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.

Resource Type: Paintings

Alex McCarrell Patch

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

Painting - Curve Tangents (Fermat)

The French lawyer and mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601–1665) was one of the first to develop a systematic way to find the straight line which best approximates a curve at any point. This line is called the tangent line.
Description
The French lawyer and mathematician Pierre de Fermat (1601–1665) was one of the first to develop a systematic way to find the straight line which best approximates a curve at any point. This line is called the tangent line. This painting shows a curve with two horizontal tangent lines. Assuming that the curve is plotted against a horizontal axis, one line passes through a maximum of a curve, the other through a minimum. An article by H. W. Turnbull, "The Great Mathematicians," published in The World of Mathematics by James R. Newman, emphasized how Fermat's method might be applied to find maximum and minimum values of a curve plotted above a horizontal line (see his figures 14 and 16). Crockett Johnson owned and read the book, and annotated the first figure. The second figure more closely resembles the painting.
Computing the maximum and minimum value of functions by finding tangents became a standard technique of the differential calculus developed by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz later in the 17th century.
Curve Tangents is painting #12 in the Crockett Johnson series. It was executed in oil on masonite, completed in 1966, and is signed: CJ66. The painting has a wood and metal frame.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Fermat, Pierre de
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.07
catalog number
1979.1093.07
accession number
1979.1093

Alexander Day Surles

European-African Middle Eastern Campaign, Order of Abdon Calderón, Gold Medal for Distinguished Service Medal (El Salvador), WWI Victory, and a Unknown Ribbon (solid light blue possibly Order of the Elephant).
Description
European-African Middle Eastern Campaign, Order of Abdon Calderón, Gold Medal for Distinguished Service Medal (El Salvador), WWI Victory, and a Unknown Ribbon (solid light blue possibly Order of the Elephant). Surles wears a khaki service coat with officer pins on his label and possibly a green and gold cord below his right breast pocket. He has grey hair and blue eyes. Surles signature is at the bottom right corner of the portrait.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.47005
catalog number
47005
accession number
166217

Edward McGlachlin

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of two star General Edward McGlachlin. Army Service Ribbon for Decorations and Medals include the Sampson Medal. McClachlin wears a officer's pin on his collar and a 1st Infantry Division insignia patch on the shoulder of his left arm sleeve.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of two star General Edward McGlachlin. Army Service Ribbon for Decorations and Medals include the Sampson Medal. McClachlin wears a officer's pin on his collar and a 1st Infantry Division insignia patch on the shoulder of his left arm sleeve. He also wears a Sam Browne belt.
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.58100M
catalog number
58100M
accession number
203612

Painting - Problem of Delos Constructed from a Solution by Isaac Newton (Arithmetica Universalis)

Two paintings in the Crockett Johnson collection concern the ancient problem of doubling the volume of a given cube, or the problem of Delos.
Description
Two paintings in the Crockett Johnson collection concern the ancient problem of doubling the volume of a given cube, or the problem of Delos. Crockett Johnson wrote of this problem: "Plutarch mentions it, crediting as his source a now lost version of the legend written by the third century BC Alexandrian Greek astronomer Eratosthenes, who first measured the size of the Earth. Suffering from plague, Athens sent a delegation to Delos, Apollo’s birthplace, to consult its oracle. The oracle’s instruction to the Athenians, to double the size of their cubical altar stone, presented an impossible problem. . . ."(p. 99). Hence the reference to the problem of Delos in the title of the painting.
Isaac Newton suggested a solution to the problem in his book Arithmetica Universalis, first published in 1707. His construction served as the basis of the painting. Newton’s figure, as redrawn by Crockett Johnson, begins with a base (OA), bisected at a point (B), with an equilateral triangle (OCB) constructed on one of the halves of the base. Newton then extended the sides of this triangle through one vertex. Placing a marked straightedge at one end of the base (O), he rotated the rule so that the distance between the two lines extended equaled the sides of the triangle (in the figure, DE = OB = BA = OC = BC). If these line segments are of length one, one can show that the line segment OD is of length equal to the cube root of two, as desired.
In Crockett Johnson’s painting, the line OA slants across the bottom and the line ODE is vertical on the left. The four squares drawn from the upper left corner (point E) have sides of length 1, the cube root of 2, the cube root of 4, and two. The distance DE (1) represents the edge of the side and the volume of a unit cube, while the sides of three larger squares represent the edge (the cube root of 2), the side (the square of the cube root of 2) and the volume (the cube of the cube root of two) of the doubled cube.
This oil painting on masonite is #56 in the series and dates from 1970. The work is signed: CJ70. It is inscribed on the back: PROBLEM OF DELOS (/) CONSTRUCTED FROM A SOLUTION BY (/) ISAAC NEWTON (ARITHMETICA UNIVERSALIS) (/) Crockett Johnson 1970. The painting has a wood and metal frame. For related documentation see 1979.3083.04.06. See also painting number 85 (1979.1093.55), with the references given there.
Reference: Crockett Johnson, “On the Mathematics of Geometry in My Abstract Paintings,” Leonardo 5 (1972): pp. 98–9.
date made
1970
referenced
Newton, Isaac
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.36
catalog number
1979.1093.36
accession number
1979.1093

