Zebra Hide Drum – ca. 1960s, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire). Drums have historically been an important instrument in Africa, used to send messages between villages, to call hunters to the hunt or warriors to war, and to provide rhythms for singers and dancers for ceremonial and social events. This tribal drum from Zaire… Continue reading
Pufferfish Lamp, ca. 1950s-1960s That’s right, this electric lamp is made from the skin of a pufferfish with a fluorescent bulb inside. Although these type of lamps enjoyed brief popularity in the 1950s and 1960s as elements of nautical décor, their origins go further back. By 1900, it was already a common practice in Japan… Continue reading
Discus Coral – Collected from the Marshall Islands. This domed specimen is a type of marine coral colony found in the Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia to Fiji. A stony coral with the ability to regenerate, it forms delicate, thin-walled, and hollow domes. This is an uncommon but distinctive type of coral that lives on deeper sheltered… Continue reading
Azurite, collected from Arizona Did you know that the deep blue color of azurite comes from copper? Azurite is a secondary mineral created by the weathering of copper ore deposits. Geologists use azurite as an indicator mineral to help locate copper deposits since abundant azurite is often found in rocks above copper ore. Thousands of… Continue reading
Kagu, Native to New Caledonia This crested, long-legged bird is pretty rare; it found only in the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia, an island group in the Pacific. Despite its fairly large wings, the kagu is a nearly flightless bird, but those wings play an important role in protecting its young from predators. When… Continue reading
Bear Fetish, Southwest US, date unknown The indigenous peoples of North America have a close relationship to nature and the animals around them. Those animals are sometimes represented by hand carved fetish animals that are imbued with spiritual forces. For example, the bear, represented here, is the guardian of the west, and has protective and… Continue reading
River Otter, Native to North America This furry animal is the northern river otter, a semi-aquatic mammal that lives in freshwater and coastal marine habitats. They are excellent swimmers and divers and can stay underwater for up to 8 minutes! These otters do spend two-thirds of their life on land, and are fast runners, able… Continue reading
Star Wars Concept Art, 1983 When George Lucas was thinking about how to turn his stories into images that he could show, he called upon artist Ralph McQuarrie. The world that became Star Wars came to life as McQuarrie took Lucas’ ideas and concepts and turned them into the iconic robots, villains, landscapes, and heroes… Continue reading
St. Louis, Missouri, ca. 1925 At the beginning of the 20th century, radium was regarded as supernatural because of its radioactive and healing powers. Long thought to be a cure for cancer, it began appearing everywhere – in bath salts, mouthwashes, ointments, and face powders. Many doctors began prescribing radium water to patients, and some… Continue reading
Did you know that the machete has been an important tool in farming and agriculture for centuries? This example of the long and broad-bladed iron tool was used on a cotton farm in the early 20th century. As a lightweight and versatile tool, it was ideal to clear dead plants at the end of harvest,… Continue reading
