Art

The National Museum of American History is not an art museum. But works of art fill its collections and testify to the vital place of art in everyday American life. The ceramics collections hold hundreds of examples of American and European art glass and pottery. Fashion sketches, illustrations, and prints are part of the costume collections. Donations from ethnic and cultural communities include many homemade religious ornaments, paintings, and figures. The Harry T Peters "America on Stone" collection alone comprises some 1,700 color prints of scenes from the 1800s. The National Quilt Collection is art on fabric. And the tools of artists and artisans are part of the Museum's collections, too, in the form of printing plates, woodblock tools, photographic equipment, and potters' stamps, kilns, and wheels.

Signed and dated watercolorCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed and dated watercolor
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877
original artist
Blum, Robert Frederick
ID Number
GA.16637
catalog number
16637
accession number
119780
Oil painting on canvas of an American machine gun emplacement at Seicheprey, France. Two American soldiers in olive drab uniforms are sitting in the middle of a cemetery next to their Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun.
Description
Oil painting on canvas of an American machine gun emplacement at Seicheprey, France. Two American soldiers in olive drab uniforms are sitting in the middle of a cemetery next to their Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun. There are tombstones all around the soldiers, some of which have toppled over. A section of the rock wall surrounding the cemetery has been partially destroyed at right, giving the machine gunners a better sight line. The soldiers have positioned the gun on the rubble from the ruined wall, with the barrel of the gun pointing out of the cemetery. Signed by the artist at bottom left, "Harvey Dunn, Saishprey [sic], AEF"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
artist
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25709
catalog number
25709
accession number
64592
Oil painting on canvas of two American soldiers carrying another soldier on a stretcher along a line of barbed wire. The stretcher bearers are in uniform and are wearing helmets with their gas mask bags hanging from their necks.
Description
Oil painting on canvas of two American soldiers carrying another soldier on a stretcher along a line of barbed wire. The stretcher bearers are in uniform and are wearing helmets with their gas mask bags hanging from their necks. The soldier in front is looking up into the distance as he walks, while the soldier in back is walking with his head bowed. The soldier on the stretcher is wrapped in a blanket and his face is white; he is either severely injured or dead. The sky is gray with faint light coming from the left. A line of fog is rolling in from the left, slightly obscuring the soldiers and the barbed wire. At the bottom of the painting among the grass are tiny red and blue flowers. Signed by the artist at bottom left, "Harvey Dunn, 1918"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
artist
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25719
catalog number
25719
accession number
64592
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General William H. Simpson. Simpson wears a olive drab service coat (with green tie) and officer pins on his lapels. He is completely bald and has brown eyes. Simpson is behind a blue background.Currently not on view
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General William H. Simpson. Simpson wears a olive drab service coat (with green tie) and officer pins on his lapels. He is completely bald and has brown eyes. Simpson is behind a blue background.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.47001
catalog number
47001
accession number
166217
A three-quarters portrait of Elbert A. Gibbs depicted as Colonel, Corps of Engineers, General Construction. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Colonel Gibbs has brown hair and glasses.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of Elbert A. Gibbs depicted as Colonel, Corps of Engineers, General Construction. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Colonel Gibbs has brown hair and glasses. He is wearing a tunic with a Sam Browne belt, and two downward chevrons on his left arm sleeve indicating he has spent a year overseas. He appears to be reading something. His collar contains two insignias: one U.S. officer insignia and the other is a castle indicating Corps of Engineers insignia. A green line is seen running down his left shoulder, possibly indicating a green cord. The rest of the arm, hand, and bottom portion of the portrait is not sketched or painted in detail. Colonel Gibbs's signature is seen on the bottom portion of the portrait.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
maker
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58075M
catalog number
58075M
accession number
203612
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of four star General Tasker H. Bliss. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Metals include: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, Spanish Campaign, Philippine Campaign, Army of Cuban Occupation, and Mexican Serivce.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of four star General Tasker H. Bliss. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Metals include: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, Spanish Campaign, Philippine Campaign, Army of Cuban Occupation, and Mexican Serivce. Bliss wears a pin with the federal insignia indicating his rank of Chief of American Section, Supreme War Council. He also wears a Sam Browne Belt, possibly a white under shirt (visable at collar), and glasses in his left pocket.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58088M
catalog number
58088M
accession number
203612
Oil on canvas. Catalogue card reads: "Road between Belleau Wood and Château Thierry as it looked on July 1, 1918 when taken by men of the Second Division." Rubble and large wooden beam in foreground.
