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.

Date: 1930s

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

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

Woman at table, Sloppy Joe's

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1935
Artist
Miller, Benjamin
Associated Name
Bernard, Allen W.
maker
Miller, Benjamin
ID Number
2016.0084.119
accession number
2016.0084
catalog number
2016.0084.119

Holiday

Beatrice Wood (1883-1998) was an acclaimed artist, bestknown for her work with ceramics and her role in founding the Dada Movement.
Description (Brief)
Beatrice Wood (1883-1998) was an acclaimed artist, best
known for her work with ceramics and her role in founding the Dada Movement. While working in the Los Angeles art scene during the 1930s, she was introduced to master printer Lynton Kistler, who persuaded her to take up printmaking and gifted her a set of lithographic plates. Her prints were simple and satirical, sometimes incorporating a subtle dark humor. Her lithograph “Holiday,” was printed in 1932.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
about 1940
September 1920
date made
1932
printer
Kistler, Lynton R.
ID Number
1978.0650.0979
accession number
1978.0650
catalog number
1978.0650.0979

Evening

Evening by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.Currently not on view
Description
Evening by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937
Associated Name
Manship, Paul M.
maker
Anonymous
ID Number
2013.0327.0262
catalog number
2013.0327.0262
accession number
2013.0327

Camera-ready comic page, entitled "Another Edison Questionnaire".

John T. McCutcheon (1870-1949) was a Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist, known for his political cartoons. In this comic, three panels depict critical thinking questions. On reverse, two copies of the panel scenes feature Edison-related questions typed beneath.
Description
John T. McCutcheon (1870-1949) was a Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist, known for his political cartoons. In this comic, three panels depict critical thinking questions. On reverse, two copies of the panel scenes feature Edison-related questions typed beneath. Under panel 1, "Who will survive in a group?", under 2, "What is the quickest ocean voyage?" and under 3, "Is a high pressure salesman successful?"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
08/02/1930
original artist
McCutcheon, John T.
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.24200
catalog number
24200
accession number
1976.320859

Vulcan and Man

Vulcan and Man by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.Currently not on view
Description
Vulcan and Man by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937
maker
Anonymous
ID Number
2013.0327.0273
catalog number
2013.0327.0273
accession number
2013.0327

Female Nude #78

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
Artist
Miller, Benjamin
Associated Name
Bernard, Allen W.
maker
Miller, Benjamin
ID Number
2016.0084.082
accession number
2016.0084
catalog number
2016.0084.082

Jazz Clarinet

Few aspects of the harm done to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 are more poignant than the losses suffered by the musical community. The New Orleans jazz scene was especially vulnerable, since many jazz performers lived in areas inundated by the flood waters.
Description
Few aspects of the harm done to New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 are more poignant than the losses suffered by the musical community. The New Orleans jazz scene was especially vulnerable, since many jazz performers lived in areas inundated by the flood waters. One such performer was Dr. Michael White.
White's house on Pratt Drive filled with eight feet of water when the London Avenue Canal levee failed behind his neighborhood. That water sat for several weeks before pumps could drain the area, destroying White's furniture, his rooms, his priceless collection of jazz sheet music, his recordings, and a lifetime's collection of jazz clarinets. Over sixty rare wood and metal clarinets, some from the 19th century, were lost. One of them, this 1930s marching band clarinet from Elkhart, Indiana, found its way from White's devastated house to the Smithsonian to acknowledge the hit taken by the New Orleans musical community but also the resilience of this community in the face of setbacks and hardship. Katrina has given new meaning to the blues. The struggle to overcome this loss adds a powerful chapter to this city's storied record of musical achievement.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1930s
Associated Date
August - September 2005
referenced
White, Michael
ID Number
2006.0062.01
catalog number
2006.0062.01
accession number
2006.0062

Nude with Head in Arms

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1930
Artist
Miller, Benjamin
Associated Name
Bernard, Allen W.
maker
Miller, Benjamin
ID Number
2016.0084.075
accession number
2016.0084
catalog number
2016.0084.075

