Object Record
Images
Metadata
Accession number |
1997.006 |
Object Identification Number |
1997.006.005.002 |
Object Name |
Spat |
Donor |
Isley, Lorraine |
Description |
One in a pair of matching spats (1997.006.005.001-.002). Part of Axel Madsen's World War I uniform (1997.006.002-.006). A spat is a protective covering worn over the shoe and lower leg. This spat is made from 4 panels of tan canvas that are sewn together. These panels are wider at the top and narrow, so that they form a cone when wrapped around the lower leg. The two end panels of canvas are reinforced with strips of metal. One end has six metal grommets painted brown and a length of green shoelace woven in the grommets. The other end of the gaiter has three grommets, except that two of these grommets have hooks as well. One end of the shoelace has a knot, and the other is capped with a metal aglet. The interior of the spat has the following printed in purple: "3 / 15^2-10^2". |
Dimensions |
W-10.5 L-15.75 inches |
Year Range From |
1918 |
Year Range To |
1919 |
Owned By |
Madsen, Axel |
Used By |
Madsen, Axel |
Material |
metal/canvas/shoelace |
Associated People |
Madsen, Axel |
Search Terms |
Madsen, Axel Isley, Lorraine Sper-Mel army World War I uniform gaiter spat New York Asnes, Denmark Dike, Iowa |
Provenance |
This uniform was worn by Axel Madsen during World War I. Axel gained his U.S. citizenship through military service. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1918 and discharged in 1919. The museum's collection contains many items used by Axel Madsen during World War I, as well as a photograph (1997.006.011) of Axel in his Army uniform. Axel Madsen was born April 30, 1896, in Asnes, Denmark to Christin and Patrina (Rasmussen) Madsen. He came to America early in 1917 from Copenhagen aboard the Frederik VIII. He immigrated to the Dike, IA, area and gained his citizenship through military service. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1918 and discharged in 1919. Axel had one brother and two sisters. None immigrated to the U.S. Axel belonged to the Danish Brotherhood in America and the American Legion, as well as the Odd Fellows Lodge. Axel married the donor's aunt, Elvina Olsen Nielsen, on March 21, 1958 when he was 62. He had not been married previously. He has a stepson, Edwin Nielsen, of Princeton, MN. Until his marriage, Axel was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, and after he joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Waterloo, IA. He worked at Viking Pump Company in Cedar Falls. Axel died September 11, 1995. |
Images |
038\1997006005002-1.JPG |
Date Received by Museum |
01/17/1997 |