alex Steinweiss.
Description

Nelson Eddy (singing in four-part harmony). side 1: Nearer, My God, To Thee; side 2: Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand (Columbia 17388-D), from the album, Hymns We Love (Columbia M-646).
78 rpm.

The cover art for this album was made by Alex Steinweiss. Alexander “Alex” Steinweiss (1917-2011) was an American artist and graphic designer. He was the first art director of Columbia Records, expanding the use of album covers and cover art. Steinweiss created album cover art from 1938 to 1973.

Location
Currently not on view
release date
1947
recording artist
Eddy, Nelson
Eddy, Nelson
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1979.1023.098
accession number
1979.1023
maker number
17388-D
M-646
catalog number
1979.1023.098

The Foggy Foggy Dew; Black Is the Color

Burl Ives. side 1: The Foggy Foggy Dew; side 2: Black Is the Color (Asch 345-2), from the album, The Wayfaring Stranger (Asch 345).78 rpm.The cover art for this album was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992).
Description

Burl Ives. side 1: The Foggy Foggy Dew; side 2: Black Is the Color (Asch 345-2), from the album, The Wayfaring Stranger (Asch 345).
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
1944
recording artist
Ives, Burl
manufacturer
Asch
ID Number
1996.0320.05141
maker number
345-2
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05141

Lady Be Good

various artists. side 1: Lady Be Good [part 2]; side 2: Lady Be Good [part 3] (Stinson 999-3), from the album, Jazz At the Philharmonic (Stinson S-999).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
various artists. side 1: Lady Be Good [part 2]; side 2: Lady Be Good [part 3] (Stinson 999-3), from the album, Jazz At the Philharmonic (Stinson S-999).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1944
recording artist
Smith, Willie
Jacquet, Illinois
Ventura, Charlie
Guy, Joe
McGhee, Howard
Finney, Garland
Livingston, Ulysses
Callender, Red
manufacturer
Stinson
ID Number
1978.0670.657
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
999-3
S-999
catalog number
1978.0670.657

Christmas in Song, Volume 1

Frank Luther and Zora Layman. side 1: The Wassail Song [track 1] Why, Alas!
Description
Frank Luther and Zora Layman. side 1: The Wassail Song [track 1] Why, Alas! In Lowly Stall [track 2] The First Nowell [track 3]; side 2: Carol, Carol Christians [track 1] When Dnow Lies Deep [track 2] The Sleigh Ride [track 3] (Decca 2865), from the album, Christmas in Song, Volume 1 (Decca 94).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1939
manufacturer
Decca
ID Number
1996.0320.05177
maker number
2865
94
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05177

Jan Pieriewiet; There Comes Alibama/Train To Kimberley

Josef Marais and his Bushveld Band. side 1: Jan Pieriewet; side 2: There Comes Alibama [track 1] Train to Kimberley (Decca 18233), from the album, Songs From the Veld, Vol. 2 (Decca A-302).78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded in 1941.
Description
Josef Marais and his Bushveld Band. side 1: Jan Pieriewet; side 2: There Comes Alibama [track 1] Train to Kimberley (Decca 18233), from the album, Songs From the Veld, Vol. 2 (Decca A-302).
78 rpm. Both tracks were recorded in 1941. This album was released in 1948.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1941
release date
1948
recording artist
Josef Marais and his Bushveld Band
manufacturer
Decca
ID Number
1979.1023.112
accession number
1979.1023
maker number
18233
A-302
catalog number
1979.1023.112

Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; Oh Susanna

Carson Robison and His Old Timers. side 1: Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; side 2: Oh Sussana (Columbia 36019), from the album, Square Dances (Columbia C-47).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Carson Robison and His Old Timers. side 1: Buffalo Boy Go 'Round the Outside; side 2: Oh Sussana (Columbia 36019), from the album, Square Dances (Columbia C-47).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1941
recording artist
Carson Robison and His Old Timers
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.05248
maker number
36019
C-47
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.05248

Stars Fell on Alabama; Deed I Do

Jack Teargarden's Chicagoans. side 1: Stars Fell on Alabama; side 2: Deed I Do (Capitol 10027), from the album, The History of Jazz Vol. 2 - The Golden Era (Capitol CE-17).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Jack Teargarden's Chicagoans. side 1: Stars Fell on Alabama; side 2: Deed I Do (Capitol 10027), from the album, The History of Jazz Vol. 2 - The Golden Era (Capitol CE-17).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1943
recording artist
Jack Teagarden's Chicagoans
manufacturer
Capitol
ID Number
1978.0670.087
accession number
1978.0670
maker number
10027
catalog number
1978.0670.087
maker number
CE-17

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