Search the Wisconsin Historical Society's collections

Searching for

Refine by

Results 1-20 of 36

Photograph

Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr.

Date: 1932
Description: Portrait of photographer Alfred Stanley Johnson, Jr., a Waupun photographer best known for his "tall-tale" or "freak" postcards.
Photograph

Fourth of July Fireworks

Date: 07 04 1912
Description: Alfred Holt is setting off some firecrackers while his sisters and several cousins are watching. Names from left to right: Elizabeth Doud Rumsey, Marion Ed...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Will It Go In (without Vegetables)

Date: 1911
Description: Photographic mock-up for an Alfred Stanley Johnson photomontage postcard entitled "Will It Go In." Two men stand over an open cellar door, with their hands...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Shooting the Shoots (without Carrots)

Date: 1913
Description: Photographic mock-up for an Alfred Stanley Johnson photomontage postcard entitled "Shooting the Shoots." A small girl is sliding down a wooden plank, whic...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Kickers without Frogs

Date: 1913
Description: Photographic mock-up for an Alfred Stanley Johnson photomontage postcard entitled "Kickers." A boy wearing waders and holding a rifle stands with his arms ...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Background with Men on Ramp

Date: 1911
Description: Photographic mock-up for an Alfred Stanley Johnson photomontage postcard. Two men walk up a ramp leading into a railroad car. Both men are pushing large i...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Melon Party (without Melons)

Date: 1911
Description: Photographic mock-up for an Alfred Stanley Johnson photomontage postcard entitled "Melon Party." Four girls wearing bows and dresses are holding an object...
Photograph

Building the Tennis Court

Date: 1905
Description: A group of five men are preparing the soil for the new tennis court. The men are using shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows. On the right, children Alfred and ...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: We Stopped Here

Date: 1915
Description: Photomontage of a group of travellers in a car colliding with a steamroller. The travellers have been thrown out of their car and into the air. The words...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Carrots

Date: 1912
Description: Photomontage of three women and a little girl pulling up a giant carrot root. Several other giant carrots, some of which have been pulled out of the ground...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Cutting Corn

Date: 1913
Description: Photomontage of two men with a logging crosscut saw cutting a giant ear of corn. A mound of giant corn stands beside them. There is a barn in the backgroun...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Father Works

Date: 1910
Description: Photomontage of a boy driving a cart drawn by a giant chicken. The back of the cart is filled with giant eggs, and a fence lines the road in the background...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Overloaded

Date: 1912
Description: Photomontage of a horse carrying a bundle of giant ears of corn on its back. A boy is struggling to pull the horse towards the side of the road. A young ...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Cat Fish Caught in Beaver Pond

Date: 10 30 1909
Description: Photomontage of a giant catfish being hauled on a flatbed horse-drawn cart. A group of men stand around and on the cart looking at the fish. The Williams...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Caught With the Goods

Date: 1913
Description: Photomontage of a dwarf wearing a top hat driving a cart, drawn by a mule, filled with giant eggs. The dwarf is wearing a suit and a top hat. The mule is...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Beating the Coal Trust

Date: 1912
Description: Photomontage of a man sawing a giant ear of corn as though it was a log. Beside him an ax is wedged in a stump-like piece of corn. A mound of giant ears ...
Photograph

Tall-tale Postcard: Boy Scouts

Date: 1912
Description: Photomontage of a group of five boy scouts around a cooking fire. The scouts watch as a giant potato, suspended over the fire, slowly roasts. They are wear...
Photograph

Unofficial Ambassadors to Sponsor Tour of Mexican Art

Date: 06 18 1959
Description: Unofficial Ambassadors, Inc., a non-profit corporation devoted to further international understanding through cultural exchange, will sponsor a tour of Mex...
Photograph

In Front of the Cupola

Date: 1913
Description: From left to right, Donald Holt and Donald Bridgeman, each holding a book, are standing in front of the Cupola on the Island. Caption reads: "Donald, Donal...
Photograph

W.A. Holt and his Children by the Flag Pole on the Island

Date: 1913
Description: W.A. Holt and his children are standing by the flag pole, with the American flag flying. Names from left to right: Alfred Holt, W.A. Holt, Donald Holt, Jea...

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the material you searched for, our Library Reference Staff can help.

Call our reference desk at 608-264-6535 or email us at: