As we move into May, the Library is getting the majority of our attention. This includes our Photo Archives, which total roughly 3 million photos. And by photos, I mean many different kinds, from glass plate negative (seriously, actual glass) to film based photos to born-digital photos.
You might also see that the 3-D artifacts that are getting packed were on display. You can tell why we are closing the Montlake location on June 7th. There won’t be too much more to see after that date!
| Monday, April 30 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Rainier Man Beer Bottle Costume, c. 1975 (1999.64.47) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 36 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 13 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 7 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 2 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Library | 206 | Boxes | |
| Tuesday, May 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Bauer’s Stuffed Cougar (1965.3513) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 22 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 48 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 14 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes |
| 2 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Library | 206 | Boxes | |
| Wednesday, May 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 0 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 0 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 0 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes |
| 0 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Library | 206 | Boxes | |
| Thursday, May 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 0 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 0 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 0 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes |
| 0 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Library | 206 | Boxes | |
| 3 | Drawers of | Negatives | |
| Friday, May 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Black Satin Velour Top Hat, c.1920 | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 124 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 80 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 27 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 0 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Library | 206 | Boxes | |
| 3 | Drawers | Negatives | |
| MOHAI Weekly Totals | MOHAI Totals to Date | PSMHS Weekly Totals | PSMHS Totals to Date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192 | Items | 50,482 | Items | 0 | Items | 2,284 | Items |
| 141 | Cat # | 17,829 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # | 1,539 | Cat # |
| 48 | Boxes | 2,086 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes | 212 | Boxes |
| 4 | Crates | 161 | Crates | 0 | Crates | 39 | Crates |
Century 21, Seattle’s Space Age Fair, was conceived at first as a commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Seattle’s first World’s Fair, The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909. Of course, plans like this quickly get bigger (software people call it feature creep, I believe) and as 1959 came and went, it was a future-loving, space and science-celebrating fair. Continue reading »
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I’m sure you saw this coming. The Space Needle has been shorthand for Seattle since 1962. The dramatic centerpiece of a World’s Fair that thrust the city onto the world stage, the culmination of the U.S.’s obsession with a Utopian future in the 1950s and early 1960s (tempered with an obsession and fear of nuclear destruction. Check out this letter that was written by the 1962 City Council to their 2012 versions.)
The Space Needle, famously topped by the “Eye of the Needle” restaurant, was based on a doodle by Eddie Carlson a Seattle business leader and Chair of the Century 21 World’s Fair Commission, who organized the fair.
Maybe this year, the 50th Anniversary of the Century 21 Exposition, take another trip up the needle and imagine what the city looked like 50 years ago. Point out MOHAI’s new digs to your kids or friends and when you’ve descended, visit the Century 21 exhibit at the International Fountain Pavilion (the former Northwest Crafts Center at Seattle Center) and see artifacts and memorabilia from the Fair from MOHAI’s collections, curated by HistoryLink.org.
And with the Space Needle, we’ve finished our quick look at eight Seattle Icons and we’re going to start showing you all the great artifacts and stuff we have about Century 21, Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair. Hope you’ll stick around for the celebration!
Enjoy the latest weekly move update. You can see that we have finished packing up the items for South Lake Union’s North Gallery. We also had a change of pace this week as we packed the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society’s (PSMHS) items in the Library Annex and began packing the MOHAI Library and Archive collections. Have a great week!
| Monday, April 16 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Desktop, Maple, Made by Henry Van Asselt (1993.76.1) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 6 | Items | 35 | Boxes of PSMHS |
| 6 | Cat # | Library Annex | |
| 2 | Boxe | Materials | |
| 2 | Crates | ||
| Tuesday, April 17 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing Mirror, 1875-1925 (1962.2512.9) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 4 | Items | 36 | Boxes of PSMHS |
| 3 | Cat # | Library Annex | |
| 4 | Boxes | Materials | |
| 0 | Crates | ||
| Wednesday, April 18 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Wax Figurine of Doc Maynard made by Lillian Smart, c.1955(/strong> (a2012.22.4) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 73 | Items | 40 | Boxes of PSMHS |
| 23 | Cat # | Library Annex | |
| 9 | Boxe | Materials | |
| 2 | Crates | ||
| Thursday, February 16 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Library items packed today, no artifact of the day. | |||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 19 | Boxes of MOHAI | 30 | Boxes of PSMHS |
| Library Materials | Library Annex | ||
| Materials | |||
| Friday, April 20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Frederick and Nelson Collection, MOHAI Library | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 2 | Items | 2 | Items |
| 2 | Cat # | 2 | Cat # |
| 0 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 1 | Crates | 1 | Crates |
| 19 | Boxes of MOHAI Library Materials | ||
| MOHAI Weekly Totals* | MOHAI Totals to Date* | PSMHS Weekly Totals* | PSMHS Totals to Date* | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | Items | 50,228 | Items | 2 | Items | 2,284 | Items |
| 34 | Cat # | 17,680 | Cat # | 2 | Cat # | 1,539 | Cat # |
| 15 | Boxes | 2,037 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes | 212 | Boxes |
| 5 | Crates | 152 | Crates | 1 | Crates | 39 | Crates |
| *MOHAI Library and PSMHS Library Annex are not included in these totals. | |||||||
In the latest MOHAI Minute, Helen and Peder explore the most fun part of Century 21, Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair, the Gayway!