Description
Oil on canvas. Catalogue card reads: "Road between Belleau Wood and Château Thierry as it looked on July 1, 1918 when taken by men of the Second Division." Rubble and large wooden beam in foreground. A cart on the road surrounded by destroyed buildings, including an eight ring ladder reaching a second floor on the right, in background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
depicted
1918-06-1
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.35929
catalog number
35929
accession number
104470
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Colonel A.L. Conger. Conger wears a 28th Infantry Division patch on his shoulder of his left arm sleeve and two overseas service chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Colonel A.L. Conger. Conger wears a 28th Infantry Division patch on his shoulder of his left arm sleeve and two overseas service chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve. On his collar he wears a officer pin and a collar disk shaped like a star. He also wears a Sam Browne belt.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58073M
catalog number
58073M
accession number
203612
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General Alex H. Patch. Patch wear a khaki uniform (without color insignia or stars on his shoulder loops) and a white scarf. He also wears a M1 helmet with three silver stars.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of three star General Alex H. Patch. Patch wear a khaki uniform (without color insignia or stars on his shoulder loops) and a white scarf. He also wears a M1 helmet with three silver stars. Patch is in front of a green background.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.46998
catalog number
46998
accession number
46998
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Private Burton M. Baker. Baker wears a 42nd infantry division patch on the shoulder of the left arm sleeve of his coat (possibly a M1917 overcoat or infantry raincoat). He also wears a M1917 helmet with chinstrap.Currently not on view
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Private Burton M. Baker. Baker wears a 42nd infantry division patch on the shoulder of the left arm sleeve of his coat (possibly a M1917 overcoat or infantry raincoat). He also wears a M1917 helmet with chinstrap.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58039M
catalog number
58039M
accession number
203612
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General Edgar Russel. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Medals include Spanish Campaign and Philippine Campaign. Russel wears officer pins on his collar and a Sam Browne belt.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General Edgar Russel. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Medals include Spanish Campaign and Philippine Campaign. Russel wears officer pins on his collar and a Sam Browne belt. He possibly wears a additional decoration below his service ribbons (gold/bronze 3 inches wide but no distinguishing marks). Russel is clean shaven and has white/grey hair. His signature is on the bottom left in black crayon. Catalogue card reads: Painted in France by Jos. C. Chase. Presented in 1922-31.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.37721
catalog number
37721
accession number
117218
The Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau (1801–1883) performed a sequence of experiments using soap bubbles. One investigation led him to show that when two soap bubbles join, the two exterior surfaces and the interface between the two bubbles will all be spherical segments.
Description
The Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau (1801–1883) performed a sequence of experiments using soap bubbles. One investigation led him to show that when two soap bubbles join, the two exterior surfaces and the interface between the two bubbles will all be spherical segments. Furthermore, the angles between these surfaces will be 120 degrees.
Crockett Johnson's painting illustrates this phenomenon. It also displays Plateau's study of the situation that arises when three soap bubbles meet. Plateau discovered that when three bubbles join, the centers of curvature (marked by double circles in the figure) of the three overlapping surfaces are collinear.
This painting was most likely inspired by a figure located in an article by C. Vernon Boys entitled "The Soap-bubble." James R. Newman included this essay in his book entitled The World of Mathematics (p. 900). Crockett Johnson had this publication in his personal library, and the figure in his copy is annotated.
The artist chose several pastel shades to illustrate his painting. This created a wide range of shades and tints that allows the painting to appear three-dimensional. Crockett Johnson chose to depict each sphere in its entirety, rather than showing just the exterior surfaces as Boys did. This helps the viewer visualize Plateau's experiment.
This painting was executed in oil on masonite and has a wood and chrome frame. It is #23 in the series. It was completed in 1966 and is signed: CJ66. It is marked on the back: Crockett Johnson 1966 (/) GEOMETRY OF A TRIPLE BUBBLE (/) (PLATEAU).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Plateau, Joseph
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.17
catalog number
1979.1093.17
accession number
1979.1093
Crockett Johnson's interest in regular polygons included the pentagram, or five-pointed star. The relation between the pentagon and the star is simple. If each side of a regular pentagon is extended, a regular five-pointed star results.
Description
Crockett Johnson's interest in regular polygons included the pentagram, or five-pointed star. The relation between the pentagon and the star is simple. If each side of a regular pentagon is extended, a regular five-pointed star results. Similarly, connecting each diagonal of a regular pentagon creates a regular five-pointed star. The star will have a pentagon in it, so the method is self-perpetuating.
