• About the Museum Collections

Online Exhibits

1948 Wisconsin State Fair Murals:
100 Years of Agricultural History

Investigate the story of Wisconsin's agricultural growth through this series of large-scale historic murals originally displayed at the 1948 Wisconsin State Fair.


Art of the Draw: Advertising Posters from the McCormick-International Harvester Collection

Compare a wide variety of printing formats and marketing approaches in these advertising posters selected from the McCormick-International Harvester Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.


Chip Chat: Red Dot and the Potato Chip

Learn how the Red Dot Potato Chip Company, founded in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1938, attained success by investing in the latest in potato chip technology.


Cool Breezes: Fans in Fashion, Art, and Advertising

Explore more than 80 handheld fans in a variety of styles ranging from beautiful to quirky, and intriguing to informational.


From Shell to Symbol: Art of the Ethnic Easter Egg

Examine elaborately decorated eggs derived from eastern European traditions. These hand-decorated eggs represent the work of four Wisconsin artists sustaining their ethnic and religious traditions.


Framed! Investigating the Painted Past

Explore 16 works of art from the Wisconsin Historical Society's significant painting collection and learn how they provide historical clues about the people who made and used them.


Icon Wisconsin: Exploring the State's Cultural Symbols

Examine the history of the cultural icons of Wisconsin, from cheese hats to polka dancing, and discover what they symbolize.


Living Under a Mushroom Cloud: Fear and Hope in the Atomic Age

Learn how the atom bomb and the threat of nuclear war created both fear and hope in America from 1945 to 1965.


Milwaukee Braves, 1953-1965

Examine Milwaukee Braves artifacts and photographs and learn how the arrival of the Braves in Milwaukee in 1953 signaled a new era in baseball history.


Person to Person: Communicating Identity through Wisconsin Folk Objects

Explore objects of Wisconsin folk culture to learn about the many ways people have communicated their ethnic, geographic, religious, and occupational identities to one another.


Pottery by Frackelton

Learn how Susan S. Frackelton of Milwaukee transformed her love of decorating china into a prolific business by creating her own style of art pottery featuring distinctive blue and gray designs on stoneware.


Skating for Gold: Wisconsin's Olympic Speed Skaters

Discover how athletic skill, determination, and public support helped Wisconsin speed skaters win 13 Olympic medals between 1976 and 2002.


Stories from the Start: Early Life in Madison

Imagine life in 1856 when Madison formally became a city. Who settled here? How did people go about their daily lives? The artifacts in this online exhibit tell stories from more than 150 years ago and help paint a picture of early life in Madison.


That's Meat and Drink to Me: Wisconsin's Malted Milk Story

Learn how brothers James and William Horlick of England founded a company that carried the name of Racine, Wisconsin, to the farthest reaches of the globe and changed the way America ate.


That's the Ticket! A Parade of Presidential Elections

Browse highlights from 39 races for the White House, from 1856 (the first contest between the Republican and Democratic parties) through 2008.


Toy Stories

Discover stories of notable Wisconsinites as they share their memories of favorite childhood toys and playthings.