Gallery exhibitions illustrate transformative moments in Missouri and US history. Located on the first floor, the main and topical galleries feature rotating exhibitions, with select works on permanent display. A second-floor corridor gallery features curated materials from SHSMO collections. The galleries are located at the SHSMO Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist, Daniel Fitzpatrick, chronicled the progression of WWII as it happened with powerful and poignant editorial cartoons. The three installments of this yearlong exhibition present visual commentary on the events of the war as they happened. The second installment focuses on examples made between December of 1941 and the spring of 1943.
The State Historical Society of Missouri holds one of the few complete collections of the lithographs Thomas Hart Benton published in editions during his lifetime. Over 90 master prints dating from 1929 to 1974 reflect the many changes that took place in Benton’s attitudes and artwork over the course of his life. Many of these lithographs are variations on famed Benton paintings, and the diverse imagery attests to the complexity of the artist’s aesthetic, political and social ideas.
This yearlong exhibition in three installments showcases examples of Thomas Hart Benton’s original watercolors and drawings for the Limited Editions Club publications of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Life on the Mississippi. As a Missourian, Benton brought his own understanding of the landscape and people of the state to his illustrations, creating perceptive images that complement Twain’s prose.
Ever wonder whether you have descendants from the Civil War era and how to trace them? Join Bill Eddleman, Associate Director of Cape Girardeau Research Center, who will give a thorough overview of how to research a Civil War ancestor. The workshop includes how to determine whether an ancestor served in the war, key documents generated by and for Civil War veterans, and how to find their regiment online, among other research methods. Dr. Eddleman is also an active member of the Cape County Genealogical Society where he served as president for 14 years.
