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.

Charcoal and ink wash sketch on paper. The sketch depicts the edge of a wooded area, with timber fortifications in the center of the scene. Hills and small houses in the background.
Description
Charcoal and ink wash sketch on paper. The sketch depicts the edge of a wooded area, with timber fortifications in the center of the scene. Hills and small houses in the background. Belleau Wood was the scene of intense fighting between Allied soldiers and the German Army towards the end of the First World War.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26028
catalog number
26028
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1870-1900
ID Number
CL.65.0997
catalog number
65.0997
accession number
256396
Made of painted wood. Very little trace of original paint. Small standing figure holding a box of cigars, right hand pointing to label. Large curving feathered headdres, simple tunic with a curled collar carved in a baroque style. Banded sleves and fringed trousers.
Description (Brief)
Made of painted wood. Very little trace of original paint. Small standing figure holding a box of cigars, right hand pointing to label. Large curving feathered headdres, simple tunic with a curled collar carved in a baroque style. Banded sleves and fringed trousers. Legs cut into the log support.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
CL.65.1003
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.1003
collector/donor number
T-42
Made of stained wood with some paint. Smal, dark-skinned figure holding a pipe in right hand and a bundle of tobacco leaves in the left. Feather headress, feather skirt, and beads around neck.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Made of stained wood with some paint. Smal, dark-skinned figure holding a pipe in right hand and a bundle of tobacco leaves in the left. Feather headress, feather skirt, and beads around neck.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th to early 19th century
ID Number
CL.65.1002
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.1002
collector/donor number
T-20
Made of carved wood with traces of paint. Standing figure, right hand holds a bundle of cigars. Figure is wearing a simplified, short-sleeved tunic, fringed trousers. Behind figure are stacked tobacco boxes. Simplified banded headdress.
Description (Brief)
Made of carved wood with traces of paint. Standing figure, right hand holds a bundle of cigars. Figure is wearing a simplified, short-sleeved tunic, fringed trousers. Behind figure are stacked tobacco boxes. Simplified banded headdress. Sheaf of tobacco leaves in left hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
CL.65.1001
catalog number
65.1001
accession number
261195
collector/donor number
T-43
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on brown paper mounted on a white matte paper sealed in the front with a glass sheet and backed by a plastic sheet wrapped in plastic wrap. The scene is of a railhead dump at Menil-la-Tour.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on brown paper mounted on a white matte paper sealed in the front with a glass sheet and backed by a plastic sheet wrapped in plastic wrap. The scene is of a railhead dump at Menil-la-Tour. Approximately nine men wearing blue, possibly French, are seen in the sketch all over the picture. Seven men are working around a tall pile of baled hay seen in the center of the sketch. Another two men are working on the right side, dragging a sheet. Several tall covered piles are seen besides the hay pile. Two flat cars are seen on the rails. Trash is seen in on the right side behind a lone tree. Behind the trash is a building.
The sketch is mostly colored, but it is not entirely sketched. The sky is colored blue. The tree and the grass are painted green. Other colors include light blue, red, and brown/pink for the ground.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26058
catalog number
26058
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26059
catalog number
26059
accession number
64592
Pencil and ink wash sketch on paper. In the foreground, a damaged bridge extends halfway across a river. Soldiers in the river are repairing the bridge. In the background, buildings line the far bank of the river.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil and ink wash sketch on paper. In the foreground, a damaged bridge extends halfway across a river. Soldiers in the river are repairing the bridge. In the background, buildings line the far bank of the river.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25876
catalog number
25876
accession number
64592
In the nineteenth century, volunteer fire companies often commissioned paintings to decorate their hand-pumped fire engines for parades, competitions, and community events.
Description
In the nineteenth century, volunteer fire companies often commissioned paintings to decorate their hand-pumped fire engines for parades, competitions, and community events. Sometimes framed with elaborate carvings, they adorned the tall air chamber located at the middle or rear of a pumper. The paintings would often feature patriotic, heroic, or allegorical images to associate the volunteer companies with these lofty ideals.
The knight pictured is Saint Florian, who is associated with protection from the destructive forces of fire and water. Florian was a Roman guard under Emperor Diocletian who converted to Christianity. He was drowned when he refused to follow the order to persecute fellow Christians. The painting depicts Florian in his Roman garb putting out a fire with a single bucket of water, a common motif in depictions of the saint.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0323
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0323
Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station. Behind them, there are barbed wire fences, and more American soldiers (one of which is one a horse). In the distant background, destroyed structures and fields are visible. Two barrage balloons and two clouds of smoke are floating in the sky above the scene.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09-13
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26004
catalog number
26004
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1875-1900
c.1875-1900
maker
Gillinder & Sons
ID Number
1986.0446.0070
accession number
1986.0446
catalog number
1986.446.70
A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Field Number One at Issoudun, France. The busy airfield depicted here was part of a large training complex for the U.S. Air Service during World War I.Currently not on view
Description
A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Field Number One at Issoudun, France. The busy airfield depicted here was part of a large training complex for the U.S. Air Service during World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-08
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25984
catalog number
25984
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1901
ID Number
CE.75.121
catalog number
75.121
accession number
317832
A charcoal and watercolor color sketch on paper of Andilly, France. The sketch depicts a tree-lined canal and a few buildings lining the left side of the canal. A man in the center of the drawing is carrying a bucket in each hand.Currently not on view
Description
A charcoal and watercolor color sketch on paper of Andilly, France. The sketch depicts a tree-lined canal and a few buildings lining the left side of the canal. A man in the center of the drawing is carrying a bucket in each hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25905
catalog number
25905
accession number
64592
A color drawing that is slightly painted on gray paper mounted on brown card frame. The scene is of a night time attempt to conceal a motor train (presumably stopped) by hiding the motors in the trees and using tree branches.