Fox Conner

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General Fox Conner. Conner wears a Sam Browne belt and a unknown collar disk. He possibly has a black pen in his left breast pocket.Currently not on view
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of one star General Fox Conner. Conner wears a Sam Browne belt and a unknown collar disk. He possibly has a black pen in his left breast 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.58087M
catalog number
58087M
accession number
203612

Painting - Polar Line of a Point and a Circle (Apollonius)

In 1966, Crockett Johnson carefully read Nathan A. Court's book College Geometry, selecting diagrams that he thought would be suitable for paintings. In the chapter on harmonic division, he annotated several figures that relate to this painting.
Description
In 1966, Crockett Johnson carefully read Nathan A. Court's book College Geometry, selecting diagrams that he thought would be suitable for paintings. In the chapter on harmonic division, he annotated several figures that relate to this painting. The work shows two orthoganol circles, that is to say two circles in which the square of the line of centers equals the sum of the squares of the radii. A right triangle formed by the line of centers and two radii that intersect is shown. The small right triangle in light purple in the painting is this triangle.
Crockett Johnson's painting combines a drawing of this triangle with a more complex figure used in a discussion of further properties of lines drawn in orthoganal circles. In particular, suppose that one draws a line segment from a point outside a circle that intersects it in two points, and selects a fourth point on the line that divides the segment harmonically. For a single exterior point, all these such points lie on a single line, perpendicular to the line of centers of the two circles, which is called the polar line.
The painting is #38 in the series. It has a background in two shades of cream, and a light tan wooden frame. It shows two circles that overlap slightly and have various sections. The circles are in shades of blue, purple and cream. The painting is signed: CJ66.
References: Nathan A. Court, College Geometry (1964 printing), p. 175–78. This volume was in Crockett Johnson's library.
T. L. Heath, ed., Apollonius of Perga: Treatise on Conic Sections (1961 reprint). This volume was not in Crockett Johnson's library.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Apollonius of Perga
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.26
catalog number
1979.1093.26
accession number
1979.1093

Painting - Homothetic Triangles (Hippocrates of Chios)

Two polygons are said to be homothetic if they are similar and their corresponding sides are parallel.
Description
Two polygons are said to be homothetic if they are similar and their corresponding sides are parallel. If two polygons are homothetic, then the lines joining their corresponding vertices meet at a point.
The diagram on which this painting is based is intended to illustrate the homothetic nature of two polygons ABCDE . . . and A'B'C'D'E' . . . From the title, it appears that Crockett Johnson wished to call attention of homothetic triangular pairs ABS and A'B'S, BCS and B'C'S, CDS and C'D'S, DES and D'E'S, etc. The painting follows a diagram that appears in Nathan A. Court's College Geometry (1964 printing). Court's diagram suggests how one constructs a polygon homothetic to a given polygon. Hippocrates of Chios, the foremost mathematician of the fifth century BC, knew of similarity properties, but there is no evidence that he dealt with the concept of homothecy.
To illustrate his figure, the artist chose four colors; red, yellow, teal, and purple. He used one tint and one shade of each of these four colors. The larger polygon is painted in tints while the smaller polygon is painted in shades. The progression of the colors follows the order of the color wheel, and the black background enhances the vibrancy of the painting.
Homothetic Triangles, painting #17 in the Crockett Johnson series, is painted in oil on masonite. The work was completed in 1966 and is signed: CJ66. It is inscribed on the back: Crockett Johnson 1966 (/) HOMOTHETIC TRIANGLES (/) (HIPPOCRATES OF CHIOS). It has a black wooden frame.
References: Court, Nathan A., College Geometry, (1964 printing), 38-9.
van der Waarden, B. L., Science Awakening (1954 printing), 131-136.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Hippocrates of Chios
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.11
catalog number
1979.1093.11
accession number
1979.1093

