Seed Stories: Catalogs of Life and Gardens in America
Dublin Core
Title
Seed Stories: Catalogs of Life and Gardens in America
Collection Items
Seed Stories: Catalogs of Life and Gardens in America
This was the entry sign to the physical exhibit of seed catalogs.
Brownie from Emma White 1900 Catalog Cover
This image was part of the 1900 Emma White seed catalog cover.
Brownie from Emma White 1900 Catalog Cover
This image was part of the 1900 Emma White seed catalog cover.
Not PD - Plant Delights 2006 & 2010 Catalog Covers
Plant Delights Nursery is owned by Tony Avent, who, instead of gracing his catalog covers with plants or pastoral scenes, prefers current events and national fads. The three catalog covers - "Hairy Potter," "ePlantHarmony.com," and "Gardener's Tea…
Not PD - "Search Ends: Burpee Pays $10,000.00 for White Marigold" - Burpee 1975 Catalog : Article
![Not PD - "Search Ends: Burpee Pays $10,000.00 for White Marigold" - Burpee 1975 Catalog : Article](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/06a367ae8393efa8fec4feca8221d001.jpg "Not PD - "Search Ends: Burpee Pays $10,000.00 for White Marigold" - Burpee 1975 Catalog : Article")
Burpee introduced the white marigold contest in 1954 and advertised it every year. The prize was not awarded until 1975, when Mrs. Alice Vonk of Sully, Iowa received the money for her ‘Snowball’ marigold.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1954 Catalog Cover
“Spring Work in a Mandan Indian Cornfield†is the caption for the 1954 catalog cover. These homemade tools were often crafted from available materials such as antlers.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1953 Catalog Cover
Scattered Corn, the daughter of the last corn priest, is shown braiding corn on the cover of the 1953 catalog. Will’s Pioneer Indian Collection included squash, beans, and corn and is featured in Will’s catalogs from 1914-1954.
Not PD - Oscar Will 1949 Catalog: Letter
Most catalogs produced by Oscar and his son contained a thoughtful essay or letter to their customers addressing current issues, such as the influenza epidemic and the evils of war, or the history of the area and the native tribes.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1946 Catalog: Letter
“Victory is at last won†proclaims this 1946 essay beneath an illustration of a victory dance, referring to the end of World War II. However, Will warns, “Unless mankind grows out of its boisterous youth and seriously considers the years ahead…
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1945 Catalog Cover
The 1945 cover picturing a village scene was painted by White Crow, also known as Miles Horn. He studied art in Los Angeles and is thought to have illustrated more than one catalog cover, although this is the only one that he signed.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1942 Catalog Cover
Clell Gannon illustrated many of the Oscar H. Will & Co. catalog covers. The 1942 catalog cover painted by Gannon shows another tribe trading a horse for Mandan corn.
Not PD - Oscar Will 1941 Catalog: Letter
Most catalogs produced by Oscar and his son contained a thoughtful essay or letter to their customers addressing current issues, such as the influenza epidemic and the evils of war, or the history of the area and the native tribes.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1939 Catalog Cover
Mandan women thresh corn in their village on this 1939 cover.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1938 Catalog Cover
The 1938 catalog cover depicts a Mandan priest singing a sacred dew song in the corn field.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1937 Catalog Cover
On the 1937 catalog cover a Mandan corn priest blesses the seed corn before spring planting.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1935 Catalog: Letter
George Will’s letter to customers in the 1935 catalog describes the many woes that befell that year’s crop, yet ends on an optimistic note. “Our corn crop around Bismarck was the nearest to a total failure that we have seen in 53 years. Our…
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1929 Catalog Cover
This spectacular 1929 cover pays tribute to the agricultural contributions of the Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa tribes with an Art Deco depiction of a tribal chief holding a modern variety of corn.
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1927 Catalog Cover
In the 1927 catalog there is an explanation about the cover image. Will’s corn varieties featured on the cover, some of “the hardiest, earliest corns in the world,†were developed from Native American seed. It recounts the story of the Mandan…
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1927 Catalog: Letter
In the 1927 catalog there is an explanation about the cover image. Will’s corn varieties featured on the cover, some of “the hardiest, earliest corns in the world,†were developed from Native American seed. It recounts the story of the Mandan…
Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1927 Catalog: "Set of Hidatsa Agricultural Implements" Photograph
![Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1927 Catalog: "Set of Hidatsa Agricultural Implements" Photograph](https://gallerytemp.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/a7b5a6c177c14f23e91bbc441c002aed.jpg "Not PD - Oscar H. Will & Co. 1927 Catalog: "Set of Hidatsa Agricultural Implements" Photograph")
These homemade tools were often crafted from available materials such as antlers.
Not PD - J. V. Bailey Nurseries 1963 Catalog Cover
Family-owned Bailey Nurseries, Inc. – one of the USA’s largest wholesale nurseries – was established in 1905 by the son of a Minnesota farmer, J. V. Bailey. A University of Minnesota Agriculture School graduate, Bailey spent his last $10 to…
Not PD - Bachman's Wholesale Nursery & Hardscapes 2010 Catalog Cover
Penniless 24-year-old Henry Bachman arrived in Minneapolis in 1882 speaking only German. In 1885 he started his business on four acres of farm land in Richfield. Surprisingly, a carnation house built in1924 vastly outproduced the vegetable fields…
Not PD - American Field Seed Co. 1937 Catalog: Advertisement
In 1857 German immigrant Wendelin Grimm and his family settled near Victoria, Minnesota. In 1858 Grimm planted alfalfa seed he brought from Germany, but Minnesota’s severe winters were more than it could withstand. Grimm collected seed from what…
Not PD - L. L. Olds Seed Co. 1925 Catalog Cover
Alfalfa was an important forage crop, not an impulsive purchase by farmers. Seed companies did not use beautiful images of alfalfa plants to entice farmers, but instead swayed the customer with text about hardiness, yield, and adaptability to their…
Not PD - D. Landreth Seed Co. 2009 Catalog Cover
Now entering its 228th year, Landreths is no longer owned by the Landreth family. Even so, the new owners are interested in preserving the horticultural legacy of the company. Featuring a scene from a bygone era, the cover of the 2009/2011 catalog…
Not PD - D. Landreth Seed Co. 1942 Catalog Cover & Letter
The theme of the 1942 catalog is “Looking Back.†The shadowed images that appear throughout the catalog reflect Landreths’ colonial roots. A yellow Colonial Boy image is discernible behind the text.