A method for a pentagram's construction in described in Book IV, Proposition II of Euclid's Elements, but the construction illustrated in this painting is the artist's own creation. It builds on the relationship between the sides of a regular five-pointed star and the golden ratio. As Crockett Johnson may have recalled from his earlier paintings, the five rectangles that surround the central pentagon of the star are golden, that is to say the ratio of the length of the two equal sides of the triangle to the side of the enclosed pentagon is (1 + √5) / 2. Hence one can construct the star by finding a line segment divided in this ratio. No figure by Crockett Johnson showing his construction has been found.
The pentagram, executed appropriately enough in hues of gold, contrasts vividly with the purple background in Star Construction.
The painting is #103 in the series. It is in oil or acrylic on pressed wood and has a gold-colored metal frame. The painting is unsigned and undated. Compare #46 (1979.1093.33) and #64 (1979.1093.39).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970-1975
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.70
catalog number
1979.1093.70
accession number
1979.1093
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General E. A. Kreger. Kreger wears two officer and two Judge Advocate General's Department pins on his collar. He also wears glasses and a Sam Browne belt. Kreger's hair is grey.Currently not on view
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General E. A. Kreger. Kreger wears two officer and two Judge Advocate General's Department pins on his collar. He also wears glasses and a Sam Browne belt. Kreger's hair is grey.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58107M
catalog number
58107M
accession number
203612
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Sergeant Joseph H. Stowers. Stowers wears a Alabama State Letters collar disk on the collar of his tunic and two gold chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve (indicating overseas service).
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Sergeant Joseph H. Stowers. Stowers wears a Alabama State Letters collar disk on the collar of his tunic and two gold chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve (indicating overseas service). He also wears a M1917 helmet with the chinstrap worn above the rim. Stowers rests his right arm on the back of a chair. Only his head, helmet, and chevrons are filled in with color. His signature in red crayon is in the top left corner.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Associated Date
1919
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58064M
catalog number
58064M
accession number
203612
Those making mathematical instruments for surveying, navigation, or the classroom have long been interested in creating equal divisions of the circle. Ancient geometers knew how to divide a circle into 2, 3, or 5 parts, and as well as into multiples of these numbers.
Description
Those making mathematical instruments for surveying, navigation, or the classroom have long been interested in creating equal divisions of the circle. Ancient geometers knew how to divide a circle into 2, 3, or 5 parts, and as well as into multiples of these numbers. For them to draw polygons with other numbers of sides required more than a straightedge and compass.
In 1796, as an undergraduate at the University of Göttingen, Friedrich Gauss proposed a theorem severely limiting the number of regular polygons that could be constructed using ruler and compass alone. He also found a way of constructing the 17-gon.
Crockett Johnson, who himself would develop a great interest in constructing regular polygons, drew this painting to illustrate Gauss's discovery. His painting follows a somewhat later solution to the problem presented by Karl von Staudt in 1842, modified by Heinrich Schroeter in 1872, and then published by the eminent mathematician Felix Klein. Klein's detailed account was in Crockett Johnson's library, and a figure from it is heavily annotated.
This oil painting on masonite is #70 in the series. It is signed: CJ69. The back is marked: SEVENTEEN SIDES (GAUSS) (/) Crockett Johnson 1969. The painting has a black background and a wood and metal frame. There are two adjacent purple triangles in the center, with a white circle inscribed in them. The triangles have various dark gray regions, and the circle has various light gray regions and one dark gray segment. The length of the top edge of this segment is the chord of the circle corresponding to length of the side of an inscribed 17-sided regular polygon.
Reference: Felix Klein, Famous Problems of Elementary Geometry (1956), pp. 16–41, esp. 41.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
referenced
Gauss, Carl Friedrich
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.45
accession number
1979.1093
catalog number
1979.1093.45
Oil painting on illustration board. Portrait of Corporal Paul. W. Bradley. Bradley wears the 42nd Infantry Division patch on the shoulder of his left arm sleeve. He also wears three gold overseas chevrons on the bottom of his left arm sleeve.Currently not on view
Description
Oil painting on illustration board. Portrait of Corporal Paul. W. Bradley. Bradley wears the 42nd Infantry Division patch on the shoulder of his left arm sleeve. He also wears three gold overseas chevrons on the bottom of his left arm sleeve.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58041M
catalog number
58041M
accession number
203612
In the 17th century, the natural philosophers Isaac Newton and Gottfried Liebniz developed much of the general theory of the relationship between variable mathematical quantities and their rates of change (differential calculus), as well as the connection between rates of change
Description
In the 17th century, the natural philosophers Isaac Newton and Gottfried Liebniz developed much of the general theory of the relationship between variable mathematical quantities and their rates of change (differential calculus), as well as the connection between rates of change and variable quantities (integral calculus).
