Art

Panorama of the Army of the Cumberland

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.

Place: Washington

Engraved woodblock of a "Bird's-eye view of the Grand Canyon"

This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bird’s-eye view of the Grand Canyon" was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as as Figure 72 (p.187) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0467
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0467

Engraved woodblock of "Bringing down the batten"

This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Bringing down the batten” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXVIII (p.390) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
Powell, John Wesley
block maker
A. P. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1365
catalog number
1980.0219.1365
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals"

This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Weaving diamond-shaped diagonals” was prepared, after a photograph, by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate XXXV (p.380) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Matthews, Washington
block maker
W. T. & B.
ID Number
1980.0219.1359
catalog number
1980.0219.1359
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "Climbing the Grand Canyon"

This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Climbing the Grand Canyon” was prepared by F. S. King and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 on page 98 of John Wesley Powell's Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Thomas Moran (1837-1926) was the original artist.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
original artist
Moran, Thomas
graphic artist
King, Francis Scott
maker
V. W. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.0474
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0474

Engraved woodblock of a "Bottle with geometric figures"

This engraved woodblock of a “Bottle with geometric figures” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 166 (p.116) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colo
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Bottle with geometric figures” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 166 (p.116) in an article by William Henry Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colombia” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
graphic artist
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.1061
catalog number
1980.0219.1061
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "Basket with pendants"

This engraved woodblock of “Basket with pendants” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C; the print was published as Figure 313 (p.213) in an article by William H.
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Basket with pendants” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C; the print was published as Figure 313 (p.213) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “A Study of the Textile Art in its Relation to the Development of Form and Ornament” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.0504
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0504

Engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket"

This engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket" was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 53 (p.387) in an article by Dr.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a "Navajo blanket" was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 53 (p.387) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “Navajo Weavers” in the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1881-82.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
block maker
W. T. & B.
author
Matthews, Washington
ID Number
1980.0219.1180
catalog number
1980.0219.1180
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of a "House-burial"

This engraved woodblock of a “House-burial” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887); the print was published by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. in 1881 as Figure 27 (p. 175) in an article by Dr. H. C.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “House-burial” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887); the print was published by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. in 1881 as Figure 27 (p. 175) in an article by Dr. H. C. Yarrow (1840-1929) entitled “Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians” in the First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1879-80.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1881
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
author
Yarrow, Harry Crecy
ID Number
1980.0219.0084
catalog number
1980.0219.0084
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos

This engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos was engraved and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.Currently not on view
Description
This engraved woodblock of hilltop pueblos was engraved and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
block maker
A. P. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1813
catalog number
1980.0219.1813
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of "The Warrior and his Bride"

This engraved woodblock of “The Warrior and his Bride” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 15 (p.44) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and I
Description
This engraved woodblock of “The Warrior and his Bride” was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1875 as Figure 15 (p.44) in Report of the Exploration of the Colorado River of the West and Its Tributaries. Explored in 1869, 1870, 1871, and 1872, under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution by John Wesley Powell (1834-1902).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875
1875
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Powell, John Wesley
graphic artist
Nichols, H. H.
ID Number
1980.0219.0465
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0465

Douglas & Stanton Hospitals, Washington, D.C.

