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: New York

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

The Lover's Walk

Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater w
Description
Sentimental genre prints documented the social image of Victorian virtue through domestic scenes of courtship, family, home life, and images of the “genteel female.” Children are depicted studying nature or caring for their obedient pets as they learn their place in the greater world. Romantic scenes picture devoted husbands with their contented, dutiful wives. In these prints, young women educated in reading, music, needlework, the arts, the language of flowers, basic math and science are subjugated to their family’s needs.
These prints became popular as lithography was introduced to 19th Century Americans. As a new art form, it was affordable for the masses and provided a means to share visual information by crossing the barriers of race, class and language. Sentimental prints encouraged the artistic endeavors of schoolgirls and promoted the ambitions of amateur artists, while serving as both moral instruction and home or business decoration. They are a pictorial record of our romanticized past.
This colored print is a full length portrait of man and woman standing together outdoors holding hands, and gazing intently at each other. The man is wearing a large hat with plume, long, flowing cape and bows at the bottom of his pants. The woman is wearing an ankle length dress with lace, ruffles and a bow.
John Cameron (ca1828-1876) was a lithographer and a colorist for Nathaniel Currier and Currier & Ives. He is most known for his horse prints. A very heavy drinker and workaholic, he was quite prolific. In addition to his work with Currier & Ives, he worked with Henry Lawrence for the firm Lawerence & Cameron. He also was a principal in the firm Cameron & Walsh.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1859
lithographer
J. Cameron and Company
graphic artist
Cameron, John
ID Number
DL.60.2244
catalog number
60.2244
accession number
228146

What Is Love ?

Black and white print of a black man and woman who carry burlap bags of trash? lean across a trash barrel to kiss. Their clothes are in tatters. Two little boys observe from a doorway. This is one of over 100 in a series of comic parodies of popular songs.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a black man and woman who carry burlap bags of trash? lean across a trash barrel to kiss. Their clothes are in tatters. Two little boys observe from a doorway. This is one of over 100 in a series of comic parodies of popular songs.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1875
maker
Vance, Parsloe and Company
ID Number
DL.60.3437
catalog number
60.3437

Winter Pleasure in the Country

Colored print of a one-horse sleigh and a two-horse sleigh driving down a snowy country road. They appear to be racing. A building appears in the background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a one-horse sleigh and a two-horse sleigh driving down a snowy country road. They appear to be racing. A building appears in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1865
maker
Kimmel and Forster
ID Number
DL.60.2645
catalog number
60.2645
accession number
228146

My Protector

Colored print of a little boy wearing eyelet-trimmed shorts, vest and jacket. He holds the leash of a brown and white dog that is seated next to him. Toys are scattered on the rug at his feet and on a table in background.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of a little boy wearing eyelet-trimmed shorts, vest and jacket. He holds the leash of a brown and white dog that is seated next to him. Toys are scattered on the rug at his feet and on a table in background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1874
maker
Schile, Henry
ID Number
DL.60.2463
catalog number
60.2463
accession number
228146

Untitled (Park Setting)

Black and white print of a cobblestone road and sidewalk beside a park. Buildings can be seen in the background through the bare trees in the park. A lamplight on a ladder against a lamp post is visible in the lower left. Pedestrians stroll in the park.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a cobblestone road and sidewalk beside a park. Buildings can be seen in the background through the bare trees in the park. A lamplight on a ladder against a lamp post is visible in the lower left. Pedestrians stroll in the park.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Imbert and Company
ID Number
DL.60.3692
catalog number
60.3692

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

bowl, soup

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130N
catalog number
75.130N
accession number
317832

vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1877
ID Number
CE.75.117
catalog number
75.117
accession number
317832

plate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130Q
catalog number
75.130Q
accession number
317832

Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acc
Description
Rip Van Winkle, a short story by celebrated American author Washington Irving, was first published in 1819 without illustrations in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” Best known for his popular stories of Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving achieved acclaim in Europe and the U.S. over the course of his successful writing career. Rip Van Winkle was included in “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent” while Irving was living in Europe. Thus, he was one of the earliest American authors to survive merely on his writing. Irving’s stories have remained an emblem of American culture as they were some of the first short stories that aimed to entertain rather than educate. The two best known Irving stories- Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have inspired artists to create beautiful illustrations like the one included in this print.
The gothic story Rip Van Winkle tells of an ordinary 19th century man who lives in the Dutch Kaatskills (currently the Catskills of New York). He struggles with his nagging wife, Dame Van Winkle, and in an effort to escape her on an especially bad day, he flees to the woods with his dog and his gun. While in the woods, he meets a stranger who is a representation of the spirits of Hendrick Hudson, and is instructed to serve these spirits a precious drink. Tempted, he tries the drink as well and ultimately becomes so drunk that he falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes, he thinks that it is merely the next morning, but it becomes clear that 20 years have passed. He is now an old widow with Loyalist sentiments that show he is living in the past, prior to the American Revolution. The story ends with Rip Van Winkle living a peaceful life in the home of his daughter, finally free from his wife’s nagging.
This print shows Rip Van Winkle sitting among four children of the village. Two of them are boys, while the other two appear to be girls, and they all gather around Rip Van Winkle who is balancing a toy sailboat in a tub of water. Two of the boys lie on the bench beside Rip Van Winkle while a young girl lies on his back. Also pictured are some animals, including Rip Van Winkle’s dog Woof, a cat curled up underneath the bench, and some type of bird with her chicks. The setting appears to be in some type of open or lean-to shed as there are tools leaning against the wall and the building is open to the elements, showing the forest and farmland of the region. At this point of the story, Rip Van Winkle is described as a man who was popular among the village children; he would spend time teaching them how to fly kites or recounting ghost stories with them gathered round.
Sarony, Major, & Knapp was one of the largest lithographic firms at the end of the 19th and the early of the 20th centuries. However, before it achieved this success it started out small in 1843 when Napoleon Sarony and James P. Major joined together to start a business. Later in 1857, Joseph F. Knapp joined the company making it Sarony, Major, & Knapp. At the time that this was printed, Knapp was not a part of the business, so it was just Sarony & Major.
Felix O. C. Darley (1822-1888), the artist behind the twelve best-known illustrations for The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, is considered one of America’s best illustrators. The publisher was the American Art Union, (1839-1857) a subscription organization created to educate the public about American art and artists while providing support for American artists. For $5.00 members would receive admissions to the gallery showing, a yearly report, and an engraving of an original work, as well as any benefits each chapter might provide. Two special editions of the story, each with a set of six of Darley’s illustrations were published; the special edition including this illustration was published in 1850. This print is bound with five others at the back of a rebound book. The cover is of the earlier Rip Van Winkle edition published for the American Art Union but the title page and text are of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
maker
Sarony & Major
Darley, Felix Octavius Carr
ID Number
DL.60.2443
catalog number
60.2443
accession number
228146

platter

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130AM
catalog number
75.130AM
accession number
317832

cup

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130BU
catalog number
75.130BU
accession number
317832

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

Executive Mercy and the Bambers

This 1838 print depicts Governor of New York, Democrat, William L. Marcy seated on a throne with his foot on the U.S. Constitution handing a warrant for the arrest of two Irish citizens to British Consul, Buchanan. The two Irish citizens are father and son, John Bamber Sr.
Description (Brief)
This 1838 print depicts Governor of New York, Democrat, William L. Marcy seated on a throne with his foot on the U.S. Constitution handing a warrant for the arrest of two Irish citizens to British Consul, Buchanan. The two Irish citizens are father and son, John Bamber Sr. and James Bamber, accused of killing an Irish constable. They escaped Ireland to seek asylum in the United States, but Marcy decided to return them to Great Britain for trial. To the right of Marcy is Recorder of the City of New York, Richard Riker, who is holding a “Writ of Habeas Corpus” and stating that “the Constitution and laws of the United States will protect the adopted citizen!!” Riker was sympathetic to the Whig Party and against the pro-immigration Tammany Hall faction of the Democratic Party that supported Marcy, so his protest represents the Whig’s changing stance towards Irish immigrants in the 1838 gubernatorial race. The Irish had long been ignored by the Whig party, but Whig candidate, William Seward along with political boss, Thurlow Weed mobilized new Irish immigrants who hadn’t been indoctrinated into the Tammany Hall political machine to secure votes for the Whigs. The Irish were previously only tapped by the Tammany Hall Democrats, so the Whigs entering the scene marked an important moment in New York political history. Marcy ultimately denied the Bamber’s trial and sent them back to Ireland, angering both the city’s large Irish population and Whig faction. Marcy lost the election to Seward, and this decision can be pointed to as one of the reasons why.
The lithographer of this print is Edward Williams Clay (1799-1857). Clay was a caricaturist, engraver, lithographer, and etcher, as well as a portrait painter. Before his career as an artist, Clay was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar, but quickly left to pursue art in New York City. After losing his eyesight he retired from art and held minor office in Delaware before his death in December of 1857.
The publisher of this print is Henry R. Robinson (1827-1877). Robinson was active 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
n.d.
depicted
Marcy, William L.
Acker, Jacob
Ricker, Richard
Bamber, John
Bamber, James
maker
Clay, Edward Williams
Robinson, Henry R.
ID Number
DL.60.3339
catalog number
60.3339

