Collection Timeline

1889 to 2024

1889
color illustration of five men bowling in the outdoors in front of a tent with a U.S. flag raised up on a flagpole nearby. In the center of the illustration is a young woman's face and upper body set within a gold frame. The woman is wearing a dress with pink ribbons and a flower in the center, as well as a pearl necklace and earrings. The word "Bowling" is printed on the illustration.

1932
black and white photo of two women facing one another, smiling, while one holds a paper. They each have ribbons pinned to the front of their dresses, one visibly reading "President."
black and white photo of two women bowling at a bowling alley. One is holding a bowling ball, as if preparing to roll, and the other stands nearby. They are both wearing dresses, hats, and hoisery and one dress appears to be dark velvet.

1941
black and white photo of six young women wearing matching uniforms while standing on a bowling lane. One of the women has just rolled her bowling ball while the five other women hold their bowling balls and pose for the photo.

1942
color cover illustration from The New Yorker depicting a bowling alley with a woman in a red ballgown holding a bowling ball and restaurant waiters one one side of the lanes and a group of men bowling on the other side. The woman's face appears to be worried as she looks over to the men bowlers. The bowlers are in casual or military attire while the people depicted on the woman's side of the bowling lanes are dressed in evening attire with jewels, heels, and dress shirts.

1949
black and white photo of a group of African-American women bowlers bowling in a bowling alley with several onlookers behind them. One woman is posed as if she has just rolled her bowling ball while the other women are standing and smiling while looking in the direction of where the ball was rolled. Two women are sitting.

1950
black and white scan of newspaper clipping for "Local Keglerette Is First Nisei To Join WIBC-No Objections" article
black and white scan of newspaper clipping for "'Color Line' Now Is Before WIBC" article
black and white scan of newspaper clipping for "WIBC Removes Racial Clause" article

1954
black and white photo of five young women resetting the pin machines, among other bowling-related tasks, in a bowling alley.

1957
black and white photo of about two dozen young children sitting on a rug while a woman hands out snacks to them. There is a man sitting in the back of the room.
black and white side profile photo of a young woman bowler standing in front of a bowling lane with her arm and leg raised in a celebratory stance.
black and white photo of a young woman bowler sitting on a ledge in a bowling alley as she ties her bowling shoes and smiles at the camera.

1958
black and white photo of businessmen and an actress posing in a bowling alley for a promotional photo. The woman is smiling and posed in front of the group while holding a bowling ball in her hands. The four men are either smiling for the photo or looking at the actress.

1960
black and white, almost sepia-toned, photo of Bettye Dean smiling while holding a bowling trophy. She is wearing a sleeveless, light-colored dress and her hair is styled in short blonde waves.

1961
black and white photo of a woman bowler posing in front of a bowling ball retriever at a bowling alley. She is wearing a two-piece pantsuit set with prominent pleats in the trousers, along with a striped and collared shirt, and is holding a bowling ball in her hand.
black and white photo of a young woman bowler at a bowling alley as she finishes a roll down the lane.

1962
black and white photo of group of older bowlers at a bowling alley. They have on matching shirts with the phrase "Fifty And Over Bowling Club" printed or embroidered in script letters on the back of them.

1963
black and white photo of four bowlers at a bowling alley, two men standing and two women kneeling in front. The two women have hands placed on a bowling ball in between them.
black and white photo of an beauty contestant smiling and posing for a promotional photo. She is kneeling down and holding a bowling ball with "Annual Midseason Festival" printed on it.
black and white photo of a pilot wearing a helmet posing with a woman on either side of him. The two women are wearing identical outfits and are holding a bowling ball in between them.

1964
black and white photo of six young women, representing various nationalities, wearing matching outfits and posing in a line down a staircase. They are wearing nametags to represent a specific continent or region
black and white photo of a smiling woman wearing a "Wilshire" uniform, smiling at a man as she tests a bowling ball for finger fit.
black and white photo of a businessman and an actress/model posing for a photo while holding a bowling ball bag with "Bowl Down Cancer" printed on its front in white letters.
black and white photo of a man pointing down the lane of a bowling alley as a young woman in heels smiles while holding a bowling ball.

1965
black and white photo of four actresses/models posing for a promotional photo. There is a banner behind the women with "Bowl Down Cancer" and "American Cancer Society" printed on it. The women are wearing matching outfits and each are holding a bowling ball with "Bowl Down Cancer" printed on it.
color scan of newspaper clipping for "No Slacks in 1965 WIBC Tournament" article

1966
black and white photo of a young woman sitting on a rug in her home with the big toe of her right foot stuck inside of a bowling ball's finger holes. She is smiling and holding her hand to the side of her head. There is a radio, chair, and TV trays visible in the background.

1967
black and white photo of four African-American women bowlers in matching uniforms posing with a group bowling trophy and four individual trophies. Each woman is wearing a collared white shirt with their names embroidered above the chest pocket and black pants.

1970
black and white photo of four African-American women bowlers posing inside of a bowling alley. There is also an African-American man in the photo with a red "x" marked over his face. The women are each holding a bowling ball while standing in a line.
black and white photo of five older African-American women bowlers posing with their bowling trophies. One woman in the center is holding two trophies, the larger one presumably their group trophy.

1985
color photo of Bettye Dean sitting in a row of seats at a bowling alley. She is wearing glasses, a light blue collared shirt, denim pants with the hems cuffed, and a tan wrist/hand brace.

1987
color photo of Bettye Dean and an unnamed team member posing for a portrait at the 1987 WIBC Chamipionships competition. The two women are standing behind an orange podium wearing a light blue uniform with slight variations between them, each with a blue bowling ball in front of them. The orange podium has "WIBC Championships Greater Hartford Connecticut 1987" painted on it along with a white bird.
image of a lapel pin with an enamel and metal design of an American Robin perched atop a white bowling pin. On the bowling pin, "'87 WIBC Hartford" are inlaid in gold metal.

1989
image of a lapel pin in the shape of the state of Nebraska. The background of the pin is a golden-orange color with a bumpy texture. "WIBC National Tournament Bismark Mandan" and a star are inlaid in gold metal. There are also enamel graphics of a bowling ball, a bowling pin, and a tipi-style tent on the pin.
image of a square lapel pin with the shape of mountains at the top. The pin is an enamel and metal design with a blue background, white-capped mountains, and a woman in a red dress watering red roses behind a white fence made of bowling pins. "CWBA 1989" is inlaid in gold metal.

2024
color photo of Nikki (White) Watkins as a child and her grandmother, Bettye (White) Dean sitting on a yellow couch, Nikki smiling at the camera and Bettye smiling down at her. Bettye is wearing a green pantsuit with a meatching green headband in her hair. Nikki is wearing a patchwork dress and her hair is in three braids decorated with hair balls and barrettes.