FWSQHS Included in Wisconsin’s Decorative Arts Tradition

In 2008 the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) photographed fourteen FWSQHS artifacts for the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database. This publicly available resource celebrates and encourages the study of Wisconsin’s decorative arts history. The database includes digital access to examples of craft traditions such as textiles, ceramics, and furniture; and represents Indigenous and European cultures. These artifacts of material culture exemplify a range of items from the 19th to the early 20th centuries held by 53 museums and historic sites within the state. As of 2026, the Wisconsin Historical Society no longer hosts the database, which has relocated to the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

​In 2008 FWSQHS Manager Mary Ann Harding met with Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database Project Coordinator Emily Pfotenhauer, to photograph the artifacts. The database includes over 1,200 objects that were documented from 2006-2011, now accessible online through UW-Madison’s Digital Collections. This digital collection offers a valuable look into life in Wisconsin during the period. Artisans and historians will find information and inspiration about period techniques and fashions.

​The fourteen items from FWSQHS highlighted in the database consist mostly of furniture, including a medical operating table, chairs made by Jefferson Davis, cradle bench, and more. These pieces of furniture range in levels of function and decoration. Beyond the furniture, an eagle carving and an ornate box make up some of the more decorative items, with limited function, and carefully considered form. The Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database can be accessed here, through UW-Madison’s catalog. FWSQHS artifacts can be found here, or searched as “Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters” within the database.
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Submitted by:  Sylvie Leach