Oil Painting of the Steamship CITY OF SYDNEY, 1877

The painting depicts the CITY OF SYDNEY in the harbor at Venice, Italy. It is signed “Stuart 4.77” in the lower left corner.
Description
The painting depicts the CITY OF SYDNEY in the harbor at Venice, Italy. It is signed “Stuart 4.77” in the lower left corner. This is almost certainly Scottish-American marine artist and physician Alexander Charles Stuart (1831-1898), who lived and worked in Chester, Pennsylvania. The painting has a hole in the lower left quadrant, with some loss of canvas.
The steamship CITY OF SYDNEY was built in 1875 by John Roach & Sons at Chester, Pennsylvania under contract to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company (PMSC). The PMSC had successfully bid on a United States mail contract between California, Australia and New Zealand, and this vessel was one of a trio of ships built specifically for this service out of San Francisco. The CITY OF SYDNEY was a combined passenger and cargo ship, measuring 339 ft. in length, 40-1/4 ft. in beam and 3,019 tons. It had an advanced compound steam engine for propulsion. After the mail contract with the PMSC expired, the vessel transported cargo and passengers between San Francisco and Panama. It was sold in 1916 to the Bristol Bay Packing Company and converted to a six-masted barkentine for trade to Alaska. In 1919, it was reported traveling again to Australia but was later abandoned and burned for scrap metal in 1930.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1875
ID Number
TR.160080
accession number
193224
catalog number
160080

George W. Puryear

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of First Lieutenant George W. Puryear. Puryear wears Army officer's insignia of a First Lieutenant on his shoulder loops and overseas cap. He also wears officer and a Air Corps pins on his collar and a Sam Browne belt.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of First Lieutenant George W. Puryear. Puryear wears Army officer's insignia of a First Lieutenant on his shoulder loops and overseas cap. He also wears officer and a Air Corps pins on his collar and a Sam Browne belt. Puryear's left breast pocket is painted exceptionally dark for Chase, possibly a crude depication of a army aviation badge. 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.37720
catalog number
37720
accession number
117218

Painting - Rectangles of Equal Area (Pythagoras)

Crockett Johnson used a wide range of geometrical constructions as the basis for his paintings.
Description
Crockett Johnson used a wide range of geometrical constructions as the basis for his paintings. This painting is based on a method of constructing a rectangle equal in area to a given rectangle, given one side of the rectangle to be constructed.
In the painting, suppose that the cream-colored rectangle on the bottom left is given, as well as a line segment extending from the upper right corner of it. Construct the small triangle on the upper left. Draw the three horizontal lines shown, as well as the diagonal of the rectangle constructed. Extend this diagonal until it meets the bottom line, creating another triangle. The length of the base of this triangle will be the side of the rectangle desired. This rectangle is on the upper right in the painting.
This construction has been associated with the ancient Pythagoreans. Crockett Johnson may well have learned it from Evans G. Valens, The Number of Things. The drawing on page 121 of this book is annotated, although the annotations are faint.
The oil painting is #48 in the series. It has a black background and a black wooden frame, with the two equal triangles in light shades. The painting is signed on the front: CJ69. It is signed on the back: RECTANGLES OF EQUAL AREA (/) (PYTHAGORAS) (/) Crockett Johnson 1969.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1969
referenced
Pythagoras
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.34
catalog number
1979.1093.34
accession number
1979.1093

Dougald E. Ferguson

A three-quarters portrait of Dougald Ferguson depicted as Sergeant, Machine Gun Company, 126th Infantry, 32nd Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Sergeant Ferguson has brown hair, blue eyes, and a small brown moustache.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of Dougald Ferguson depicted as Sergeant, Machine Gun Company, 126th Infantry, 32nd Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Sergeant Ferguson has brown hair, blue eyes, and a small brown moustache. He is wearing a brown tunic with his M1917 green helmet behind his back and a belt. The Distinguished Service Cross medal is pinned on his left chest. A collar insignia is seen, but it is not very detailed and difficult to discern what it is. The Sergeant's signature is seen on the bottom in red crayon.
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.58050M
catalog number
58050M
accession number
203612

