Category Archives: Collections and Library

Haute Hoosiers: Women’s Fashion at the Indiana State Fair 4-H Dress Revue

While researching the IHS collections for a new library exhibit on fashion history, I stumbled upon a set of black-and-white photographs from the 1930s to early 1950s. The images show girls at the Indiana State Fair modeling their handmade garments for the 4-H Club’s Dress Revue. Dress categories include summer, winter, wool school, cotton school, […]

Celebration Days in February

If you look at the internet or listen to the news you’ve probably heard or seen information about various national day celebrations. Several calendars exist which can be referred to regarding these days, weeks and months. Here at IHS, we’ve decided to focus on nationaldaycalendar.com’s list. There are over 100 celebrations for February, so here […]

Sewers and Privies and Outhouses, Oh My!

For many, the idea of relying on an outhouse/privy for bathroom needs seems less than glamorous, that is, unless you have ever needed to replace your home’s sewer system. When you’re without indoor plumbing and are forced to find creative ways to relieve yourself, an outhouse seems like an oasis. In August, my fiancé and […]

One Major, Many Paths

As a college student studying history, I always get the question, “What are you going to do with your degree?” Then I explain that history majors aren’t just left with teaching or staying in academia. There are many other sectors that need history people. This past January I was a reference services intern for IHS. […]

Gene Stratton-Porter: A Hoosier Renaissance Woman

I often wonder how the thoughts and perspectives of past writers would differ today. Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924) is one such writer, a popular novelist and environmentalist during the Golden Age of Indiana Literature alongside contemporaries like James Whitcomb Riley and Booth Tarkington. She was a Renaissance woman of the early twentieth century (before women even […]

Kids in Coats Out in the Cold

Unpopular opinion, I am not a huge fan of “A Christmas Story.” The movie adaptation is 40 years old now, but the origin of the story is that of Indiana author Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. This opinion is probably particularly sacrilegious as I grew up in Northwest […]