Tumblr top ten of 2013

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In 2013 we made 210 posts to our Tumblr blog, Wisco Histo. Here are the ten posts that inspired the most comments, likes, and shares from our readers. These ten images are diverse, but they all come from the collections of Wisconsin libraries, archives, and historical societies, and they all depict the lives of everyday people in Wisconsin’s past.

What kinds of photos would you like to see on our blog in 2014?

10) Winter road conditions near Dodgeville, 1929

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 136

"We saw miles and miles of roads like this around Dodgeville." The caption along the right edge of this postcard notes a 15-foot snowdrift. Iowa County Historical Society.
“We saw miles and miles of roads like this around Dodgeville.” The caption along the right edge of this postcard notes a 15-foot snowdrift. Iowa County Historical Society.

9) Trapeze artist above Ripon Square, 1909

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 146

In this postcard, a daring acrobat dangles high above Ripon's central square. Based on the date (July 3), the tents, and the large crowd gathered below, this performance was most likely part of an Independence Day carnival in Ripon. Ripon Historical Society.
In this postcard, a daring acrobat dangles high above Ripon’s central square. Based on the date (July 3), the tents, and the large crowd gathered below, this performance was most likely part of an Independence Day carnival in Ripon. Ripon Historical Society.

8) Karen Washinawatok being crowned Miss Menominee

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 157

In November, this photo made the rounds among a number of Native bloggers on Tumblr including ohyeahindigenousbeauty, black-footed, and reclaimingthenativetag.

Karen Washinawatok being crowned Miss Menominee, Keshena. The Phillip and Faith Sealy Collection on the Menominee Arts, College of Menominee Nation S. Verna Fowler Academic Library/Menominee Public Library.
Karen Washinawatok being crowned Miss Menominee, Keshena. College of Menominee Nation S. Verna Fowler Academic Library/Menominee Public Library.

7) Pat Hitchcock of Mt. Horeb in World War II

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 212

Pat Jennings Hitchcock was a “clubmobile girl” for the American Red Cross during World War II, serving coffee and donuts from a converted bus to help provide a dose of morale and good spirits to American soldiers stationed in Europe. In March 2013, reposts from the excellent Tumblr blogs Cool Chicks from History and Greatest Generation helped boost this photo’s reach.

Pat Hitchcock in her winter Red Cross uniform, 1945. Mount Horeb Public Library by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.
Pat Hitchcock in her winter Red Cross uniform, 1945. Mount Horeb Public Library by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

6) An unusual (and uncomfortable!) Halloween costume, Milwaukee, 1949

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 229

Boy in pumpkin head costume, Milwaukee, 1949. Milwaukee Public Library.
Boy in pumpkin head costume, Milwaukee, 1949. Milwaukee Public Library.

5) May Day celebrations at Lawrence University, Appleton

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 280

"The Queen and Attendants," ca. 1930. Lawrence University Archives.
“The Queen and Attendants,” ca. 1930. Lawrence University Archives.

4) Junior Woman’s Relief Corps, Sextonville, Richland County, ca. 1890

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 333

The Woman’s Relief Corps, founded in 1883, is a national women’s auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, the fraternal organization of Civil War Veterans. These young Woman’s Relief Corps members wear matching uniforms and pose with brooms and dustpans, suggesting they were part of a broom brigade. Popular in the late 19th century, broom brigades were military-style women’s drill teams that marched with brooms instead of rifles.

Junior Woman’s Relief Corps, Sextonville, Richland County, Wisconsin, ca. 1890.
Junior Woman’s Relief Corps, Sextonville, Richland County, ca. 1890. Richland County History Room, Brewer Public Library.

3) A massive snowman in Kiel, 1950-1959

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 382

Three young men put the finishing touches on a huge snowman, Kiel, Manitowoc County. Big Streets in a Little City: Kiel, Wisconsin, 1860-1980, Heritage Collection, Kiel Public Library by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Three young men put the finishing touches on a huge snowman, Kiel, Manitowoc County. Kiel Public Library by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

2) Sigma Kappa women in fur coats, Madison, ca. 1922

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 505

Tumblr readers who commented on this photo ranged from fellow Sigma Kappas to fashionistas to anti-fur activists.

Members of the Sigma Kappa sorority keep warm in stylish fur coats, December 1922. UW-Madison Archives by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.
Members of the Sigma Kappa sorority keep warm in stylish fur coats, December 1922. UW-Madison Archives by way of University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

1) An idyllic fall scene in Wausau, 1980-200

Tumblr likes and reblogs: 1106

Our most popular Tumblr post in 2013 captured a picturesque Wisconsin autumn.

This view of the Wausau railroad depot in autumn was an advertising photograph for the Wausau Insurance Company, 1980-1999. Marathon County Historical Society.
This view of the Wausau railroad depot in autumn was an advertising photograph for the Wausau Insurance Company, 1980-1999. Marathon County Historical Society.

Sources

Highlights from digital collections across Wisconsin are added to our Tumblr blog several times a week. Check out our monthly top posts from Tumblr here.