135 results for: Popular Culture
Brakeman Bill "Big Mac" bib overalls, cap, and jacket, ca. 1955-1975
Brakeman Bill, featuring ex-DJ and sports announcer Bill McLain, was a popular weekday children's show on KTNT-TV (later KSTW-TV) in the Pacific Northwest market from 1955 to 1975. The television show was performed live and un-scripted; McLain dressed as a railroad brakeman, and drew pictures, ran elaborate model trains, showed cartoons, and interacted with puppet side-kick the Crazy Donkey, whose…
ID Number:2003.66.23REF.ONLINE
Date:Circa 1955-1975
Prop television from TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, ca. 1993-1999
The TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy” was filmed and produced in Seattle from 1993-1999. This prop television has a false blue cardboard screen that could be replaced in post-production with an image or a video (using the same principal as a green screen). Bill Nye moved to Seattle in 1977 to work as an engineer at Boeing and…
ID Number:2004.6.1
Date:Circa 1993-1999
Lincoln Towing "Pink Toe" tow truck, 1968
No vehicle was more recognizable in late 20th century Seattle than Lincoln Towing's Pink Toe Truck. Inspired by an offhand remark from a forgotten salesman who visited company owner Ed Lincoln, the Toe was built by Ed Ellison from an old VW bus chassis and the toes were sculpted by Joane C. McInnis. The rolling pink foot made its debut…
ID Number:2004.54.1
Date:1968
Native American carved figure for cigar store, ca. 1850
These life-sized wooden figures, popular from 1840–1890, stood at tobacco shop doorways. Some were attached or chained to the store front; others, such as this figure, were placed on wooden platforms that could be wheeled inside and out. The Native American figure alluded to the fact that the these cultures introduced Europeans to tobacco during the 1600s. This wooden sculpture,…
ID Number:2005.33.1
Date:Circa 1850
Exercycle stationary bicycle, ca. 1958
One of the first electric exercise machines available for purchase, Dr. and Mrs. John F. Tolan bought the bike from Exercycle in Seattle. The Tolans had lived in Seattle since 1938 and Dr. Tolan was the Head of the Ear, Nose and Throat Department at the Virginia Mason Clinic until he retired in 1965. They used this as their home…
ID Number:2005.53.1
Date:Circa 1958
Woodcut, "Paul Bunyan," by Richard Bennett, ca. 1932
Richard Bennett (1899-1971) was a nationally known printmaker, illustrator, and painter. He was born in Ireland but grew up just outside Seattle in Washington State, and he also spent time in New York City and Ireland. A leading children's book author and illustrator, he received national recognition for his woodblock prints and engravings. He was close friends with several leading…
ID Number:2006.38.260
Date:Circa 1932
Book, "Legends of Paul Bunyan" © 1947 edited by Harold W. Felton with illustrations by Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett (1899-1971) was a nationally known printmaker, illustrator, and painter. He was born in Ireland but grew up just outside Seattle in Washington State, and he also spent time in New York City and Ireland. A leading children's book author and illustrator, he received national recognition for his woodblock prints and engravings. He was close friends with several leading…
ID Number:2006.38.352
Date:1947
Microsoft poster celebrating the company's 10-year anniversary, 1985
Microsoft celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1985. This vibrant poster depicts the original founders of Microsoft: Bill Gates and Paul Allen, as well as Seattle's skyline, and early computer models. This poster is from the Ric Weiland collection. Mr. Weiland was one of Microsoft's first five employees and a philanthropist, serving on the Pride Foundation's Board of Directors from 1997…
ID Number:2007.9.22
Date:1985
Original artists' model for Fremont Troll sculpture made in June 1990
In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council held a contest to find a sculpture for the empty space under the Aurora Bridge. The Troll concept was not selected as a semifinalist, but the artists were still allowed to submit it into the competition if they paid the costs of constructing a model. Four models (three semifinalists and the Troll) were voted…
ID Number:2007.16.1
Date:1990
Pearl Jam "Ten" poster, 1991
Pearl Jam, an alternative rock band, was formed in Seattle in 1990. This poster advertises the band's 1991 debut album, "Ten." Together with such bands as Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Nirvana, Pearl Jam was part of the grunge rock scene that was centered in Seattle in the early 1990s.
ID Number:2008.31.1
Date:1991