Painting of the Champlain

Champlain was built in 1834 in New York by an unknown builder and measured 131.10 ft. long and 624.46 tons. The ship was owned by W. Platt, H.F. Hollingshead and others of Philadelphia. W.
Description
Champlain was built in 1834 in New York by an unknown builder and measured 131.10 ft. long and 624.46 tons. The ship was owned by W. Platt, H.F. Hollingshead and others of Philadelphia. W. Platt was the father of the 8th president of the Insurance Company of North America, Charles Platt, and great uncle of the 11th president, John Osgood Platt. The ship was regularly involved in the tea trade between Philadelphia and China, at one point captioned by Caption A.A. Ritchie. The painting is a windward view of the Champlain where the ship is tipped away from the viewer, which is unusual. The ship is displayed in Liverpool harbor, with a lighthouse and fortress (Perch Rock Fort) to the right of the ship. Two pillars in the background are Bootle landmarks, used for navigation. The painting was hung in a specially designed molding in the office of the President of the Insurance Company of North America from 1925 when the company was founded until 1991.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1836
maker
Walters, Samuel
ID Number
2005.0279.020
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.020

Thomas A. Fallow

A frontal portrait of Thomas A. Fallow depicted as Captain, 107th Infantry, 42nd Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Captain Fallow has brown hair, brown eyes, a brown moustache and is wearing a tunic with a Sam Browne belt.
Description
A frontal portrait of Thomas A. Fallow depicted as Captain, 107th Infantry, 42nd Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Captain Fallow has brown hair, brown eyes, a brown moustache and is wearing a tunic with a Sam Browne belt. On his left collar, he has U.S. officer insignia and next to it, two rifles crossed with 167 above the rifles indicating the 167th Infantry Regiment. A single military ribbon is seen on the left chest indicating the Distinguished Service Cross and. Two silver bars are seen on his shoulder sleeve indicating his rank as Captain and a red, yellow, blue rainbow is seen on the shoulder patch indicating the 42nd Division. Captain Fallow's signature can be seen on the bottom portion of the portrait. The bottom portion of the portrait is not sketched or painted with great detail.
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.58070M
catalog number
58070M
accession number
203612

Painting - Bouquet of Triangle Theorems (Euclid)

The mathematician Euclid lived around 300 BC, probably in Alexandria in what is now Egypt. Like most western scholars of his day, he wrote in Greek. Euclid prepared an introduction to mathematics known as The Elements.
Description
The mathematician Euclid lived around 300 BC, probably in Alexandria in what is now Egypt. Like most western scholars of his day, he wrote in Greek. Euclid prepared an introduction to mathematics known as The Elements. It was an eminently successful text, to the extent that most of the works he drew on are now lost. Translations of parts of The Elements were used in geometry teaching well into the nineteenth century in both Europe and the United States.
Euclid and other Greek geometers sought to prove theorems from basic definitions, postulates, and previously proven theorems. The book examined properties of triangles, circles, and more complex geometric figures. Euclid's emphasis on axiomatic structure became characteristic of much later mathematics, even though some of his postulates and proofs proved inadequate.
To honor Euclid's work, Crockett Johnson presented not a single mathematical result, but what he called a bouquet of triangular theorems. He did not state precisely which theorems relating to triangles he intended to illustrate in his painting, and preliminary drawings apparently have not survived. At the time, he was studying and carefully annotating Nathan A. Court's book College Geometry (1964). Court presents several theorems relating to lines through the midpoints of the side of a triangle that are suggested in the painting. The midpoints of the sides of the large triangle in the painting are joined to form a smaller one. According to Euclid, a line through two midpoints of sides of a triangle is parallel to the third side. Thus the construction creates a triangle similar to the initial triangle, with one fourth the area (both the height and the base of the initial triangle are halved). In the painting, triangles of this smaller size tile the plane. All three of the lines joining midpoints create triangles of this small size, and the large triangle at the center has an area four times as great.
The painting also suggests properties of the medians of the large triangle, that is to say, the lines joining each midpoint to the opposite vertex. The three medians meet in a point (point G in the figure from Court). It is not difficult to show that point G divides each median into two line segments, one twice as long as the other.
To focus attention on the large triangle, Crockett Johnson executed it in shades of white against a background of smaller dark black and gray triangles.
Bouquet of Triangle Theorems apparently is the artist's own construction. It was painted in oil or acrylic and is #26 in the series. It was completed in 1966 and is signed: CJ66. It is signed on the back: Crockett Johnson 1966 (/) BOUQUET OF TRIANGLE THEOREMS (/) (EUCLID).
Reference: Nathan A. Court, College Geometry, (1964 printing), p. 65. The figure on this page is not annotated.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Euclid
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.19
catalog number
1979.1093.19
accession number
1979.1093

