Cabinet of Curiosities
In This Exhibit: Official Acts | Riding High | Out on the Range | Men in Style
Dressed to the Nines | Home Sweet Home | Deconstructing the Capitol | HOME
Cabinet of Curiosities highlights items from the State Archives artifact collection. Consisting of about 600 three-dimensional objects, these tools, homewares, clothing, and equipment help illustrate Texas life and work, primarily from 1860-1970. Items displayed represent some of the most iconic aspects of Texas history—cattle ranching, horse riding, and home life. Clothing and accessories, often used as indicators of historical eras, are also part of the exhibit. Photographs from TSLAC’s extensive holdings capture the styles, tools, and décor in historical context.
Artifacts held in a government archive document significant acts of state business, such as the signing of treaties and the construction of a new state capitol. In addition to the selection of objects on view, images of TSLAC’s entire artifact collection are available through the Texas Digital Archive. 
Images:
Thompson, Texas Ben, 1842-1884, undated. People Collection,1/102-555, Prints and Photographs. TSLAC.
Cowboys, undated. Color slides and transparencies, 1991/077-419-13, Texas Tourist Development Agency Photographs and Audiovisual Materials. TSLAC.
Woman seated with hat in lap, about 1880-1890. Tina Q. Odim Photograph Collection, 2015/109-1. TSLAC.