Description
A color drawing that is slightly painted on gray paper mounted on brown card frame. The scene is of a night time attempt to conceal a motor train (presumably stopped) by hiding the motors in the trees and using tree branches. The train is seen to the right along a row of trees heading deep into the background. A road is to the left of the train, and two soldiers are seen deep in the road bringing branches to the train. To the left is a small steppe indicating that the road is in a ditch.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
June 1918
1918-06
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25973
catalog number
25973
accession number
64592
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
Early 1900s
date made
1903-1907
maker
Pewabic Pottery
ID Number
CE.379639
catalog number
379639
accession number
150313
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a cemetery with American graves at Ménil-la-Tour, France during World War I. There are several rows of graves, each marked with a cross.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on beige paper. The work depicts a cemetery with American graves at Ménil-la-Tour, France during World War I. There are several rows of graves, each marked with a cross. The graves have small mounds of earth in front of them and wreaths and American flags are sketched on most of the mounds. A barbed wire fence borders the cemetery in the left of the drawing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25914
catalog number
25914
accession number
64592
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. The sketch depicts a small village in France where American soldiers were billeted during World War I.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. The sketch depicts a small village in France where American soldiers were billeted during World War I. The Marne river, seen here in the right background, was
the line a German offensive in the spring and summer of 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25944
catalog number
25944
accession number
64592
Pencil and watercolor color sketch on paper. The work depicts the French village of Ménil-la-Tour during World War I. Soldiers, trucks, and horses populate the scene; a church steeple rises in the background.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil and watercolor color sketch on paper. The work depicts the French village of Ménil-la-Tour during World War I. Soldiers, trucks, and horses populate the scene; a church steeple rises in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25916
catalog number
25916
accession number
64592
The main surface of this large sperm whale tooth is etched with the famous scene of Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas 1776 into New Jersey.
Description
The main surface of this large sperm whale tooth is etched with the famous scene of Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas 1776 into New Jersey. The river was filled with ice, and the rowers had to push it out of their way to get across the river in their heavy, flat-bottom Durham cargo boats. In all, Washington transported ca. 2,400 troops across the Delaware that day. After crossing, they marched nine miles to Trenton, NJ, where they surprised and conquered the British Hessian troops.
The absence of any pinholes indicates that the artist of this piece carved it freehand, but its subject indicates that the artist had a good look at the many images of the famous scene before he began carving. The back of the tooth is smoothed but uncarved, with a large piece missing from the bottom edge.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 19th century
ID Number
DL.374497
catalog number
374497
accession number
136263
A drawing in pencil signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stampCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
A drawing in pencil signed “C. Schuessele” in purplish ink with what might be a stamp
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
original artist
Schussele, Christian
ID Number
GA.16631
catalog number
16631
accession number
119780
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Sketch shows the ruins of a village on a hill. Smith calls this village "No Man's Land." There are two soldiers at the top of the hill. The street has multiple holes from shell fire.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Sketch shows the ruins of a village on a hill. Smith calls this village "No Man's Land." There are two soldiers at the top of the hill. The street has multiple holes from shell fire. The buildings have all been destroyed and are now without roofs and walls. Telephone pole at left.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26016
catalog number
26016
accession number
64592
Charcoal on white paper. Sketch showing a devastated shell torn village. There is a demolished bridge in the foreground and two destroyed buildings in the background.
Description
Charcoal on white paper. Sketch showing a devastated shell torn village. There is a demolished bridge in the foreground and two destroyed buildings in the background. Cracked wooden beams, chunks of concrete, and other debris are scattered throughout the sketch.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26133
catalog number
26133
accession number
64592
A pencil, charcoal, and watercolor sketch on paper of a billet at Rangeval, France. The scene is of the top floor of a stable where the soldiers are quartered.
Description
A pencil, charcoal, and watercolor sketch on paper of a billet at Rangeval, France. The scene is of the top floor of a stable where the soldiers are quartered. Several soldiers are at the far end of the loft.
An original label for the sketch read, "This shows the hay loft of a huge stable. The men arrange their bunks in the straw and along the wall. The great shell hole in the roof (the result of former fighting) admits light and air and especially rain. But those men whose beds are exposed to the elements have stretched their ponchos tent-fashion and are enjoying a sort of inside-out existence."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-05
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25907
catalog number
25907
accession number
64592

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.