Painting, Bellona and Minerva

The Bellona was built in Westmorland, New Brunswick by William Venning in 1826. It measured 106 feet long and 402 tons. The Minerva was built in Truro, Nova Scotia by William Walker; in 1826. It measured 101 feet long and 308 tons.
Description
The Bellona was built in Westmorland, New Brunswick by William Venning in 1826. It measured 106 feet long and 402 tons. The Minerva was built in Truro, Nova Scotia by William Walker; in 1826. It measured 101 feet long and 308 tons. Both ships were owned in part by James Battersby & Co. and Richard Battersby of Belfast. In the painting the Bellona is shown with a full press of sail with the lower fore-studding sail only just being sent down. Minerva is turned into the wind under reduced sail, about to anchor. Minerva is identifiable by its name at the stern. Other small ships can be seen in the painting.
Artist Miles Walters was born in 1774 and died in 1849. He was a shipwright, and later a seaman, after leaving the sea Miles moved to London. He later moved to Liverpool with third son Samuel Walters (1811-1882), where he was listed in the directories as an artist. He worked on several pieces with his son Samuel who studied at the Liverpool Mechanics School of Arts. Samuel became one of the most popular marine painters of his time.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1832
maker
Walters, Samuel
Walters, Miles
ID Number
2005.0279.031
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.031

Painting - Heptagon from Its Seven Sides

Toward the end of his life, Crockett Johnson took up the problem of constructing a regular seven-sided polygon or heptagon. This construction, as Gauss had demonstrated, requires more than a straight edge and compass.
Description
Toward the end of his life, Crockett Johnson took up the problem of constructing a regular seven-sided polygon or heptagon. This construction, as Gauss had demonstrated, requires more than a straight edge and compass. Crockett Johnson used compass and a straight edge with a unit length marked on it. Archimedes and Newton had suggested that constructions of this sort could be used to trisect the angle and to find a cube with twice the volume of a given cube, and Crockett Johnson followed their example.
One may construct a heptagon given an angle of pi divided by seven. If an isosceles triangle with this vertex angle is inscribed in a circle, the base of the triangle will have the length of one side of a regular heptagon inscribed in that circle. According to Crockett Johnson's later account, in the fall of 1973, while having lunch in the city of Syracuse on Sicily during a tour of the Mediterranean, he toyed with seven toothpicks, arranging them in various patterns. Eventually he created an angle with his menu and wine list and arranged the seven toothpicks within the angle in crisscross patterns until his arrangement appeared as is shown in the painting.
Crockett Johnson realized that the vertex angle of the large isosceles triangle shown is exactly π/7 radians, as desired. The argument suggested by his diagram is more complex than what he later published. The numerical results shown in the figure suggest his willingness to carry out detailed calculations.
Heptagon from its Seven Sides, painted in 1973 and #107 in the series, shows a triangle with purple and white sections on a navy blue background. This oil or acrylic painting on masonite is signed on its back : HEPTAGON FROM (/) ITS SEVEN SIDES (/) (Color sketch for larger painting) (/) Crockett Johnson 1973. No larger painting on this pattern is at the Smithsonian.
Reference: Crockett Johnson, "A Construction for a Regular Heptagon," Mathematical Gazette, 1975, vol. 59, pp. 17–21.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.74
catalog number
1979.1093.74
accession number
1979.1093