My parents love Pike Place Market (or Pike’s Place as they call it.) In fact, I don’t know many people who don’t love the Market. It is a Seattle Icon, where tourists mingle with long-time residents. Where fish are flung to everyone’s delight. Where an afternoon buying spices can become unforgettable by simply lounging in Victor Steinbrueck Park and people watching as the sun sets over the sound. Continue reading »
We had a busy week packing up many of the artifacts to be installed in the new SLU exhibits. I think we are all excited to be working with the artifacts for the new museum!
| Monday, April 9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Two-man felling saw, c.1910 (1981.7351.14) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 60 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 23 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 14 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 2 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Tuesday, April 10 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Melted cups and glass from the Seattle Fire (1954.763) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 42 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 36 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 17 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes |
| 1 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Wednesday, April 11 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Fire Chief’s Hat ((/strong> (1950.426.12) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 65 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 41 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 24 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 0 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Thursday, April 12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Artillery Slug, 1907 (1965.3501.3a) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 39 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 26 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 18 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 3 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Friday, April 13 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Knight Templar Sword of Gov. J H McGraw, ca. 1930 (1956.1102.2) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 95 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 25 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 15 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 2 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| MOHAI Weekly Totals | MOHAI Totals to Date | PSMHS Weekly Totals | PSMHS Totals to Date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 302 | Items | 50,149 | Items | 0 | Items | 2,282 | Items |
| 151 | Cat # | 17,646 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # | 1,537 | Cat # |
| 88 | Boxes | 2,022 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes | 212 | Boxes |
| 8 | Crates | 147 | Crates | 0 | Crates | 38 | Crates |
Those of you who have read this blog a fair amount will not be surprised to learn that I love streetcars. Both the historic and the modern. I also love our bus system (which could be better) and Link. And while all of these transportation systems have shaped Seattle, and the automobile has done its fair share, the transportation most associated with Seattle is the ferry.
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to beat moving Slo-Mo. Even so, our packing crew found a couple other neat artifacts to show off. But still, seeing the most famous hydroplane fly out of a second-story hole in the wall by crane takes the cake. Enjoy this week’s Move Update!
| Monday, April 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Red Plastic Frisbee with MOHAI logo, c.1985 (2012.21.2) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 4 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 4 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 2 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 1 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Tuesday, April 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Slo-Mo-Shun IV Hydroplane (1959.1701) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 7 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 3 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 5 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes |
| 1 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Wednesday, April 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tlingit Wooden “Kill Stick” (/strong> (1955.879h) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 636 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 54 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 19 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 0 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Thursday, April 5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: David Denny’s Pocket Watch, c.1850 (1961.2230) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 93 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 82 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 25 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 1 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| Friday, April 6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorite: Colt .44 Caliber Revolver, c.1880 1969.5072.18) | ![]() |
||
| MOHAI | PSMHS | ||
| 88 | Items | 0 | Items |
| 55 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # |
| 20 | Boxe | 0 | Boxes |
| 2 | Crates | 0 | Crates |
| MOHAI Weekly Totals | MOHAI Totals to Date | PSMHS Weekly Totals | PSMHS Totals to Date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 828 | Items | 49,847 | Items | 0 | Items | 2,282 | Items |
| 198 | Cat # | 17,495 | Cat # | 0 | Cat # | 1,537 | Cat # |
| 71 | Boxes | 1,934 | Boxes | 0 | Boxes | 212 | Boxes |
| 5 | Crates | 139 | Crates | 0 | Crates | 38 | Crates |
If you really think about it, Mount Rainier is pretty amazing. In good weather, she looks like she is painted on the horizon. It lends a magical pall over the city. It is comforting in a way to know it’s there, even when I can’t see it because of the clouds. Also, the dramatic photos of it are astounding!