Museums collect objects for many reasons and only a small percentage of a collection can ever be on display to the public at any given time. As a result, the majority of objects are out of sight and unseen in climate controlled storage areas being preserved. This exhibition features the collections of two state museums located in Tallahassee, Florida – the Museum of Florida History and the Florida Historic Capitol Museum – and reveals some of their unseen objects. You are invited “behind the scenes” to see how museums collect, process, and take care of their collections for future generations.
Poll Worker Vest, ca 1992-2000
Florida Historic Capitol Museum, Donated
Jan Gordon wore this vest made by her stepsister when she worked with the Pinellas County Elections Office as a poll worker in the 1990s. She added pins designed and distributed by the County Poll Worker Department for each election.
The vest was offered to the Museum after the donor recognized that the pins and the special vest might be of interest to a museum of political history. She shared: “I am not a believer of throwing things away if I think an item of mine might be of use to someone else.”
Clapper Invitation, April 15, 1986
Florida Historic Capitol Museum
Representative Bill Clark received this invitation for a legislative lobbying event hosted by the Florida Cable Television Association held at The Musical Moon with guest Dionne Warwick.
As the state museum of political history, some of the objects donated from legislators reflect a significant moment in their careers. This one-of-a-kind $100,000 party seems to have been one of those moments. Only nine legislators of the 160-member body missed this event, which was hailed as one of the most talked about events of the 1986 Session.
Haitian Bead Decanter, ca. 1990
Courtesy of the Museum of Florida History
This decorated decanter depicts Santa Barbara Africana, the Black Madonna, who in the blended religion of Haitian Voudon, is the protector deity associated with lower-class women and mothers. Never-before displayed in Florida, the decanter represented the state’s Haitian American population as part of an exhibition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Framed Hair Wreath Picture, ca. 1865–85
Courtesy of the Museum of Florida History
In the past, hair was a visceral and personal memento of a loved one. Before photography, people often handcrafted jewelry, art, and keepsakes made from the hair of friends and family members.
Special guided tours of Unseen: Museum Collections Revealed
July 20, August 17, September 21
Tour begins at Noon
Join the Historic Capitol Museum and Museum of Florida History staff for a tour of the temporary exhibition Unseen: Museum Collections Revealed. This free monthly tour is available by reservation only on a first-come, first-serve basis and will last approximately one hour. Participation is capped at 10 guests and three total tours are offered.
Coffee and Unseen Collections featuring the State of Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research and Tallahassee Museum
August 22, 2023
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Enjoy a fresh brew with a refreshing view as our local archive and museum colleagues showcase some of their Unseen artifacts. Learn what intrigue lies in their storage areas and how their work preserves Florida’s past for future generations. This program complements temporary exhibit Unseen: Museum Collections Revealed, which explores the complexities of caring for historic objects while balancing public access with preservation needs.
Cake and I Scream: Historic Collections and their Hazards Webinar featuring Laura Nemmers
September 8, 2023
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Preserving objects is an adventure faced by museum professionals and collectors of family heirlooms all over the world. Keeping your old family collections unseen in boxes stored in the attic may seem like a good way to preserve them, but some objects over time can become inherently dangerous to themselves, other objects, or to the humans that care for them. Sometimes the more we collect, the more damage we can do. Join the Historic Capitol Museum on Zoom as we help to unravel the mess with collections management and registration consultant Laura Nemmers. Learn more about why collections can be a Pandora’s Box of problems and how preservation and proper care can ensure your historic objects are part of history’s future.
Laura Nemmers serves as a collection management and registration consultant providing collections care services to museums, historical societies, archives, libraries, historic homes, private collectors, galleries, businesses, and non-profits in the United States and internationally. She has almost twenty years of experience working in cultural institutions and private practice.
Coffee and Unseen Collections featuring The State Archives of Florida and Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation
September 12, 2023
9:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Enjoy a fresh brew with a refreshing view as our local archive and museum colleagues showcase some of their Unseen artifacts. Learn what intrigue lies in their storage areas and how their work preserves Florida’s past for future generations. This program complements temporary exhibit Unseen: Museum Collections Revealed, which explores the complexities of caring for historic objects while balancing public access with preservation needs.
Unseen: Museum Collections Revealed, developed in partnership with the Museum of Florida History, will be on display through October 15 and open for viewing both before and after the program. Thank you to sponsors Prime Meridian Bank and The Honorable Lisa Carlton for their support of exhibition programming.
The Florida Historic Capitol Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors to make the exhibit possible.
The Honorable Lisa Carlton
Friends of the Museums of Florida History
