• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

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.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

100 results for: Rites and Ceremonies

Share:
Image of Marriage certificate for David Denny and Louisa Boren, January 23, 1853
Document

Marriage certificate for David Denny and Louisa Boren, January 23, 1853

David Thomas Denny (1832-1903) was born in Putnam County, Indiana. In 1851, at age 19, he traveled overland to Alki Point, in what was then Oregon Territory, to prepare for the arrival of the rest of the Denny Party. In 1853, he married his stepsister Louisa Boren (1827-1916), also a member of the Denny party, and moved across the bay…
ID Number:1955.921.c
Date:1853
Image of Wedding of Elaine B. and Joshua Green, Jr., Seattle, 1931
Photograph

Wedding of Elaine B. and Joshua Green, Jr., Seattle, 1931

Joshua Green Jr. (1908-1985) was the son of prominent settlers Joshua and Laura Green, and in 1949 became president of Peoples Bank and Trust Company. This portrait, part of a collection of photographs from McBride and Anderson photographers, documents Green's marriage to Elaine Turner in 1931.Born in 1863, Ella McBride began working in the photography field in 1909 when she…
ID Number:1974.5923.54
Date:1931
Image of Flower girls at Port Blakely, June 18, 1906
Photograph

Flower girls at Port Blakely, June 18, 1906

On Monday, June 18, 1906, William Rankin and Carrie Ziegler were married at the bride's home in Port Blakely, Washington. According to a newspaper account saved by the family, "Miss Bessie Wilson began the wedding march at high noon and the bridal party entered preceded by six little flower girls."This June 1906 photo shows the six flower girls who took…
ID Number:1977.6486.121
Date:1906
Image of St. Mark's Church decorated for Easter, circa 1919
Photograph

St. Mark's Church decorated for Easter, circa 1919

St. Mark's Church was Seattle's second Episcopal parish. In 1897, the growing congregation moved from downtown to First Hill and built an English parish-style church on Harvard Avenue between Seneca and Spring Streets. St. Mark's stayed at that location until the 1920s. In this photo, taken about 1919, the front of the church is filled with flowers for Easter. The…
ID Number:1983.10.1504
Date:Circa 1919
Image of Academic procession at the University of Washington, 1913
Photograph

Academic procession at the University of Washington, 1913

The University of Washington's 1913 graduation exercises took place on Wednesday, June 18. The men of the senior class had wanted to do away with the traditional caps and gowns, but the women outvoted them. The class wore the usual academic garb to receive their university diplomas.This 1913 photo shows the senior class watching as the university's professors parade up…
ID Number:1983.10.9597.1
Date:1913
Image of Passover celebration at Herzl Synagogue, Seattle, 1955
Photograph

Passover celebration at Herzl Synagogue, Seattle, 1955

Passover, or Pesach, is a week-long Jewish holiday commemorating the ancient Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt. One of the most important parts of Passover celebrations is the seder. This ritual includes a retelling of the liberation story using symbolic foods, including bitter herbs and unleavened bread, and a ceremonial dinner. Passover occurs in spring and has been celebrated since…
ID Number:1986.5.4594.2
Date:1955
Image of Rosh HaShanah celebration rehearsal at Herzl Synagogue, Seattle, September 18, 1960
Photograph

Rosh HaShanah celebration rehearsal at Herzl Synagogue, Seattle, September 18, 1960

Rosh HaShanah (Head of the Year) is the celebration of the New Year in the Jewish calendar. It occurs in September or October and marks the beginning of a ten-day period called Yamim Nora-im (Days of Awe). The Days of Awe culminate with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Customs on Rosh HaShanah include a ceremony of symbolically casting away…
ID Number:1986.5.4596.1
Date:1960
Image of Three men at Herzl Synagogue before Rosh HaShanah celebrations, Seattle, September 18, 1960
Photograph

Three men at Herzl Synagogue before Rosh HaShanah celebrations, Seattle, September 18, 1960

This image shows three men at the Herzl Synagogue, then in the Central Area of Seattle. The man on the right is wearing a kippah (or yarmulke) and pointing to a mezuzah. “Mezuzah” means “door post” in Hebrew and it refers to a small scroll with two passages from the Torah written on it. The scroll is inserted into a…
ID Number:1986.5.4596.2
Date:1960
Image of Children watching rabbi light menorah candle, December 3, 1961
Photograph

Children watching rabbi light menorah candle, December 3, 1961

Hanukkah (or Chanukah) is the Jewish winter celebration known as the "festival of lights," marked by the nightly lighting of the menorah, prayers, and special foods. In this photo, three children stand on chairs to get a good view of Rabbi Abba Abrams lighting the far right candle on a menorah for the first night of Hanukkah in December 1961.…
ID Number:1986.5.4597.1
Date:1961
Image of Children playing games at Purim carnival, Congregation Herzl, Seattle, March 18, 1962
Photograph

Children playing games at Purim carnival, Congregation Herzl, Seattle, March 18, 1962

The Jewish holiday Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jews of the ancient Persian Empire from a plot by the king’s advisor, Haman, to exterminate them all on a single day. His plan is foiled by Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who ultimately save the Jews of Persia from destruction. The holiday is also called the “Feast of Lots,”…
ID Number:1986.5.4598.1
Date:1962
1 2 3 … 10 Next

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
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved