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- RuPaul, Drag Race, and the “Werk” that Came Before - RuPaul Charles was born on November 17, 1960 in San Diego, California. His parents, Ernestine “Toni” Fontinette and Irving Charles, divorced by the time he was seven; although Ru and his three sisters would continue to live with their mother, older t
- October 16, 2023
- Collections - article
RuPaul, Drag Race, and the “Werk” that Came Before
RuPaul Charles was born on November 17, 1960 in San Diego, California. His parents, Ernestine “Toni” Fontinette and Irving Charles, divorced by the time he was seven; although Ru and his three sisters would continue to live with their mother, older t
- It’s in a Book (Bag) — Reading Rainbow Family Literacy Kit - Assembled by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), this colorful backpack features English- and Spanish-language versions of Borreguita and the Coyote, a VHS tape of a television episode based around the book, and bi-lingual activity booklet and board game designed to let families practice their language skills together. This kit was likely given to a library, community center, or school for distribution, before eventually making its way into The Henry Ford’s collection in 2024.
- June 10, 2025
- Collections - article
It’s in a Book (Bag) — Reading Rainbow Family Literacy Kit
Assembled by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), this colorful backpack features English- and Spanish-language versions of Borreguita and the Coyote, a VHS tape of a television episode based around the book, and bi-lingual activity booklet and board game designed to let families practice their language skills together. This kit was likely given to a library, community center, or school for distribution, before eventually making its way into The Henry Ford’s collection in 2024.
- Pattern, Paint, and Peacocks: An Introduction to the Whimsical Art of the Pennsylvania Germans at The Henry Ford - Discover the whimsical art of the Pennsylvania Germans at The Henry Ford. Learn about their folk art and its influence on American culture.
- November 05, 2024
- Collections - article
Pattern, Paint, and Peacocks: An Introduction to the Whimsical Art of the Pennsylvania Germans at The Henry Ford
Discover the whimsical art of the Pennsylvania Germans at The Henry Ford. Learn about their folk art and its influence on American culture.
- Moving Boldly - Early in 2024, The Henry Ford acquired five color slides documenting the creative collaboration between Graham and designer Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi designed sets for over 20 of the company’s performances.
- September 24, 2024
- Collections - article
Moving Boldly
Early in 2024, The Henry Ford acquired five color slides documenting the creative collaboration between Graham and designer Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi designed sets for over 20 of the company’s performances.
- Hairstyling and Homemaking: The Career of Velma Truant - Life is made up of thousands and thousands of little bits and pieces. Many of these pieces of our lives are special to us or hold value in one way or another and therefore we tend to find creative ways to hang onto them. Whether they be recipes on the back of food packaging, a poem, a picture in a magazine, a beautiful message on a greeting card; all these little scraps are what some may deem worthy of pasting into a book to be memorialized together. These little ‘scraps’ of life, once put together with intention, create what many people come to know as scrapbooks.
- August 20, 2024
- Collections - article
Hairstyling and Homemaking: The Career of Velma Truant
Life is made up of thousands and thousands of little bits and pieces. Many of these pieces of our lives are special to us or hold value in one way or another and therefore we tend to find creative ways to hang onto them. Whether they be recipes on the back of food packaging, a poem, a picture in a magazine, a beautiful message on a greeting card; all these little scraps are what some may deem worthy of pasting into a book to be memorialized together. These little ‘scraps’ of life, once put together with intention, create what many people come to know as scrapbooks.
- Gone But Not Forgotten: Fisk Iron Coffins - In early 19th-century America, life was changing fast. More Americans were venturing further from home as the country expanded westward and new innovations in steam and rail transport made travel more accessible. This also meant that more Americans were dying far from home. Society, though, still viewed it as important that a person be laid to rest amongst their family; to not have this final closure would have been deeply upsetting.
- November 14, 2025
- Collections - article
Gone But Not Forgotten: Fisk Iron Coffins
In early 19th-century America, life was changing fast. More Americans were venturing further from home as the country expanded westward and new innovations in steam and rail transport made travel more accessible. This also meant that more Americans were dying far from home. Society, though, still viewed it as important that a person be laid to rest amongst their family; to not have this final closure would have been deeply upsetting.
- Making the Connection: Phoning on the Go - When telephones were first introduced in the late 1800s, people wanting a phone would subscribe to the local phone company’s services and receive a telephone on lease. Using the telephone at this time meant that both caller and receiver were tethered to their respective locations.
- October 10, 2025
- Collections - article
Making the Connection: Phoning on the Go
When telephones were first introduced in the late 1800s, people wanting a phone would subscribe to the local phone company’s services and receive a telephone on lease. Using the telephone at this time meant that both caller and receiver were tethered to their respective locations.
- George Balanchine and Ballet in America - If you are a fan of American ballet – be it regularly attending productions, seeing The Nutcracker at Christmas, or simply imagining what it would be like to be a prima ballerina – then you have likely engaged with the legacy of one of the dance world’s most important figures: George Balanchine.
- September 10, 2025
- Collections - article
George Balanchine and Ballet in America
If you are a fan of American ballet – be it regularly attending productions, seeing The Nutcracker at Christmas, or simply imagining what it would be like to be a prima ballerina – then you have likely engaged with the legacy of one of the dance world’s most important figures: George Balanchine.
- Women in Service: From the Civil War to WWII - Throughout history, women have served their country during war and in peacetime, on the home front and at the front lines — whether through active service, or by using their talents and time to support our fighting forces from afar.
- August 15, 2025
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Women in Service: From the Civil War to WWII
Throughout history, women have served their country during war and in peacetime, on the home front and at the front lines — whether through active service, or by using their talents and time to support our fighting forces from afar.
- "Long Live" and Prosper: Fandom in Pop Culture - Have you ever decked yourself out in head-to-toe colors of your favorite sports team? Discussed theories about your favorite TV show? Celebrated a fictional holiday like Festivus, wished someone “May the Fourth be with you,” or worn pink on Wednesdays? If so, then you’ve participated in fandom.
- April 09, 2025
- Collections - article
"Long Live" and Prosper: Fandom in Pop Culture
Have you ever decked yourself out in head-to-toe colors of your favorite sports team? Discussed theories about your favorite TV show? Celebrated a fictional holiday like Festivus, wished someone “May the Fourth be with you,” or worn pink on Wednesdays? If so, then you’ve participated in fandom.