Browse Items (67 total)
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Abigail Prather Churchill, needlework sampler, 1828-1830
Samplers were a staple in the education of girls, designed to teach needlework skills needed for household duties. Samples could be symbolic of the girl's culture, religion, social class, or personal accomplishments. Sampler making was seen as the ground work for civic, social, and familial responsibility. This was made by Abigail Prather Churchill the daughter of Abigail Pope Oldham Churchill (1789-1854), around age 11-13 at Nazareth Academy (which is near Bardstown, KY). -
Ann Clark Shawl
This shawl is said to have belonged to Ann Rogers Clark Gwathmey (1755-1822). See also 1943.5.1 (miniature portrait). Paisley Shawls were a luxury item worn by affluent women. Paisley, as a style, didn't get its name until the 1830s-40s, named after the Scottish town that began to reproduce designs copied from textiles that were originally imported from India. The pin and cone design motifs had their origins from Indo-Iranian people in Persia. Luxurious textiles from India were in high demand among the upper class and often can be seen in portraits of affluent women. By the mid 18th century, England's East India Company was importing shawls to London. In the early 1800s, Scottish mills began producing their own version of the highly sought after shawls, which made them more accessible to the rising middle class. -
B. F. Avery & Sons: The Genuine Avery Plow
Annual catalog no. 86, 1911-1912; Plows and cultivating implements, B. F. Avery & Sons, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., established 1825. -
Baron P. Stow, 1864
Carte-de-visite of Baron P. Stow (1847-1864). On Friday, January 29, 1864, Baron Stow wrote in his diary: "I… went down town and got my Photographs taken. I passed some time before I could get them to look natural." Later, on February 3, 1864, he comments: "I got my Photographs to day- they are very nice I think. I had them taken standing up." It is likely that this image was the one of which he writes. At the time Baron was captivated by Anna Ogle and no doubt intended to exchange photographs with her. He was 16, and died of typhoid on August 2, 1864. -
Birthday program for Major John Hess Leathers, April 27, 1914
Birthday program for John H. Leathers in celebration of his 73rd birthday, 1914 -
Blue Empire Dress, circa 1800
Empire dresses emerged in the early 19th century and rapidly became fashionable across Europe (particularly England). -
Brown and White Cotton Dress, circa 1800
This cotton dress is a great example of the changes (simplified, 'natural' dresses) occurring in women's fashion in the late 18th century to early 19th century. 'Naturalness' in this context refers to the use of lightweight , easily washable materials (like muslin, cotton, linen, poplin, and batiste) for dresses. -
Candle Mold
A mold that could make three candles at a time. Most candles at the time were made with tallow (animal fat) because other options like beeswax were expensive. Using bayberries, despite providing wax with a pleasant smell, was hard work and took too many berries to produce an adequate amount of candles. Once more lighting options were more readily available (lanterns, betty lamps, etc.) candles would be considered too expensive for daily use and were brought out for only special occasions. -
Carte-de-visite of possibly Catherine Manser Stow, ca. 1862
According to the family, Belle Dufour Stepleton, Catharine's granddaughter, identified this photo, but we're not absolutely certain that she is correct. If it is Catharine, she is not wearing her spectacles, and would appear to be in her late 60s or early 70s. Catharine attained the age of 70 in 1881. Both the clothing and the stye of the image appear to date from an earlier era, so we have to consider that Judith Hyde Manser (d. 1871), Livia Hayward Stow (d. 1858), or someone else could be the subject, and that this carte-de-visite may have been copied from an earlier cased image (daguerreotype, tintype, or ambrotype). There is a good chance it isn't Livia Stow as she died before the invention of carte-de-visites."
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Catharine Manser Stow
Card photograph of Catharine Manser Stow (1811-1899). According to the family, Catharine is wearing the wig that her daughter, Viola Stow Dufour [018PC4.03] commissioned for Catharine's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. It cost $20 and, due to the Ohio River flood of February 1884, did not arrive in time. -
Catharine Manser Stow, 1888
Cabinet card of Catharine Manser Stow (1811-1899) at age 77. She has donned her wig and a modest, lacey cap for the occasion. -
Christmas Day Menu at the Galt House on December 25th, 1874
Christmas day menu on 1874, Dec. 25 at the Galt House located in Louisville, Kentucky. -
Christmas Day Menu at the Galt House on December 25th, 1876.
Christmas day menu at the Galt House on December 25th, 1876. -
Christmas Day Menu at the Louisville Hotel, 1872
Christmas Day Menu on December 25th, 1872 at the Louisville Hotel located in Louisville, Kentucky. -
Christmas Day Menu, "36th Christmas Greeting" at Louisville Hotel, 1869
Christmas Day menu, "36th Christmas Greeting", on December 25th, 1869 at the Louisville Hotel located in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Christmas Day Menu, "67th Christmas Greeting" at Louisville Hotel, 1870
Christmas day menu, "37th Christmas Greeting", Located at the Louisville Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky on December 25th, 1870. -
Clay Water Jar
Cherokee artist Mary Thompson crafted this red, Lizella clay water jar using traditional coiling techniques and a hand-carved paddle stamp process. The Filson Historical Society purchased this jar from Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, an artist co-op whose members are enrolled citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This piece illustrates the cultural resilience of the Cherokee people despite their forced displacement once pioneers began to settle on their lands. Though the Eastern Band of Cherokee now reside in North Carolina, Thompson occasionally travels back to her ancestral homelands in Kentucky to gather natural materials for her artwork. This piece took 1st place in the 2018 Cherokee Indian Fair held annually by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. -
Darning sampler, 1809
This darning sampler is a great example of the various embroidery techniques that young girls were expected to learn and be proficient in. Samplers were a staple in the education of girls. The samplers were designed to teach needlework skills needed for household duties and could be a symbol of the girl's culture, religion, social class, and personal accomplishments. Sampler making was seen as the ground work for civic, social, and familial responsibility. -
Empire Wedding Dress
Early silk empire style wedding dress. Empire dresses emerged in the early 19th century and rapidly became fashionable across Europe, particularly England. -
Flax Paddle, circa 1800
Flax paddles were used for scutching, part of the process for 'dressing' flax, or getting it prepped for spinning. The paddles separated the hard stocks from the useable fiber underneath. It took 4 months to grow flax from seed. It was beaten with the paddle until fibers could be pulled by hand through a hatchel to separate the fibers, which were then bundled and hung for drying to prepare them for spinning. Flax is one of the oldest cultivated crops in the world. It was an important crop during the colonial and early frontier era. Until the invention of the cotton gin, flax was easier to harvest and process. In Kentucky, it was commonly used in handwoven household linens. Historians estimate that families needed about ¼ to ½ acre of flax per person in a household.