Welcome to “Out of the Vault.” This is our blog series where we take you behind-the-scenes to show off our newest acquisitions and why we think they are an important addition to the Museum’s mission to tell you the diverse stories of the West.
Did you know that the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum preserves more than amazing art and artifacts in our vault? We also have a large collection of real-life playthings owned by children from the past and present. Many of the toys were donated by family members or sought out by our team of curators. Who knows, maybe you, your pa, or grandpa played with toys like these!
According to Michael Grauer, McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture/Curator of Cowboy Culture and Western Art, the story of the American West had a huge influence on the lives of the children who played with these toys.
