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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.

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35 results for: Unknown

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Image of Coast Salish coiled basket, ca. 1900

Coast Salish coiled basket, ca. 1900

This coiled basket with a stepped pattern was created by an unknown indigenous Coast Salish basketmaker.
ID Number:1963.2944.1
Date:Circa 1880-1920
Image of Scrimshaw carving on ivory walrus tusk, undated

Scrimshaw carving on ivory walrus tusk, undated

This scrimshaw piece was donated anonymously and the date is unknown. The etchings depict hunters in a baidarka and one in a kayak chasing seals, fish, a whale, and other marine life.
ID Number:1969.4596.6
Date:Before 1950
Image of Watercolor portrait of Mary Folger Brown by unknown artist, ca. 1833

Watercolor portrait of Mary Folger Brown by unknown artist, ca. 1833

The subject of this portrait, Mary F. Brown, was the niece of Captain Isaiah Folger of the schooner EXACT which brought the Denny party to Seattle. Mary's great uncle was Mayhew Folger, captain of the brigantine TOPAZ, and who rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808 where one of the HMS BOUNTY mutineers was still living. This portrait was painted on…
ID Number:1971.5127.1
Date:1833
Image of Red and white sampler with Spanish text by Petra Montes Cholu, 1880

Red and white sampler with Spanish text by Petra Montes Cholu, 1880

This sampler, maker unknown, is from the Blanche Payne collection of textiles. MOHAI has over 400 textile and costume pieces donated by Payne. She was born in 1897 in Thayer, Kansas, and taught costume and design at the University of Washington starting in 1927. Payne travelled through Central Europe and the Balkans surveying folk costume in the former Czechoslovakia, Hungary,…
ID Number:1971.5263.342
Date:1880
Image of Puget Sound Falling Axe, ca. 1910

Puget Sound Falling Axe, ca. 1910

Falling or felling is a term for cutting down trees. Like most falling axes this one is double-bit, meaning it has a blade on either end. What makes the Puget Sound axe different is that the bit is longer and narrower, typically about 12 to 14 inches from end to end. It also has a longer handle. This one is…
ID Number:1978.6600.1
Date:Circa 1910
Image of City of Seattle traffic signal, ca. 1950

City of Seattle traffic signal, ca. 1950

Removed from an unknown intersection in the city of Seattle, this type of traffic signal was first introduced after World War II. It is a pedestrian walk signal with a red "WAIT" light on top, and a green "WALK" light on the bottom.
ID Number:1979.6818
Date:Circa 1950
Image of Glass plate x-ray of abdomen, 1920

Glass plate x-ray of abdomen, 1920

This x-ray was taken at the office of Dr. E.W. Rawson, MD, in Seattle most likely by the Victor chest X-Ray machine also in MOHAI's collection. The patient is unknown.
ID Number:1980.7077.14
Date:1920
Image of Painted map made by Adolph P. Wagner circa 1900-1920 and featuring an aerial view of Seattle in 1855-1856

Painted map made by Adolph P. Wagner circa 1900-1920 and featuring an aerial view of Seattle in 1855-1856

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. The attackers were driven off by artillery fire. The battle was the penultimate event in a series of armed conflicts, known…
ID Number:1981.7184.1
Date:Circa 1900-1920
Image of Print by Marvin Oliver,

Print by Marvin Oliver, "New Generation," 1997

This serigraph by Native American sculptor and printmaker Marvin Oliver (d. 2019) depicts a new generation of salmon hatching from eggs. Born to Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo parents, and raised in Washington and San Francisco, Marvin Oliver (date of birth unknown) was an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies and Art History at the University of Washington and Curator of Contemporary…
ID Number:2001.70.1
Date:1997
Image of Portrait of Chief Leschi painted 1950-1960, artist unknown

Portrait of Chief Leschi painted 1950-1960, artist unknown

Leschi was born to Nisqually and Yakama parents and grew up among the Nisqually people. When he was 25 years old, the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) built a fort at the mouth of the Nisqually River, and soon the HBC was farming throughout the plain. Leschi was working for the HBC in 1848 when Oregon Territory was created. Two years…
ID Number:2005.16.1
Date:1950-1960
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Land Acknowledgement

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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