Museum Collection - American Collection

The more than 55,000 artifacts in the American Collection include items from the late 1700s to the present. Over 200 years of the American experience are illustrated by both handmade and manufactured objects that reflect the shared experiences and the diverse aspects of American life. Objects representing family life, popular trends, and historical events document not only how things have changed, but also how some things have stayed the same. The collection can be divided into three main areas:

Toy and Doll Collection

Highlights include:

• A good pre-War toy train collection that include trains made by American Flyer, Beggs, Boucher, Carlisle & Finch, Dorfan, Ives, Marklin, Lionel, Voltamp and more.
• A 1920s homemade Raggedy Ann doll signed by creator Johnny Gruelle.
• A nice assortment of Barbie dolls, including a brunette #1 Barbie doll.
• A collection of dolls made by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) as educational resources that represented traditional dress of other countries and historical figures.
• A large collection of Steiff animals, including studio pieces, a 1905 white teddy, and a wide variety of animals.
• A significant collection of dinosaur toys and collectibles, including pieces made by Chialu, Mignot, Sinclair, and SRG.

Textiles and Clothing Collection

Highlights include:

• Clothing by innovative early 20th century Italian designer Mariano Fortuny.
• A rare sampler from the Pennsylvania Weston School, made by Sara Ann Lupton of Virginia in 1819.
• A flying cape worn by Christopher Reeve in the filming of Superman and Superman II and a stunt cape used in the Batman television series of the 1960s.
• Clothing by several significant century designers including Chanel, Halston, Bill Blass, and Jacques Fath.
• Iconic pieces of 20th century American fashion including a 1966 Andy Warhol inspired Campbell’s soup paper dress and a 1950s poodle skirt.
• A collection of clothing by important early 20th century Indianapolis designer George Philip Meier.

American Materials Collection

Highlights include:

• Scout Memories, a 1931 painting by Norman Rockwell featuring Dan Beard, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts.
• The Max Simon Comic Book Collection.
• An outstanding early Pennsylvania Conestoga wagon built in 1803.
• The drum carried by Edward Black, the youngest drummer boy in the Civil War.
• Original artwork including pieces by Alexander Calder, Dale Chihuly, Glenna Goodacre, Robert McCall, and Tasha Tudor.
• An operational Dentzel carousel, originally installed in 1917 in what is now Indianapolis’ Broad Ripple Park.
• The Reuben Wells steam locomotive, an engine built in 1868 to work a 5.9% grade train track in Madison, Indiana.