Contraband Key
date: label: date made
content: n.d.
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: A patient at Winnebago State Hospital in Wisconsin made this key from “found” materials. It is one of three owned by the museum from that institution. Opened in 1873, Winnebago housed people diagnosed with psychiatric conditions. The key was confiscated but the record of it is blank as to its maker, date, or intended purpose. Although the artifact is anonymous, its maker is nonetheless powerfully evident.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: United States: Wisconsin, Winnebago
topic: label: Subject
content: Disabilities
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Disabilities
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, through Diane Meschefske
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2000.0014.01
label: accession number
content: 2000.0014
label: catalog number
content: 2000.0014.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: key
label: Object Name
content: key, contraband
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wire (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: nails (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: .09 cm x 11 cm x 7.6 cm; 1/16 in x 4 5/16 in x 3 in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5/8 in x 4 1/8 in x 2 7/8 in; 1.5875 cm x 10.4775 cm x 7.3025 cm