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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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265 results for: Visual Arts

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Image of Unveiling the totem pole at Pioneer Square, Seattle, 1899
Photograph

Unveiling the totem pole at Pioneer Square, Seattle, 1899

This Tlingit totem was carved around 1790 to honor a tribal woman named Chief-of-All-Women and it was placed in the village of Tongass on the Alaska coast. In 1899, a group of leading Seattle businessmen on a goodwill tour of southeastern Alaska stole the totem and brought it back to Pioneer Square. The businessmen were indicted for the theft, but…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.146
Date:1899
Image of View of downtown and Mount Rainier through Doris Chase's sculpture
Photograph

View of downtown and Mount Rainier through Doris Chase's sculpture "Changing Form," Queen Anne, Seattle, 1987

This Josef Scaylea photograph of the Space Needle, downtown, and Mount Rainier is framed by the outlines of artist Doris Chase's sculpture "Changing Form." This 15-feet tall public art work was commissioned for Kerry Park in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood, and installed in 1971.Scaylea (1913-2004) worked for 35 years as chief photographer for the Seattle Times, winning over 1000 awards…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.50
Date:1987
Image of Sculptor Carl Freemanson, Preston, 1960
Photograph

Sculptor Carl Freemanson, Preston, 1960

Sculptor Carl Freemanson (1905-1975) was a Swedish immigrant who moved to the Seattle area in 1950 after living and working in several other US cities. His art was exhibited in museums and galleries across the country, and he ran the Gallery in the Roest in Upper Preston, Washington. This portrait of the artist was taken by photographer Josef Scaylea.Scaylea (1913-2004)…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.212
Date:1960
Image of Artist Mark Tobey, Seattle, 1953
Photograph

Artist Mark Tobey, Seattle, 1953

Painter Mark Tobey moved to Seattle in 1923 when he was hired to start the art department at the Cornish School, now Cornish College of the Arts. He gained national recognition as one of the "Northwest Mystics" along with Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan and Morris Graves, due to a September 28, 1953 Life magazine article on the Northwest School entitled…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.229
Date:1953
Image of August Werner, Seattle, March 1973
Photograph

August Werner, Seattle, March 1973

August Hansen Werner (1893-1980) settled in Seattle in 1931 after an American career as a singer, particularly in the Norwegian American community. Werner had a thirty-year career as a University of Washington School of Music professor and became known as advocate for music and the arts within Scandinavian communities. Additionally, Werner was a visual artist who created the Leif Erikson…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.231
Date:1973
Image of Sculptor James Washington Jr., Seattle, 1960
Photograph

Sculptor James Washington Jr., Seattle, 1960

James Washington Jr. (1911-2000) was a sculptor and painter who became associated with the Northwest School of artists in Seattle. He grew up in Mississippi and moved to Seattle in 1944 to work for the Navy during World War II. Washington was largely self-taught and he believed this lack of formal training was essential to his artistic success. In the…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.239
Date:1960
Image of Photographer Josef Scaylea, Seattle, 1974
Photograph

Photographer Josef Scaylea, Seattle, 1974

Photographer Josef Scaylea (1913-2004) worked for 35 years as chief photographer for the Seattle Times, winning over 1000 awards for his photographs highlighting the scenery and people in the Pacific Northwest. He donated a collection of his photographs and photography equipment to MOHAI in 1993. This portrait of the photographer is part of this collection. Handwritten on verso: Josef Scaylea.
ID Number:Lib1993.20.250
Date:1974
Image of Cowboy artist Fred Oldfield, Seattle, 1969
Photograph

Cowboy artist Fred Oldfield, Seattle, 1969

Fred Oldfield (1918-2017) was a painter known for his painting of Western "cowboy" scenes. His parents leased land on the Yakama Indian Reservation at the time of his birth, and he often included Native subjects in his paintings of Central and Eastern Washington. He became active in the Washington State Fair and the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage and Art Center…
ID Number:Lib1993.20.264
Date:1969
Image of Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters Banquet and Auction program, 1940
Program

Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters Banquet and Auction program, 1940

The Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters (now The Puget Sound Group of Northwest Artists) was founded in 1928 and continues to support visual artists through scholarship, education, fellowship, and historic preservation. The oldest professional arts organization in the Pacific Northwest, it was founded by Eustace Ziegler (1881-), who wanted the group to be self-supporting, to award scholarships to deserving…
ID Number:MS.COLL.311.2
Date:1949
Image of Woman spinning in Swedish Folk Art exhibition, February 1937
Photograph

Woman spinning in Swedish Folk Art exhibition, February 1937

In mid-February 1937, various Swedish groups sponsored a Swedish Folk Art Exhibit at Seattle's Frederick and Nelson department store. Exhibits included handicrafts, utensils, furniture and weaving and spinning demonstrations. During the exhibit, Mrs. Ingeborg Soderlund demonstrated how to spin thread on an early 19th century wheel brought to Seattle from Gamtland in northern Sweden.This photo, taken in Seattle in February…
ID Number:PI22473
Date:1937
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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.
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Phone: 206 324 1126
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