Although it was officially chartered in 1882, its existence can be traced back to 1851, to the founding of the German-English Academy in Milwaukee. The Academy's principal, Peter Engelmann, encouraged student field trips, many of which collected various specimens—organic, geological, and archaeological in nature—which were kept at the Academy.
In 1926, Dr. Sidney Gullick, a missionary and educator who had lived and worked in Japan since the 1890s, created an exchange program between the United States and Japan to promote peace, friendship, and understanding. Children in almost every state raised money to send American dolls to many schools in Japan. Once the Japanese children received the dolls, they in turn raised money and sent dolls back to the United States. Kasumi Tsukuba, or Miss Ibaraki (the prefecture where she is from), was the doll sent to Wisconsin in 1927 and is now a part of Milwaukee Public Museum's permanent history collection. She arrived in the state with a chest of clothes and a parasol, along with roughly 50 other accessories. In 2006, Miss Ibaraki was flown back to Japan and returned to the company that made her in 1927, the Yoshitoku Company, where she underwent restoration.
The Lacandon are an indigenous Mayan-speaking group living in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Today, only 300-500 Lacandon remain. One of the few groups not fully colonized by the Spanish, the Lacandon retained their indigenous religion until recently. The Museum's collection includes 113 objects widely representative of the group's material culture. Peter Thornquist collected most of the items in 1979 while visiting the Lacandon village of Metzabok, Mexico. The collection is important since it reflects items before tourism encroached the area. The Milwaukee Public Museum currently has a webpage on the Lacandon collection and culture. Also, see the Lacandon exhibit in the Latin American Hall on the Museum's Third Floor.
Most slugs encountered in Wisconsin are non-native species belonging to the families Agriolimacidae, Arionidae, and Limacidae, all three having a mantle that covers half or less of the anterior portion of the body.
He was educated in Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Rochester, New York schools. Dietz returned to Milwaukee and worked in various business endeavors before his election as justice of the peace in 1902.
This Mitchell Civil War uniform, part of a larger group of Mitchell militia material, belonged to John Lendrum Mitchell, son of prominent Milwaukee banker Alexander Mitchell. John served in the Wisconsin 24th Infantry and rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant. After the Civil War, John was a gentleman farmer and had a large estate in what is today West Allis, Wisconsin. He was very well educated and served in the Wisconsin legislature and later served as a United States Senator. John's second son, William, rose to prominence in the U.S. Army Flying Corps in WWI and was a strong proponent of American air power and founder of the modern Air Force. Mitchell International Airport is named for him. The Mitchell family is recognized as one of Milwaukee's first families.
“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
- Maya Angelou, American Author & Poet
In the Time of the Butterflies introduces you to the Mirabal sisters, and the Milwaukee Public Museum can help you explore their namesake! Learn about the incredible ways butterflies are adapted to their environments, and discover secrets about their wings. Finally, delve into native butterfly species of the Dominican Republic, getting up close and personal with some of MPM’s mounted specimens.
Harris William Tucker Harris William Tucker is an African American who came to Milwaukee from Georgia as a young adult. The youngest of six children, Harris’s parents are freed slaves who now make their living as farmers in Georgia.