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Streets of Old Milwaukee

The Streets of Old Milwaukee was originally opened in January 1965.

This exhibit created one of the first walk-through dioramas in the world, transporting the visitor back to a fall evening in Milwaukee at the turn of the 20th century. It was an immediate hit and continues to be the most visited spot in the Museum. In honor of the Streets 50th anniversary, the exhibit was reimagined by further incorporating themed storytelling and a heightened sensory experience to give the visitor a different perspective on every visit.

Peruvian Textiles

The Milwaukee Public Museum has approximately 860 Peruvian textiles in its South American collection, a large portion donated in 1964 by collector Malcolm Whyte. Most of these items were obtained from the southwest coast of Peru and are associated with burials. The intricate textiles preserved by the dry, hot climate of the Peruvian desert coast, illustrate a variety of weaving and decorative styles, representing several different cultural periods. Items from the collection can be viewed on the Third Floor Pre-Columbian Mezzanine.

Item Image
textile
Catalog Number
N/A
Accession Number
18046, 20517
121

The Dogrib

Introduction

The Dogrib, or Tlicho (pronounced, "tlee-chon") as they call themselves, are members of the Athapaskan speaking Dene peoples. Dene, which means "people," is used by many of the Athapaskan-speaking Native Americans to show their unity as a larger political group (PWNHC, Lessons).

Birdwing Butterflies

Birdwing butterflies, genus Ornithoptera, are named "Birdwing" for their tremendous wingspan and body size. Native to the Indo-Australian region, there are about a dozen currently recognized species plus many subspecies and forms. The Museum acquired a number of representative specimens through a donation from James R. Neidhoefer and his wife, Elaine, who amassed a large collection of worldwide Lepidoptera mostly through purchases and exchanges.

The very rare Birdwing specimen shown here, Ornithoptera allottei (Rothschild), was purchased by the Neidhoefers at the auction of the G. Rousseau-Decelle collection in Paris, France on October 24, 1966. It was one of only three specimens known in the world at that time. This butterfly is now recognized to be a hybrid of O. urvilliana x victoriae rather than a separate species. In recent times, steep declines in Birdwing populations have occurred due to loss of habitats and over-collecting. These butterflies are now under legal protection and some efforts are being made to increase their numbers through local butterfly farming practices.

Item Image
butterfly
Catalog Number
N/A
6

Donors

The vast majority of the Milwaukee Public Museum's Iranian collection was acquired between the mid-1960s to the 1980s, through both donations and purchases. These items came from both donations by private collectors and local cultural organizations such as the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning. Meanwhile, several pieces were purchased from galleries or other museum intuitions, with funds made possible through the Weisel Foundation, the Donald Bronk Estate, and the Near East Fund.

Park City Grays Uniform

Park City was the original name of Kenosha, Wisconsin and the Park City Grays were the local militia. The group was mustered into the Wisconsin 1st infantry at Milwaukee and sent, wearing their gray coats, to guard Washington, D.C. at the outbreak of the Civil War. Before the Civil War, the color of the 1st Wisconsin Militia (as well as many other states) was gray. However, gray was the color of the Confederate Army as well, and at the beginning of the Civil War, the Union quickly changed their color to blue. This coat was worn by Sergeant Warren Graham in 1861. Graham, a Milwaukee native, was the first casualty of the Civil War to be buried in Wisconsin.

Item Image
military coat
Catalog Number
H52818
Accession Number
28375
49