Object Record
Images
Additional Images [10]
Metadata
Accession number |
1994.203 |
Object Identification Number |
1994.203.272 |
Object Name |
Trunk |
Donor |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Description |
A trunk. The rectangular, metal trunk is painted black. There are two gold latches on the front with a keyhole latch at center front. The trunk has rounded, metal reinforced corners that also add more decoration. There are silver, circular studs lining the edges. There are two leather handles, one at each short side, that are held in place with metal brackets. There is a label on the front from a railway company. There are two labels on one of the short sides below the handle. The labels are becoming illegible due to age, but one of the labels reads, "HOTEL SHERMAN / CLARK AND RANDOLPH STS. / CHICAGO" with the address for the Danish Brotherhood in America written below. The interior is lined with thin, dark blue fabric. There is a light colored wooden tray with a divider down center. When the tray is removed, the bottom of the trunk,lined with blue fabric, is revealed. |
Dimensions |
H-14 W-31 L-19 inches |
Owned By |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Material |
leather/metal/fabric |
Associated People |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Search Terms |
Danish Brotherhood in America trunk |
Provenance |
There is no specific provenance information regarding this trunk. It was most likely used by the DBIA. It was in a large donation of DBIA related objects. ----------------------------------------------------- The Danish Brotherhood in America (DBIA), originally Det danske Brodersamfund, was a national fraternal insurance association for Danish immigrant males. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska in 1881 as an outgrowth of several Danish immigrant veterans organizations, the organization was initially open to "honorable men, born of Danish parents or who were of Danish extraction." The first six lodges were chartered in July, 1882, and lodges soon formed in many communities where significant numbers of Danes had settled, providing a forum for nurturing Danish culture and language as well as providing financial assistance to members in case of death or illness. Some 350 lodges were formed in the United States as well as three in British Columbia, and one in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1916, a monthly publication, Det danske Brodersamfunds Blad (The Danish Brotherhood Magazine), later renamed The American Dane, was started to further communication among members and lodges. After 1920, as Danish immigration lessened and the number of eligible males dwindled, lodges opened their membership to include both American-born daughters, and later, spouses and children of lodge members, gradually evolving into a social organization for the entire family. Some lodges were disbanded after a few decades due to economic conditions or changes in the ethnic base of their communities. Remaining members were then transferred to nearby lodges or paid their insurance premiums directly to organization headquarters in Omaha (Lodge #600). In August 1995, the insurance function of the DBIA was merged into Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association. A number of DBIA lodges remain active today as organizations promoting pride in Danish origins and culture. |
Images |
215\1994203272-8.JPG |
Date Received by Museum |
08/22/1994 |