cover

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130AY
catalog number
75.130AY
accession number
317832

dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CE.75.130AV
catalog number
75.130AV
accession number
317832

The Old Flag Again, Waves Over Sumter

Although Charleston and its surrounding fortifications were often targets of Union bombardments and sieges, the city did not surrender until the final months of the war.
Description
Although Charleston and its surrounding fortifications were often targets of Union bombardments and sieges, the city did not surrender until the final months of the war. Finally, as General Sherman approached the city, the mayor surrendered it to Union forces on February 18, 1865. This print depicts a scene from that day, when Captain Bragg planted an American flag into the ground at the site of Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the war had been fired. Henry M. Bragg was the aid-de-camp of general Quincy Adams Gillmore, who decimated the fortification after its Confederate occupiers refused to surrender it in August of 1863. The remains of its artillery and barricades and defenses are strewn about the captain’s feet.
In his right hand, Brag grips an impromptu flagpole which appears to have been cobbled together from an oar and a gaff. The 35 stars on the captain’s flag are configured in the shape of a large five-pointed star on a blue background. This design differs from those of the two flags raised over Sumter on the 18th of February, indicating that the artist, Feodor Fuchs, employed artistic liberty when drafting the scene. Behind the captain stand two other soldiers, one holding a bayonet, and the other, possibly General Gillmore himself, carrying a sword. Behind them, the city of Charleston is on fire. The surrender on February 18th, was actually peaceful, although previous fires and bombardments had already destroyed much of the city.
The artist of the print, Feodor Fuchs, was a German-American painter and lithographer who was active in Philadelphia, where he contributed to several Kimmel & Forster prints during the Civil War. By 1876, he had relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Christopher Kimmel was born in Germany around 1850 and after immigrating to the United States, was active in New York City from 1850 to 1876. He was part of Capewell & Kimmel from 1853 to 1860, and then partnered with Thomas Forster in 1865, forming the lithography firm of Kimmel & Forster, which was active until 1871.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1865
maker
Kimmel and Forster
Fuchs, Feodor
ID Number
DL.60.3323
catalog number
60.3323

dish

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
about 1879
ID Number
CE.75.125E
catalog number
75.125E
accession number
317832

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

Hyetographic Map

Black and white print with applied color accents. Map showing the distribution of rain over the surface of the globe.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print with applied color accents. Map showing the distribution of rain over the surface of the globe.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1854
artist
Cameron, John
publisher
Griffin, E. W.
maker
Currier, Charles
ID Number
DL.60.2430
catalog number
60.2430
accession number
228146

Faustin 1Er Empereur D'Haiti

Black & white print; full length portrait of a black man in elaborate robes and crown, standing in front of a throne. (Faustin 1st, Emperor of Haiti).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black & white print; full length portrait of a black man in elaborate robes and crown, standing in front of a throne. (Faustin 1st, Emperor of Haiti).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1852
depicted
Soulouque, Faustin-Elie
maker
Lacombe, Theodore
Grozelier, Leopold
original artist
Hartmann, Adam
ID Number
DL.60.3119
catalog number
60.3119
accession number
228146

Ye Gods! It's a Skunk

Colored print of two hunters, a black companion, and two dogs surprised by a skunk while hunting in the snow.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two hunters, a black companion, and two dogs surprised by a skunk while hunting in the snow.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
maker
Bruns, William
ID Number
DL.60.2683
catalog number
60.2683
accession number
228146

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