The Douglas and Stanton hospitals, two of about 25 hospitals opened in the Capital and Alexandria to care for wounded Union soldiers, were located at I and 2nd Streets and opened in early 1862.
Description
The Douglas and Stanton hospitals, two of about 25 hospitals opened in the Capital and Alexandria to care for wounded Union soldiers, were located at I and 2nd Streets and opened in early 1862. “Douglas Row,” composed of the three large brick houses near the center of the print, was constructed in 1856-1857 through an investment by Senator Stephen Douglas, the Northern Democratic candidate who ran against Lincoln in the 1860 Election. Upon its completion, Douglas and his wife moved into one of the homes, and Senator Henry Rice of Minnesota and Vice President John C. Breckinridge purchased the others. Douglas died shortly after the outbreak of war, and his widow, Adele, and Senator Rice offered their homes to the government for use as a military hospital. The government accepted and also seized the home of Breckinridge, who had become a major general in the Confederate Army. Stanton Hospital was erected in the vacant square outside of Douglas Row and was named after Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
Washington D.C. hospitals were supported by the United States Sanitary Commission, a relief agency approved by the War Department on June 18, 1861 to provide assistance to sick, wounded, and travelling Union soldiers. Nurses and inspectors belonging to commission provided suggestions that helped to reform the U.S. Army Medical Bureau. Although the leaders of the Commission were men, the agency depended on thousands of women, who collected donations, volunteered as nurses in hospitals, and offered assistance at rest stations and refreshment saloons. They also sponsored Sanitary Fairs in Northern cities, raising millions of dollars used to send food, clothing, and medicine to Union soldiers.
Charles Magnus (1826-1900) was born Julian Carl Magnus in Germany and immigrated with his family to New York City sometime between 1848 and 1850. During the 1850s, he learned the printing business while working with his brother on a German language weekly newspaper, the Deutsche Schnellpost. He later began his own lithographer firm, producing city views and commercial letterhead designs. During the Civil War, he designed pro-Union envelopes and illustrated song sheets. The firm’s Washington, D.C. branch also produced small, hand-colored scenes of Union camps and hospitals. Soldiers purchased these picturesque scenes of camp life to send home to calm the worries of anxious family members.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1864
maker
Magnus, Charles
ID Number
DL.60.3740
catalog number
60.3740

Engraved woodblock of three individuals, two on horses and one standing

This engraved woodblock of three American Indians, two on horseback and one standing, was engraved by F. S. King and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.Currently not on view
Description
This engraved woodblock of three American Indians, two on horseback and one standing, was engraved by F. S. King and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
block maker
V. W. & Co.
graphic artist
King, Francis Scott
ID Number
1980.0219.1242
catalog number
1980.0219.1242
accession number
1980.0219

Scrubbing the Side

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1939
graphic artist
Chong, Fay
ID Number
GA.17547
catalog number
17547
accession number
159,237

Loco Foco Expresses, Arriving at Washington

In this 1838 caricature, President Martin Van Buren welcomes friends who are members of the Loco Foco party to the White House.
Description (Brief)
In this 1838 caricature, President Martin Van Buren welcomes friends who are members of the Loco Foco party to the White House. The Loco Foco party was an offshoot of the Democratic Party focused on abolishing any antidemocratic and elitist financial policies and disbanding the National Bank. They were originally called the Equal Rights Party, but they became known as the Loco Foco party after Tammany Hall Democrats turned out the gas lights at their nominating convention, forcing them to light their meeting using loco foco matches. The Loco Foco Party never became a national party, and they were often mocked within the Democratic Party and by their opponents. Martin Van Buren calls his Loco Foco visitors dear “old friends,” an illusion to his long standing opposition to the National Bank that he shared with Loco Foco Democrats. On the wall behind Van Buren and the unidentified Loco Foco party member, is a portrait of esteemed journalist, presidential advisor, and Washington Globe editor, Francis Preston Blair. Blair was instrumental in creating Democratic propaganda for Andrew Jackson, so his presence on the wall foreshadows Van Buren’s future decision to satisfy the Loco Foco desire for a treasury completely separate from the federal government via the Independent Treasury Act of July 4th, 1840.
The lithographer of this print is Henry R. Robinson (1827-1877). Robinson worked in New York, and had a store to sell his prints. In 1842, he was arrested for selling obscene pictures and books leading to the September 28, 1842 court case, People vs H. R. Robinson found in the District Attorney Indictment Papers, Municipal Archives. He was politically affiliated with the anti-Jackson Whig party which was made obvious by the wig silhouette used in 1838 as an advertising logo for his shop.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1838
depicted
Van Buren, Martin
Marcy, William L.
Cambreleng, Churchill C.
maker
Robinson, Henry R.
ID Number
DL.60.3332
catalog number
60.3332

Engraved woodblock of a "Basket with pendant buckskin"

This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H.
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Basket with pendant buckskin” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 312 (p.213) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “A Study of the Textile Art in its Relation to the Development of Form and Ornament” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Holmes, William Henry
ID Number
1980.0219.0850
catalog number
1980.0219.0850
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of an "Eskimo child's clothing"

