From MAGA hats to ear bandages, the Wisconsin Historical Society is collecting RNC items

Among the delegates, protestors, vendors and media at the Republican National Convention this week have been three staff members of the Wisconsin Historical Society .

Their job? To collect items that reflect the significance of 2024 in this moment in the nation's political history.

“National elections shape the course of American and Wisconsin history, influencing culture, policy and public discourse,” Abbie Norderhaug, the society's state archivist and director of acquisitions, said in a news release. “The society collects items connected to momentous events like presidential elections to capture a moment in time, preserving modern day stories that are destined to become turning points in history.”

Norderhaug, an archivist colleague and a photographer for the Wisconsin Historical Society have been at the RNC every day this week. On Wednesday night, Norderhaug talked to the Journal Sentinel about her experience so far.

Why is the Wisconsin Historical Society at the RNC? Will they also be at the DNC?

Although the society has collected political items since its inception in 1846, Norderhaug said this is the first time they've attended a major party convention in order to do so. Upon learning that this year's RNC would be in Milwaukee and the DNC would be in Chicago, society staff started making plans to attend both for "the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"We know Wisconsin and the Midwest as a whole will play an important part in this election," Norderhaug said. "And with the DNC being so close, as well, it's a unique time for the Midwest in terms of its role in political history.

"It seems like a moment that will be important as we're looking back telling the story of 2024, so we wanted to have staff at the conventions collecting items that tell that story."

What kinds of items are the historical society collecting from the RNC?

In its collection, the society has all the typical campaign memorabilia from elections throughout American history — things like posters, handouts, campaign buttons, pins — all of which "offer insight into a candidate’s key platforms, showcasing language and imagery intended to connect with voters," according to the news release from the historical society.

Those are some of the types of items Norderhaug and her colleagues have collected during their time at the RNC. For example, she mentioned "one of the most interesting" handouts she discovered on Wednesday: "a series of cards with talking points people might hear related to conservation, and then suggested counterpoints to those talking points. It's interesting to see a Republican perspective on conservation."

Norderhaug said she and her colleagues have also been keeping in touch with the society's curatorial team when they see items they think are worth buying to add to the collection.

"We've taken photos of different hats and T-shirts and magnets and things that are for sale by different vendors," Norderhaug said. "At the society we typically try to get people to donate items, but something like a red MAGA hat is so emblematic of the candidacy of Donald Trump and the party that we feel like we need to buy one to reflect the convention."

And because much of the story of the convention is in the atmosphere and the people who are there, the society's photographer has been taking pictures of various moments, people and activities to become part of the society's historical record of the RNC.

How has the historical society decided what items to collect? How do they get the items?

Since this is the first time society staff has attended a major political convention, they were unsure at first what they would find and which items would be significant enough to collect.

At the start of the week, Norderhaug and her colleagues strategized where to visit based on the convention schedule, then spent some time "getting a lay of the land and seeing how the tide moved." They also have spent time outside the security perimeter of the convention, talking to vendors and protesters. Norderhaug described their work as "a bit of a scavenger hunt to find people to talk to and find material to collect."

As the three have moved through the convention, they've also been handing out their business cards.

"We'll be bringing some items and lots of photos home with us," Norderhaug said. "But other times, we see people with items we think are emblematic that we might want to collect, and we have conversations with them to say, 'Maybe when you get home, or maybe in a few years when you don't need this anymore, you might want to donate it to us to document this moment in history.'"

One of those items that they couldn't have guessed ahead of time would become emblematic of the convention is the ear bandages several delegates have decided to wear. Norderhaug said she started noticing them after Donald Trump appeared at the first day of the convention with his ear bandaged from an injury he sustained during an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on July 13.

"Our photographer has been getting photos of those bandages, and we're planning to ask some of the delegates if they're willing to send us one after the convention," Norderhaug said. "It's significant now that it has emerged as a trend of the convention."

What will happen to the items after the RNC? Will the public be able to see them?

According to the historical society's news release, the items will be reviewed and documented before being stored at the state archive preservation facility or at the society's headquarters in Madison.

The 2D items — campaign literature, documents and photos — will be digitized and uploaded to the society's website, where they're available for viewing by the public . The 3D items will also likely be photographed and added to the digital collection.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: From MAGA hats to ear bandages, the Wisconsin Historical Society is collecting RNC items