Some of the objects in the Mineral Point Historical Society's collections, including locally made furniture, can now be viewed on-line at the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database. The first of its kind in the state, the digital database is a cooperative venture of the Chipstone Foundation, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and the Material Culture Program at UW-Madison, formed to bring together information on early Wisconsin objects and craftspeople in a searchable online archive.
The Mineral Point Historical Society is pleased to be one of the pilot organizations for this project. The database is also available through the Wisconsin Heritage Online web portal.
Painted cast iron garden chair made c. 1856 - 1880 by the John Wearne and Sons Foundry, Mineral Point, WI.
Emily Pfotenhauer photographs the Wearne chair at Orchard Lawn for the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database.
Emily Pfotenhauer is the coordinator and primary staff person for the WDAD project. She received her M.A. from the Department of Art History at UW-Madison, with a certificate in Material Culture Studies, in May 2006. Her master's thesis, "Furniture in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, 1830 - 1890", was a case study of furniture production and distribution in Mineral Point, which included several examples of local furniture in the MPHS collection.
Mineral Point Historical Society • 234 Madison Street • PO Box 188 • Mineral Point, WI 53565 608.987.2884