This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Eskimo child’s clothing” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Figure 512 (p.557) in an article by Franz Boas (1858-1942) entitled “The Central Eskimo” in the Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian,1884-85.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1888
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Boas, Franz
ID Number
1980.0219.0477
accession number
1980.0219
catalog number
1980.0219.0477

Seed Wreath

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1850
ID Number
DL.67.0442
catalog number
67.0442
accession number
270017

Smithsonian Spectacular II

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1991
1992
artist
Huff, Laura Weaver
ID Number
1991.0783.14
catalog number
1991.0783.14
accession number
1991.0783
catalog number
1991.783.14

Untitled (Two hunters)

Colored print of two hunters. The one dressed in specialized hunting gear and without game is holding his double barreled rifle out to the other hunter who is dressed in plain work clothes and carries a single barrel rifle as well as a lot of game.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two hunters. The one dressed in specialized hunting gear and without game is holding his double barreled rifle out to the other hunter who is dressed in plain work clothes and carries a single barrel rifle as well as a lot of game.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1880
maker
Earle, L. C.
ID Number
DL.60.2679
catalog number
60.2679
accession number
228146

Electrotype of "Hu'petha"

This electrotype of “Hu’petha” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 28 (p.163) in an article by Alice C.
Description
This electrotype of “Hu’petha” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate 28 (p.163) in an article by Alice C. Fletcher (1838-1923) and Francis La Flesche (1857-1932) entitled “The Omaha Tribe” in the Twenty-Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1905-1906.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1911
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Flecher, Alice C.
LaFlesche, Francis
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
ID Number
2000.0207.066
catalog number
2000.0207.066
accession number
2000.0207

Engraved woodblock of a "Scalloped shell disk"

This engraved woodblock of a “Scalloped shell disk” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate LIV (p.274) in an article by William Henry Holmes (18461933) entitled “Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans” in the Second Ann
Description
This engraved woodblock of a “Scalloped shell disk” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate LIV (p.274) in an article by William Henry Holmes (18461933) entitled “Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans” in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1880-81. The disk was found in Nashville, Tennessee by Major John Wesley Powell. In a footnote to his article, Holmes identifies “Kate C. Osgood” as an accompanying artist on this expedition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
author
Holmes, William Henry
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
ID Number
1980.0219.1274
catalog number
1980.0219.1274
accession number
1980.0219

Hair Flowers

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1855 - 1885
ID Number
DL.022467.0001E
catalog number
022467.0001E
accession number
22467

Engraved woodblock of hand signs for the letters 'S' through 'Y'

This engraved woodblock shows hand signs for the letters "S" through "Y." The illustration was used in a publication relating to the gesture-signs and signals of the North American Indians by Garrick Mallery; it was prepared and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washin
Description
This engraved woodblock shows hand signs for the letters "S" through "Y." The illustration was used in a publication relating to the gesture-signs and signals of the North American Indians by Garrick Mallery; it was prepared and printed by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
Government Printing Office
author
Mallery, Garrick
block maker
Grottenthaler, V.
ID Number
1980.0219.1368
catalog number
1980.0219.1368
accession number
1980.0219

Engraved woodblock of the "Earliest map showing the location of the Cherokees, 1597"

This engraved woodblock of the “Earliest map showing [the] location of the Cherokees, 1597” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate VII (p.128) in an article by Charles Royce (1845-1923) entitled “The Cherokee Nation of
Description
This engraved woodblock of the “Earliest map showing [the] location of the Cherokees, 1597” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the image was published as Plate VII (p.128) in an article by Charles Royce (1845-1923) entitled “The Cherokee Nation of Indians: a narrative of their official relations with the colonial and federal governments” in the Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1883-84.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1887
publisher
Government Printing Office
Bureau of American Ethnology
printer
U.S. Government Printing Office
author
Royce, Charles C.
block maker
J. J. & Co.
ID Number
1980.0219.1531
catalog number
1980.0219.1531
accession number
1980.0219

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