From the moment when, in 1963, Julia Child whisked up an omelet on the pilot for her new cooking show, The French Chef, Americans wanted that whisk for their kitchens, just as they came to want any tool or utensil that Julia used. Certainly, egg beaters of all sorts were common in American kitche

This historical investigation is aligned with the C3 Framework and is from C3teachers.org. This inquiry is an exploration into the concept of responsibility, beginning within the home and then expandi

This online exhibition features approximately 100 objects from the Museum's collections to tell stories from the earliest days of America's colonial history through the 2008 presidential election. Each object is used as the starting point for a larger story about American history. The exhibition

On Time explores the changing ways we have measured, used, and thought about time over the past three hundred years. With this online resource, students will learn how improvements in time keeping technology have led to the increased importance of efficiency, punctuality and regimentatio

This online resource revisits the hobby of Paint by Number from the vantage point of the artists and entrepreneurs who created the popular paint kits, the cultural critics who reviled them, and the hobbyists who happily completed them and hung them in their homes. Students will learn ho

This Barbie doll is costumed and accessorized as a representation of The Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, Patron Saint of Cuba. The doll wears the ornate blue and gold robe characteristic of the Virgin in other depictions in religious cards, carvings, and statues. The figure has a crown and is holdin

The yo-yo maraca is a Puerto Rican novelty that unites both a spinning top and a musical instrument of native origin called a maraca. The name "yo-yo" is a misnomer, since the toy functions like a spinning top.

In this section of the online exhibition entitled Treasures of American History, students will explore the diverse roots of American culture as well as common experiences shared across lines of race, ethnicity, and region. They will learn how culturally, Americans have defined

Cast-iron toys are essentially American. Small foundries and factories were mass-producing them towards the close of the 19th century. These toys were sold in novelty stores, department stores, or mail order catalogs. One can follow along with shifts in technology by recognizing the changes in th

This bassinet quilt with a framed center design is made of high quality plain blue and white cotton feed sack fabrics. Mrs. Dorothy Overall of Caldwell, Kansas, a contestant in many sewing events in the 1950s and 1960s, pieced and appliquéd this quilt on a Pfaff sewing machine she had won in a c