10,000 artifacts have been classified as the Americana collection by the Museum. Between 1913 and 1986 Boston Children's Museum's Americana collecting concentrated on objects that portrayed the evolution of everyday life in America over the past three centuries. Objects in the Americana collection cover the historical period from 1750 to the present day, although the majority of artifacts in the collection are dated between 1850 and 1950.
In the 1990s, the Museum began to focus on a multicultural collecting project called New Directions in order to expand and diversify the Americana collection to reflect immigrant experiences, and add late 20th century artifacts to the collection. The artifacts added to the Americana collection represent a cross-section of American history, centered geographically around Boston during the twentieth century.
Many of the artifacts found in current Boston Children's Museum exhibits come from the Americana collection including the hair styling artifacts found in Boston Black and the toys and accessories in Arthur’s A to Z.
In the 1990s, the Museum began to focus on a multicultural collecting project called New Directions in order to expand and diversify the Americana collection to reflect immigrant experiences, and add late 20th century artifacts to the collection. The artifacts added to the Americana collection represent a cross-section of American history, centered geographically around Boston during the twentieth century.
Many of the artifacts found in current Boston Children's Museum exhibits come from the Americana collection including the hair styling artifacts found in Boston Black and the toys and accessories in Arthur’s A to Z.
