Trove of legendary underwear kept safe inside Minnesota History Center
ST. PAUL, Minn. — In the basement of the Minnesota History Center, you'll find corridors of giant blue cabinets that are guarded by lock and key.
Each one holds an iconic artifact, like Prince's "Purple Rain" costume, which is surrounded by a kingdom of underwear.
"I think underwear is a really interesting entry point into learning the history of Minnesota," said Angelica Maier, curator of the center's 3D objects, and gatekeeper for Munsingwear.
"Munsingwear was originally founded by George Munsing," she said.
The businessman and inventor moved from New York to Minneapolis at the back end of the 1800s with a goal of making a more comfortable kind of wool underwear.
"So he created a technology that would case the wool with silk and make a really nice knit garment, which was also very comfortable to wear and breathable," Maier said.
For more than 75 years, Munsingwear thrived as underwear pioneers. They were ahead of the game when it came to advertising.
"Their slogan at the time was, 'Don't say underwear, say Munsingwear,'" Maier said.
They were also ahead of the game when it came to hiring.
"It was a huge manufacturer. They actually employed the largest number of women after WWI, which is really interesting to think about," she said.
They were also ahead of the curve when it came to lingerie. Before Victoria's Secret, there was Munsingwear.
"These were more fashion-forward fabrics," she said. "Essentially with these pieces, women were really thinking about their shape, what kind of shape did they want to have underneath their clothes."
In all, the Minnesota History Center has 3,200 pieces of Munsingwear undergarments. When the company liquidated in 1981, much of their clothing and even some of their machines were donated to the center.
"This is a knitting machine that was used at Munsingwear at their factory," she said. "Our conservators spent a year restoring it to bring it back to functionality."
Climate control and lighting are key for this collection. When there aren't visitors, the area is kept in total darkness.
"With textiles, dyes are very sensitive to light. So that's another goal that I have as curator is thinking about when to display things and for how long," she said.
That's why visiting hours down are brief. But a short visit can also be very revealing. Who knew an undergarment could play such a big role in Minnesota history?
"For me, it just comes back to human innovation and creativity. And having a portal to ask questions and learn more about the world and what's valuable to other people," she said.
Munsingwear also made undershirts for U.S. troops during both World Wars and the Korean War. The undergarments are not currently on display, but you can view them on the Minnesota History Center's website.
