Photo Gallery: Milwaukee Treasures
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Mapped Cane
This walking cane is a souvenir from the 1893 World's Fair held in Chicago, and contains a map of the fairgrounds—spanning more than 600 acres—inside of it. Open to the public from May through October of that year, more than 27 million people attended the 1893 World’s Fair in all its splendor. With its immense white stucco structures, and street lamps illuminated by Nikola Tesla's pioneering alternating current, "the White City" is rumored to have been the inspiration behind "the Emerald City" in L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz.
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Writing Desk
This writing desk dates from the mid-1700s and belonged to Roger Sherman, one of America's founding fathers. Sherman came from humble beginnings and had little formal education, but was eventually instrumental in drafting the Declaration of Independence. He was also the only person to sign each of the four major documents that built this nation: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. Of Sherman, Thomas Jefferson is said to have said, "That is Mr. Sherman of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life."
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Shaving Mugs
Shaving mugs, like these owned by collectors Kenneth Hogrefe and Amy Reed-Hogrefe, were kept at barber shops in the late 1800s. Each customer had their own personalized mug that was used to mix soap to prepare for shaving.
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Japanese Zero Plane
This artifact is a piece of a Japanese Zero plane that was shot down during the Pearl Harbor attack, displayed with map, photographs, and a newspaper clipping that pertain to the incident. Japanese zero fighter planes dominated the Pacific at the beginning of World War II. But as the war progressed, American air forces began bombing over the Japanese islands. Since the Japanese planes did not have airborne radar, they were forced to kamikaze, or suicide bomb, directly into targets. This caused the United States more naval losses than ever before.
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Columbus Mural
This mosaic, owned by Gunar Gruenke, features Christopher Columbus and his crew when they landed in America. The mosaic is made of Venetian glass that came from Murano, Italy, an island famous for its glassworks. With their privileged social status, the daughters of Murano glass-makers were allowed to marry into wealthy families. This was seen as a plan by the Venetian government to ensure that artisans encourage their children to remain in the business, and thus trade secrets would stay within the family.
