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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.

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77 results for: Medicine and Health Care

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Image of Oil painting on copper of Dr. H. B. Bagley by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1899

Oil painting on copper of Dr. H. B. Bagley by Harriet Foster Beecher, 1899

Dr. Herman Beardsley Bagley (1842-1899), an operative surgery and surgical disease specialist, arrived in Seattle in 1875. In the 1880s, he was part of the Lake Washington Improvement Company and one of several men to first conceive the Lake Washington Ship Canal. H.B. Bagley became quite wealthy through real estate and owned a home at 4th Avenue and Spring Street…
ID Number:1924.709.2
Date:1899
Image of Set of obstetrical instruments in leather case, 1850s

Set of obstetrical instruments in leather case, 1850s

These medical tools were used by David "Doc" Maynard, an early physician and medicine shop owner who tended Seattle settlers and the Duwamish alike in the 1850s.
ID Number:1950.19.1
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Cautery set in wooden case, used by Dr. Maynard, 1850s

Cautery set in wooden case, used by Dr. Maynard, 1850s

These medical tools were used by David "Doc" Maynard (1808-1873), an early physician and medicine shop owner who tended Seattle settlers and the Duwamish alike in the 1850s.
ID Number:1950.19.3
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Esophageal dilators (bougies) in case, 1850s

Esophageal dilators (bougies) in case, 1850s

These medical tools were used by David "Doc" Maynard, an early physician and medicine shop owner who tended Seattle settlers and the Duwamish alike in the 1850s.
ID Number:1950.19.8
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Scarificator and blood cupping instruments in case, used by Dr. Maynard, 1850s

Scarificator and blood cupping instruments in case, used by Dr. Maynard, 1850s

This medical kit was used by David "Doc" Maynard (1808-1873), an early physician and medicine shop owner who tended Seattle settlers and the Duwamish alike in the 1850s.
ID Number:1950.19.23
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Portrait of Monsignor Francis X Prefontaine, ca. 1868

Portrait of Monsignor Francis X Prefontaine, ca. 1868

Father Francis X. Prefontaine (1838-1909) was born in Quebec and arrived in Seattle in 1867. He was the city's first resident priest and built Seattle's first Roman Catholic church, Our Lady of Good Help, located on Third Avenue and Washington Street. In 1877, he bought a soap factory and this became the site of the Sisters of Providence first hospital…
ID Number:1953.360
Date:Circa 1868
Image of Portrait of Mary Ann (Phelen) Smith, 1887

Portrait of Mary Ann (Phelen) Smith, 1887

Mary Ann Phelen (1845-1880) was born in Ireland and came to the US, arriving in Seattle possibly via Wisconsin before she was twenty years of age. She married Dr. Henry A. Smith in 1862 and they had seven daughters and one son. Dr. Smith was a physician, politician, and served as chair of the school board. Smith Cove, the site…
ID Number:1957.1285.2
Date:1887
Image of Lancing tool and case belonging to Dr. Charles Page Bryant, ca. 1909

Lancing tool and case belonging to Dr. Charles Page Bryant, ca. 1909

Dr. Charles Page Bryant was a homeopathic physician who practiced in Seattle from 1909 to 1951.
ID Number:1959.5664.2
Date:Circa 1909
Image of Dr. Helen Carpenter’s box of medicines, ca. 1910s

Dr. Helen Carpenter’s box of medicines, ca. 1910s

Dr. Helen B. Carpenter was one of the first, if not the first, woman doctor who practiced in Seattle from 1917-1922. The box contains hundreds of tiny medicine vials plus a corresponding chart.
ID Number:1959.5664.4
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Pair of pince-nez glasses from optometrist Ralph Martin Samuel, ca. 1920

Pair of pince-nez glasses from optometrist Ralph Martin Samuel, ca. 1920

Pince-nez glasses are supported by pinching the bridge of the nose, rather than being supported with arms over the temples and ears. These glasses are from optometrist Ralph Martin Samuel who was active in Seattle in the late 1910s and early 1920s. The case for these glasses includes the tagline “See Samuel & See Better.”
ID Number:1961.2322.5
Date:Circa 1920
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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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