John H. Hilldring

A three-quarters portrait of John H. Hilldring depicted as Major General, G-5, Director of Civil Affairs Division, War Department General Staff. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hilldring has gray hair and blue eyes.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of John H. Hilldring depicted as Major General, G-5, Director of Civil Affairs Division, War Department General Staff. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hilldring has gray hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a olive drab service coat with a collared shirt and a tie underneath as well as an olive drab garrison hat or a visor hat with an eagle in the center. U.S. officer collar insignias is seen on the left lapel. Five military ribbons are pinned to his left chest (identification is provided below). Two stars can be seen on the left shoulder strap indicating his rank as Major General. The bottom portion of the portrait is not sketched or painted in great detail. Major General Hilldring's signature is seen on the bottom right of the portrait.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
maker
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.46991
catalog number
46991
accession number
166217

Michael B. Ellis

A three quarters portrait of Michael Ellis depicted as Sergeant, Company C, 28th Infantry, 1st Division. An oil portrait on an illustration board. A white man, Sergeant Ellis has bronw hair, blue eyes, and is wearing a brown overcoat holding a steel helmet.
Description
A three quarters portrait of Michael Ellis depicted as Sergeant, Company C, 28th Infantry, 1st Division. An oil portrait on an illustration board. A white man, Sergeant Ellis has bronw hair, blue eyes, and is wearing a brown overcoat holding a steel helmet. There is no military insignia or identification marks on him. Sergeant Ellis won the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Silver Star. The portrait takes up the whole board and is mostly done. Some wear and tear on the edges particularly the lower corners where some flaking has occurred.
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.58049M
catalog number
58049M
accession number
203612

Painting - Squared Circle

This oil painting on pressed wood, #52 in the series, shows an original construction of Crockett Johnson. He executed this work in 1968, three years after he began creating mathematical paintings.
Description
This oil painting on pressed wood, #52 in the series, shows an original construction of Crockett Johnson. He executed this work in 1968, three years after he began creating mathematical paintings. It is evident that the artist was very proud of this construction because he drew four paintings dealing with the problem of squaring the circle. The construction was part of Crockett Johnson's first original mathematical work, published in The Mathematical Gazette in early 1970. A diagram relating to the painting was published there.
To "square a circle," mathematically speaking, is to construct a square whose area is equal to that of a given circle using only a straightedge (an unmarked ruler) and a compass. It is an ancient problem dating from the time of Euclid and is one of three problems that eluded Greek geometers and continued to elude mathematicians for 2,000 years. In 1880, the German mathematician Ferdinand von Lindermann showed that squaring a circle in this way is impossible - pi is a transcendental number. Because this proof is complicated and difficult to understand, the problem of squaring a circle continues to attract amateur mathematicians like Crockett Johnson. Although he ultimately understood that the circle cannot be squared with a straightedge and compass, he managed to construct an approximate squaring.
Crockett Johnson began his construction with a circle of radius one. In this circle he inscribed a square. Therefore, in the figure, AO=OB=1 and OC=BC=√(2) / 2. AC=AO+OC=1 + √(2) / 2 and AB=√(AC² + BC²) which equals the square root of the quantity (2+√(2)). Crockett Johnson let N be the midpoint of OT and constructed KN parallel to AC. K is thus the midpoint of AB, and KN=AO - (AC)/2=1/2 - √(2) / 4. Next, he let P be the midpoint of OG, and he drew KP, which intersects AO at X. Crockett Johnson then computed NP=NO+OP=(√(2))/4+(1/2). Triangle POX is similar to triangle PNK, so XO/OP=KN/NP. From this equality it follows that XO=(3-2√(2))/2.
Also, AX=AO-XO=(2√(2)-1)/2 and XC=XO+OC=(3-√(2))/2. Crockett Johnson continued his approximation by constructing XY parallel to AB. It is evident that triangle XYC is similar to triangle ABC, and so XY/XC=AB/AC. This implies that XY=[√((2+√(2)) × (8-5√(2))]/2. Finally he constructed XZ=XY and computed AZ=AX+XZ=[2√(2)-1+(√(2+√(2)) × (8-5√(2))]/2 which approximately equals 1.7724386. Crockett Johnson knew that the square root of pi approximately equals 1.772454, and thus AZ is approximately equal to √(Π) - 0.000019. Knowing this value, he constructed a square with each side equal to AZ. The area of this square is (AZ)² = 3.1415258. This differs from the area of the circle by less than 0.0001. Thus, Crockett Johnson approximately squared the circle.
The painting is signed: CJ68. It is marked on the back: SQUARED CIRCLE* (/) Crockett Johnson 1968 (/) FLAT OIL ON PRESSED WOOD) (/) MATHEMATICALLY (/) DEMONSTRATED (/) TO √π + 0.000000001. It has a white wooden frame. Compare to painting #91 (1979.1093.60).
References: Crockett Johnson, “On the Mathematics of Geometry in My Abstract Paintings,” Leonardo 5 (1972): p. 98.
C. Johnson, “A Geometrical look at √π," Mathematical Gazette, 54 (1970): p. 59–60. the figure is from p. 59.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.35
catalog number
1979.1093.35
accession number
1979.1093