Newton called these rates of change "fluxions." This painting is based on a diagram from an article by H. W. Turnbull in Newman's The World of Mathematics. Here Turnbull described the change in the variable quantity y (OM) in terms of another variable quantity, x (ON). The resulting curve is represented by APT.
Crockett Johnson's painting is based loosely on these mathematical ideas. He inverted the figure from Turnbull. In his words: "The painting is an inversion of the usual textbook depiction of the method, which is one of bringing together a fixed part and a ‘moving’ part of a problem on a cartesian chart, upon which a curve then can be plotted toward ultimate solution."
The arc at the center of this painting is a circular, with a tangent line below it. The region between the arc and the tangent is painted white. Part of the tangent line is the hypotenuse of a right triangle which lies below it and is painted black. The rest of the lower part of the painting is dark purple. Above the arc is a dark purple area, above this a gray region. The painting has a wood and metal frame.
This oil painting on pressed wood is #20 in the series. It is unsigned, but inscribed on the back: Crockett Johnson 1966 (/) FLUXIONS (NEWTON).
References: James R. Newman, The World of Mathematics (1956), p. 143. This volume was in the library of Crockett Johnson. The figure on this page is annotated.
Crockett Johnson, "On the Mathematics of Geometry in My Abstract Paintings," Leonardo, 5 (1972): pp. 97–8.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Newton, Isaac
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.14
catalog number
1979.1093.14
accession number
1979.1093
Oil on thick illustration board. Portrait of Second Lieutenant Charles W. Shea. Shea wears a olive drab uniform with a blue scarf. He also wears a infantry pin on his collar and a artillery belt (which he grips with his left hand).
Description
Oil on thick illustration board. Portrait of Second Lieutenant Charles W. Shea. Shea wears a olive drab uniform with a blue scarf. He also wears a infantry pin on his collar and a artillery belt (which he grips with his left hand). Shea is clean shaven, has brown eyes, and red hair. He is in front of a white and blue background. Shea's signature in pencil is in the top right corner.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.47016
catalog number
47016
accession number
166217
Mathematicians have explored the properties of polyhedra since ancient times, but it was the Swiss scholar Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) who proved the formula V-E+F = 2. That is, for a simple convex polyhedron (e.g.
Description
Mathematicians have explored the properties of polyhedra since ancient times, but it was the Swiss scholar Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) who proved the formula V-E+F = 2. That is, for a simple convex polyhedron (e.g. one with no holes, so that it can be deformed into a sphere) the number of vertices minus the number of edges plus the number of faces is two. An equivalent formula had been presented by Descartes in an unpublished treatise on polyhedra. However, this formula was first proved and published by Euler in 1751 and bears his name.
Crockett Johnson's painting echoes a figure from a presentation of Euler's formula found in Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins's article “Topology,” which is in James R. Newman's The World the Mathematics (1956), p. 584. This book was in the artist’s library, but the figure that relates to this painting is not annotated.
To understand the painting we must understand the mathematical argument. It starts with a hexahedron, a simple, six-sided, box-shaped object. First, one face of the hexahedron is removed, and the figure is stretched so that it lies flat (imagine that the hexahedron is made of a malleable substance so that it can be stretched). While stretching the figure can change the length of the edges and the area and shape of the faces, it will not change the number of vertices, edges, or faces.
For the "stretched" figure, V-E+F = 8 - 12 + 5 = 1, so that, if the removed face is counted, the result is V-E+F = 2 for the original polyhedron. The next step is to triangulate each face (this is indicated by the diagonal lines in the third figure). If, in triangle ABC [C is not shown in Newman, though it is referred to], edge AC is removed, the number of edges and the number of faces are both reduced by one, so V-E+F is unchanged. This is done for each outer triangle.
Next, if edges DF and EF are removed from triangle DEF, then one face, one vertex, and two edges are removed as well, and V-E+F is unchanged. Again, this is done for each outer triangle. This yields a rectangle from which a right triangle is removed. Again, this will leave V-E+F unchanged. This last step will also yield a figure for which V-E+F = 3-3+1. As previously stated, if we count the removed face from the initial step, then V-E+F = 2 for the given polyhedron.
The “triangulated” diagram was the one Crockett Johnson chose to paint. Each segment of the painting is given its own color so as to indicate each step of the proof. Crockett Johnson executed the two right triangles that form the center rectangle in the most contrasting hues. This draws the viewer’s eyes to this section and thus emphasizes the finale of Euler's proof. This approach to the proof of Euler's polyhedral formula was pioneered by the French mathematician Augustin Louis Cauchy in 1813.