Nude Female gazing downward

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1933
Artist
Miller, Benjamin
Associated Name
Bernard, Allen W.
maker
Miller, Benjamin
ID Number
2016.0084.103
accession number
2016.0084
catalog number
2016.0084.103

Chittison

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Herman Chittison (1908-1967), with cigarette in mouth, sitting at piano with saxophone in foreground.
Description

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Herman Chittison (1908-1967), with cigarette in mouth, sitting at piano with saxophone in foreground. The print is marked:

[printed along bottom]

CHITTISON

[in script, top right]

CHITTISON

[in script]

Charles Delaunay
34

This print is from a set of 15 lithographs of jazz musicians by Charles Delauney, entitled Hot Iconography, first printed in 1939.

Charles Delaunay (1911–1988) was a French author and jazz expert. Delaunay was the co-founder and long-term leader of the Hot Club de France, a French organization of jazz fans dedicated to the promotion of "traditional" jazz, swing, and blues. In 1931, the Jazz Club Universitaire was founded, and later became the Hot Club de France in 1932.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1939
depicted
Chittison, Herman
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.01
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.01

shaker

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
C, 1933-37
maker
Federal Glass Company
ID Number
CE.78.15Bab
accession number
1978.0481
catalog number
78.15Bab

"Enlist in a Proud Profession ... U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps" Poster

Physical DescriptionFour-color print on paper.Specific HistoryThe Division of Military History and Diplomacy has been collecting recruiting posters for more than fifty years.
Description
Physical Description
Four-color print on paper.
Specific History
The Division of Military History and Diplomacy has been collecting recruiting posters for more than fifty years. Recruiting as an activity of the military is important to the understanding of who serves in uniform during both war and peace and the visual materials used to market military service. The collection contains examples of early Civil War broadsides; World War I posters, including the original artwork for Uncle Sam as drawn by Montgomery Flagg; and World War II posters, which show the recruiting of men and women for all services and auxiliary organizations. The collection contains primarily Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II recruiting posters for the army, navy and some marines. More modern-day recruiting materials are also contained in the collection, and cover a broad range of army recruiting slogans.
General History
Posters during World War II were designed to instill in people a positive outlook, a sense of patriotism and confidence. They linked the war in trenches with the war at home. From a practical point, they were used to encourage all Americans to help with the war effort. The posters called on every man, woman, and child to endure the personal sacrifice and domestic adjustments to further the national agenda. They encouraged rationing, conservation, and sacrifice. In addition, the posters were used for recruitment, productivity, and motivation as well as for financing the war effort. The stark, colorful graphic designs elicited strong emotions. The posters played to the fears, frustrations, and faith in freedoms that lingered in people's minds during the war.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1942
associated dates
1942
distributor
United States. Office of War Information
printer
US Government Printing Office
issuing authority
U.S. Public Health Service
ID Number
1977.0020.041
catalog number
1977.0020.041
accession number
1977.0020

holder, letter

China painting swept across America in the late nineteenth century as one of the most prevalent decorative pottery techniques, especially among young women.
Description
China painting swept across America in the late nineteenth century as one of the most prevalent decorative pottery techniques, especially among young women. Considered a respectable form of work and creative outlet for women, china painting incorporated the element of hand craft that helped elevate standards of design during a period of mass production and industrialism. The technique of china painting could be done conveniently at home or in large pottery settings. Also known as “mineral painting,” after its materials, a china painter used enamels, low firing colors produced from various mineral-oxides, as a “painting” medium on pre-fired porcelain white porcelain, also known as blanks. These blank porcelain pieces were often imported from European countries, France and Germany in particular, and came in a variety of dinner ware forms and vases. The china painting technique of decorating porcelain was popularized in America by the highly influential Englishman, Edward Lycett. Trained as a potter in the English tradition at Spode pottery in Staffordshire, England, Lycett moved to America in 1861, where he almost immediately gained prestigious commissions for the White House and Tiffany & Co. His devotion to experimenting with materials and teaching pottery techniques across the country established Edward Lycett as the “pioneer of china painting in America” during his own lifetime. Ultimately, the creativity fostered by the china painting movement and the influence of Edward Lycett launched the American ceramic industry towards new and exciting avenues of decorative pottery.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1910
c. 1910-30
ID Number
CE.74.76E
catalog number
74.76E
accession number
314093

