*Post written by James Wethington, senior library assistant of the University Archives and Special Collections.

*Item descriptions written by Mona Meyer, archives and special collections metadata librarian, Susan Sauls, director of the art collection, Tom Lonnberg, curator of history at the Evansville Museum, and Pat Sides, archivist of Willard Library.

The crowds are going crazy! Pure pandemonium! Arch Madness is back and we have some stiff competition. The University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) is competing against the Lawrence Library, Evansville Museum of Arts, History, & Science, and Willard Library. You can vote online at amusingartifacts.org or in-person at Rice Library 3021. Voting begins on March 11 through April 7, 2019.

Let’s look at our eight competitors!

University Archives and Special Collections (UASC)

Sugar Babies Poster, n.d.

The word burlesque roughly means to make fun of, to mock, to joke. This element remained, but later burlesque shows became huge extravaganza variety shows. As time went on, they became more and more bawdy, and by the 1930s, they were striptease shows. Sugar Babies was a Broadway musical that paid tribute to the extravaganza style of burlesque. It debuted in October 1979 and originally starred Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. A road company with Eddie Bracken, Jaye P. Morgan, and Toni Kaye came to Evansville on February 25, 1982 and performed at Vanderburgh Auditorium.

*Defeated the wool bathing suit, 80-73.

Cook Brewery Beer Bottles, n.d.

A city with a strong German heritage, Evansville once had as many as seven breweries. One of the largest was F.W. Brewing Company. The company began in 1853 as a partnership between Fredrick Washington Cook and Louis Reis. Cook became the sole owner in 1873 and the company was incorporated as F.W. Brewing Company in 1885. With small name changes, it was in business until the mid-1950’s. Goldblume Beer, which they advertised as “The Best Beer in the World” was one of their signature brews. Note that one of these bottles still contains some beer!

*Defeated ISUE letter jacket, 113-44.

Lawrence Library

The incantation bowl, which goes by many names such as a demon bowl or a magic bowl, was usually

Incantation bowl, c. 6th to 8th Century.

buried face down in a home’s courtyard or near cemeteries to capture demons or evil spirits. Once retrieved, a hole would be made in the bowl to release the spirits. This bowl belongs to the collection of Michael K. Aakhus.

*Defeated the Annie Oakley print, 82-71.

*Defending 2018 Arch Madness champion

Nacho the Defender, 2017.

Nacho the Defender, a toddler sized figure, is a part of the greater installation piece “Child’s Play” by Matt Perez. Nacho’s role within the work is to defend the pillow fort from other attacking toddlers. This figure belongs to the University Art Collection, Efroymson Fellow Collection.

*Defeated 15th century French psalter, 83-73.

Evansville Museum of Arts, History, & Science

Ray-Finned Fish (Diplomystus dentatus), n.d.

This fossil fish from the Green River Formation can be dated to around 40 million years ago when a tropical sea was present over what is now Wyoming. The boney fish is a primitive relative of a modern-day herring. The fossil record preserved within the Green River Formation is world-renowned for its quality fossil preservation. This fossil is a gift of Charles LaFollette.

*Defeated the glass vase sculpture, 97-51.

Lord Bryon’s Dueling Pistols, c. 1809.

These pistols were made for the famous English poet and politician Lord George Gordon Byron, 1788-1824. Among Byron’s best-known works are Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Lord Byron had several controversial relationships before he married Annabella Milbanke in 1815 who left him a year later because of his infidelity. The pistols are engraved with Lord Bryon’s coronet and a “B” and were crafted by H.W. Mortimer and Company of London circa 1809. These dueling pistols are gifts of Harry D. Oppenheimer.

*Defeated O’Dell No. 4 Typewriter, 108-56.

Willard Library

Fendrich Cigar & Box Tin, n.d.

The company opened as Fendrich Brothers Cigar Company on Main Street in 1855, after moving Evansville from Pennsyvlania. (The brothers were Francis, Charles, John, Joseph, and Herman.) The Main Street factory was destroyed by fire in 1910, and a new one was built at Pennsylvania and Oakley, opening in 1912. A local newspaper claimed it was the largest cigar factory “in the world”, and Fendrich was one of Evansville’s largest industries. The company closed in 1969 and moved back in Pennsylvania.

*Defeated the City of Evansville Charter Book, 87-67.

Official Program of the West Side First Annual Fall Festival, 1914.

Sponsored by the West Side Business Association, the current West Side Nut Club began in 1921, but prior to that, three “Halloween type festivals” were held. The purpose of the festivals was “to initiate, promote, and support any and all movements which are for the betterment of the West Side of Evansville as a whole…”.

*Defeated the Evansville Public School Ledger, 97-60.