This oil painting on masonite is #39 in the series. It was completed in 1966 and is signed: CJ66. It is inscribed on the back: Crockett Johnson 1966 (/) POLYHEDRON FORMULA (EULER). It has a wood and chrome frame.
Reference:
David Richeson, “The Polyhedral Formula,” in Leonhard Euler: Life, Work and Legacy, editors R. E. Bradley and C. E. Sandifer (2007), pp. 431–34.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Euler, Leonhard
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.27
catalog number
1979.1093.27
accession number
1979.1093
A frontal portrait of Ferdinard Foch depicted as a Marshall, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Marshall Foch is painted with gray hair, brown eyes, and a gray moustache. He is wearing a blue uniform with a Sam Browne belt.
Description
A frontal portrait of Ferdinard Foch depicted as a Marshall, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Marshall Foch is painted with gray hair, brown eyes, and a gray moustache. He is wearing a blue uniform with a Sam Browne belt. He is wearing a watch on his left arm which is crossed in front of his chest. There are no insignia to be seen on his uniform with the exception of a two small stars on his left sleeve which might be a part of the seven stars for the Marshall rank. A small pencil sketch of Foch's face is seen on the upper left. Marshall's Foch's signature can be seen on the bottom portion of portrait in red crayon.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
depicted (sitter)
Foch, Ferdinand
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58388M
catalog number
58388M
accession number
212053
This painting reflects Crockett Johnson's enduring fascination with square roots and squaring.
Description
This painting reflects Crockett Johnson's enduring fascination with square roots and squaring. As the title suggests, it includes four squares whose areas are 1, 2, 3, and 4 square units, and seven line segments whose lengths are the square roots of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.
One may construct these squares and square roots by alternate applications of the Pythagorean theorem to squares running along the diagonal of the painting, and to rectangles running across the top (not all the rectangles are shown). More specifically, assume that the light-colored square in the upper left corner of the painting has side of length 1 (which equals the square root of 1). Then the diagonal is the square root of two, and a quarter circle with this radius centered at upper left corner cuts the sides of the square extended to determine two sides of a second, larger square. The area of this square (shown in the painting) is the square of the square root of 2, or two.
One can then consider the rectangle with side one and base square root of two that is in the upper left of the painting. It will have sides one and the square root of 2, and hence diagonal of length equal to the square root of three. The diagonal is not shown, but an circular arc with this radius forms the second arc in the painting. It determines the sides of a square with side equal to the square root of three and area 3. It also forms a rectangle with sides of length one and the square root of 4 (or two). This gives the third arc and the largest square in the painting.
By continuing the construction (further squares and rectangles are not shown), Crockett Johnson arrived at portions of circular arcs that cut the diameter at distances of the square roots of 5, 6, 7, and 8. Only one point on the last arc is shown. It is at the lower right corner of the painting.
Crockett Johnson executed the work in various shades and tints from his starting point at the white and pale-blue triangle to darker blues at the opposite corner.
This oil painting on masonite is not signed and its date of completion is unknown. It is #97 in the series.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970-1975
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.65
catalog number
1979.1093.65
accession number
1979.1093
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of two star General Clarence C. Williams.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of two star General Clarence C. Williams. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Medals: Distinguished Service Medal, Unknown Ribbon (solid red with rosette and gold star, possibly Légion d'honneur), Unknown Ribbon (bands of green, red, white, and blue, possibly American Campaign), Sampson Medal, Unknown Ribbon (yellow with two equally spaced green bands), and Atlantic ribbon. Williams wears officer and Ordnance Department insginia pins on his collar and a Sam Browne belt. He is clean shaven and has dark brown hair. Williams' signature in pencil is in the bottom left hand corner of the portrait. Catalogue card reads: Maj. Gen. Clarence C. Williams Printed in France by Jos. C. Chase. Presented in 1922-31.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.37727
catalog number
37727
accession number
117218
A three-quarters portrait of Harry C. Hale depicted as Major General commanding 26th Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hale has gray hair with gray eyes.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of Harry C. Hale depicted as Major General commanding 26th Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hale has gray hair with gray eyes. He is wearing an overcoat (trench coat) with one thick gray band on the near the edge of the sleeve and a smaller gray band above it with a star in the between. A second star might be just out of view on the top of the sleeve to indicate his rank as Major General. A shoulder patch represents the Twenty-fourth division (Yankee division). He is wearing a oversea cap with yellow lining and two stars on the upper left portion (again indicating his rank). His signature is seen on the bottom of the portrait.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1919
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
maker
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58115M
catalog number
58115M
accession number
203612

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