Joseph Warren Stilwell

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of four star General Joseph Warren Stilwell. Stilwell wears a khaki service jacket with officer pins on his lapels. He has a military flattop haircut and is clean shaven. Stilwell also wears glasses.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of four star General Joseph Warren Stilwell. Stilwell wears a khaki service jacket with officer pins on his lapels. He has a military flattop haircut and is clean shaven. Stilwell also wears glasses. He is in front of a light 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.47004
catalog number
47004
accession number
166217

Topaz Mountain

"Topaz Mountain"Currently not on view
Description
"Topaz Mountain"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943
maker
Ujihara, Akio
ID Number
1986.3047.05
catalog number
1986.3047.05
nonaccession number
1986.3047

George C. Marshall

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of five star General George C. Marshall.
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of five star General George C. Marshall. Army Service Ribbons for Decorations and Medals include: Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Unknown Ribbon (purple, possibly the purple heart), WWI Victory, Philippine Congressional, American Defense Service, Légion d'honneur, Unknown Ribbon (alternating bands of red and black), Unknown Ribbon (mostly white with a large band of red at the end and a small band of blue in the middle), Commendation Ribbon, Army Wound Ribbon, Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Unknown Ribbon (equally sized bands of white, blue, and red), Unknown Ribbon (solid black with a small red band in center), Unknown Ribbon (orange with two bands of gold stripes, Unknown Ribbon (solid white), Unknown Ribbon (solid green with red band in center). Marshall wears a five star General's pin and possibly a War Department General Staff Identification pin on his shoulder loops. He also wears two officer pins and two Gerneral Staff Corps pins on his lapel. Marshall wears a black tie.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
associated date
1941 - 1945
associated person
Marshall, George C.
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.46977
catalog number
46977
accession number
166217

Manzanar no Yuki, 1942

"Manzanar No Yuki" translates to "Manzanar Snow"Currently not on view
Description
"Manzanar No Yuki" translates to "Manzanar Snow"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1943-12-24
maker
Ujihara, Akio
ID Number
1986.3047.06
catalog number
1986.3047.06
nonaccession number
1986.3047

creamer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1930
ID Number
1998.0309.01F
accession number
1998.0309
catalog number
1998.0309.01F

Night

Night by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.Currently not on view
Description
Night by anonymous, 1937, gelatin silver print.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1937
Associated Name
Manship, Paul M.
maker
Anonymous
ID Number
2013.0327.0270
catalog number
2013.0327.0270
accession number
2013.0327

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

The Fakir

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931
Artist
Miller, Benjamin
Associated Name
Bernard, Allen W.
maker
Miller, Benjamin
ID Number
2016.0084.120
accession number
2016.0084
catalog number
2016.0084.120

Garnet Clark

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Garnet Clark (1917-1938). The portrait is a head profile of Clark wearing a hat.
Description

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Garnet Clark (1917-1938). The portrait is a head profile of Clark wearing a hat. The print is marked:

[printed along bottom]

GARNET CLARK

[in script, top left]

JOE TURNER

[in script]

Charles Delaunay
35

This print is from a set of 15 lithographs of jazz musicians by Charles Delauney, entitled Hot Iconography, first printed in 1939.

Charles Delaunay (1911–1988) was a French author and jazz expert. Delaunay was the co-founder and long-term leader of the Hot Club de France, a French organization of jazz fans dedicated to the promotion of "traditional" jazz, swing, and blues. In 1931, the Jazz Club Universitaire was founded, and later became the Hot Club de France in 1932.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1939
depicted
Clark, Garnet
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.09
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.09

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