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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

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120 results for: Puget Sound

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Image of Oil painting of Puget Sound near Port Townsend by Harriet Foster Beecher, September 17, 1888

Oil painting of Puget Sound near Port Townsend by Harriet Foster Beecher, September 17, 1888

Born in Indiana, Harriet Foster Beecher (1853-1918) traveled to the West Coast to attend the San Francisco School of Design. She moved to Seattle in 1880 and married Captain Herbert Foote Beecher. In 1881, Beecher opened what is thought to be Seattle’s first art studio. She painted Indigenous life in oils and watercolors, portraits of Seattle pioneers, and landscapes. Beecher…
ID Number:1953.303.1
Date:1888
Image of Oil painting of cliffs and steamer by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1882

Oil painting of cliffs and steamer by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1882

Born in Indiana, Harriet Foster Beecher (1853-1918) traveled to the West Coast to attend the San Francisco School of Design. She moved to Seattle in 1880 and married Captain Herbert Foote Beecher. In 1881, Beecher opened what is thought to be Seattle’s first art studio. She painted Indigenous life in oils and watercolors, portraits of Seattle pioneers, and landscapes. Beecher…
ID Number:1953.303.4
Date:1882
Image of Watercolor painting of Indigenous woman in a shelter on the beach, ca. 1870-1915

Watercolor painting of Indigenous woman in a shelter on the beach, ca. 1870-1915

Born in Indiana, Harriet Foster Beecher (1853-1918) traveled to the West Coast to attend the San Francisco School of Design. She moved to Seattle in 1880 and married Captain Herbert Foote Beecher. In 1881, Beecher opened what is thought to be Seattle’s first art studio. She painted Indigenous life in oils and watercolors, portraits of Seattle pioneers, and landscapes. Beecher…
ID Number:1953.303.9
Date:Circa 1870-1915
Image of Watercolor painting of a house near tide pools, 1894

Watercolor painting of a house near tide pools, 1894

The artist of this watercolor, Mary Hadley Foster Fletcher (1834-1922), was the mother of artist Harriet Foster Beecher and lived with her daughter and family in Port Townsend. Beecher was a talented and prolific artist, and Mary may have been inspired by her daughter to paint as well. MOHAI has a sigificant collection of Harriet Beecher's works.
ID Number:1953.303.12
Date:1894
Image of Glass butter dish, ca. 1850

Glass butter dish, ca. 1850

This dish was brought across the plains in a covered wagon by the Boren and Denny families, early white settlers in Puget Sound.
ID Number:1953.368
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Cane made by Haida tribe, ca. 1880

Cane made by Haida tribe, ca. 1880

This cane was carved by a member of the Haida tribe and given to Puget Sound settler, Dr. J. C. Gosnell as a "Friendship Cane."
ID Number:1953.653
Date:Circa 1880
Image of Portrait of David T. Denny by Edwin Isaac Ames, 1894

Portrait of David T. Denny by Edwin Isaac Ames, 1894

David T. Denny (1832-1903) was the first of the Denny party to set foot on the shores of Puget Sound. He served in the organized militia, as a regent of the University of Washington, King County Treasurer, Probate Judge, Seattle School Board member and Seattle City Councilman. A respected businessman, Denny developed and consolidated the Seattle streetcar system. Artist Edwin…
ID Number:1954.541.a
Date:1894
Image of Ship's wheel, SS Milwaukee, 1913

Ship's wheel, SS Milwaukee, 1913

The SS Milwaukee, built by Seattle Construction and Dry Dock in 1913, was the last steam tug on Puget Sound. It was used by the Milwaukee Terminus Railway Company to tranship freight from rail to deep sea steamships.
ID Number:1954.559
Date:1913
Image of Altimeter and barometer used by David Denny, ca. 1850

Altimeter and barometer used by David Denny, ca. 1850

David T. Denny (1832-1903) was the first of the Denny party to set foot on the shores of Puget Sound. His brother Arthur Denny (1822-1899) was considered to be the leader of the “Denny Party” which travelled west from Illinois to the Pacific Northwest. When the group arrived in Portland, Oregon, David and John Low continued north to scout locations…
ID Number:1955.901.a
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Battle of Seattle

Battle of Seattle "Petticoat Flag," 1856

On the morning of January 26, 1856, the "Battle of Seattle" began when Native Americans raided the white settlement in what is now known as Seattle. Previously warned of the attack, most settlers had barricaded themselves in a blockhouse. Settlers say the women who sought shelter in the blockhouse used strips from their petticoats to sew this flag during the…
ID Number:1955.921.1
Date:1856
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
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