Painting - Transversals (Ceva)

A transversal is a line that intersects a system of other lines or line segments. Here Crockett Johnson explores the properties of certain transversals of the sides of a triangle.
Description
A transversal is a line that intersects a system of other lines or line segments. Here Crockett Johnson explores the properties of certain transversals of the sides of a triangle. The Italian mathematician Giovanni Ceva showed in 1678 that lines drawn from a point to the vertices of a triangle divide the edges of the triangle into six segments such that the product of the length of three nonconsecutive segments equals the product of the remaining three segments.
This painting shows a triangle (in white), lines drawn from a point inside the triangle to the three vertices, and a line drawn from a point outside the triangle (toward the bottom of the painting) to the three vertices. Segments of the sides of the triangle to be multiplied together are of like color. Crockett Johnson's painting combines two diagrams on page 159 of Nathan Court's College Geometry (1964 printing). These diagrams are annotated in his copy of the volume. Several of the triangles adjacent to the central triangle were used by Court in his proof of Ceva's theorem.
The painting is #31 in the series. It is signed: CJ66. There is a wooden frame painted off-white.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
referenced
Ceva, Giovanni
painter
Johnson, Crockett
ID Number
1979.1093.22
catalog number
1979.1093.22
accession number
1979.1093

Painting, Wooden Barque William Ritson

The William Ritson was built at Maryport, Cumberland, England in 1864 by Ritson, a merchant family in Whitehaven. It measured 164 feet in length and 680 tons. The ship was owned by F. Johnston and Company and was registered at Mayport until 1884.
Description
The William Ritson was built at Maryport, Cumberland, England in 1864 by Ritson, a merchant family in Whitehaven. It measured 164 feet in length and 680 tons. The ship was owned by F. Johnston and Company and was registered at Mayport until 1884. Ownership passed to Kayton and Simpson until 1890, when the ship was sold to Argentinean owners. Shortly after that, in 1891 it was sold again and renamed Hiram. It was broken up in 1905. The painting depicts the William Ritson under full sail, heading into a harbor. The port side of the ship is shown with the bow tilted upward. The ship is calling for a pilot. Also pictured in the background are Skerries lighthouse and Anglesey. The painting has been variously attributed to either J. Scott (1840-1872) or Samuel Walters (1811-1882). See CIGNA catalogue entry for details.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1867
maker
Scott, John
ID Number
2005.0279.044
accession number
2005.0279
catalog number
2005.0279.044

Soldat Belge

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
associated date
1914 - 1918
ID Number
ZZ.RSN82658W82

Courtney Hicks Hodges

A three-quarters portrait of Courtney H. Hodges depicted as General, commanding 1st Army. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, General Hodges has gray hair, brown eyes and a gray moustache stubble.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of Courtney H. Hodges depicted as General, commanding 1st Army. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, General Hodges has gray hair, brown eyes and a gray moustache stubble. He is wearing a olive drab service coat with a collared shirt and a tie underneath. U.S. officer insignias are found on the lapels of the coat. Four stars indicating his rank of General are seen on the shoulder straps along with a green band under one of the stars to serve as an identifier for leaders. He has a shoulder patch of the First Army and nineteen military ribbons on his left chest which are identified below. The General's signature can be seen on the lower left portion of the portrait. The bottom portion of the coat and the portrait are not sketched or painted in detail.
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Chase, Joseph Cummings
Chase, Joseph Cummings
maker
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.46992
catalog number
46992
accession number
166217

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