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: Pennsylvania

Speech of Robert Emmet, Esq.

Colored lithographic print commemorating the death of Robert Emmet, for leading an 1803 uprising in Dublin. The Goddess of Liberty stands on a tomb holding the hearts of murdered patriots in her hand.
Description (Brief)
Colored lithographic print commemorating the death of Robert Emmet, for leading an 1803 uprising in Dublin. The Goddess of Liberty stands on a tomb holding the hearts of murdered patriots in her hand. To the right is the Figure of Death attacking Lord Norbury, the judge who sentenced Emmet for High Treason. The Scales of Justice lie broken by his side. To the left of the tomb is a representation of the Maid of Erin weeping over murdered Innocence (two children). Beneath the image is the text of Robert Emmet's speech delivered at trial.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
n.d.
depicted
Emmet, Robert
publisher; distributor
Smith, William
depicted
Norbury, Lord
maker
Schnabel & Finkeldey
ID Number
DL.60.2412
catalog number
60.2412
accession number
228146

The Canal Driver

Black and white print of a team of three horses and a driver pulling a barge along a canal. The rear horse is mounted.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a team of three horses and a driver pulling a barge along a canal. The rear horse is mounted.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Kollner, August
ID Number
DL.60.2999
catalog number
60.2999
accession number
228146

View of the Great Treaty Held at Prarie Du Chien

Color print of a large gathering of soldiers and Indians. A dirt road seperates the soldiers, seated in five rows, from a large circle of Indians. More Indians are seated and standing in the foreground and soldiers guard tents on the left.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Color print of a large gathering of soldiers and Indians. A dirt road seperates the soldiers, seated in five rows, from a large circle of Indians. More Indians are seated and standing in the foreground and soldiers guard tents on the left.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
1823-09
After 1823-09
maker
Lehman & Duval
ID Number
DL.60.3515
catalog number
60.3515

Rail Shooting on the Delaware

Colored print of two men in a boat amongst reeds and lily pads. One stands in the front of the boat firing at a bird, the other stands at the rear, poling.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Colored print of two men in a boat amongst reeds and lily pads. One stands in the front of the boat firing at a bird, the other stands at the rear, poling.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1866
maker
Sinclair, Thomas
ID Number
DL.60.2797
catalog number
60.2797
accession number
228146

Lepus Texianus, Aud. & Bach.

This hand-colored lithograph was produced for “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” the Imperial folio edition, published between 1845 and 1848. The work was a field study of North American mammals.
Description (Brief)
This hand-colored lithograph was produced for “Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,” the Imperial folio edition, published between 1845 and 1848. The work was a field study of North American mammals. It included 150 stone lithographs produced in three volumes of 50 prints per volume. The lithographs were based on watercolor drawings by John James Audubon and after 1846, son John Woodhouse Audubon, who completed the series due to the elder Audubon’s failing eyesight and declining health. Another son, Victor Gifford Audubon, assisted with the drawings backgrounds. The lithographs were printed on non-watermarked heavy white paper and coloring was applied by hand before the prints were bound. Reverend John Bachman was a naturalist of note, as well as John James Audubon’s friend and father of both daughter-in-laws, so he provided the accompanying letterpress narrative. It made the production truly a family affair. The slightly later Octavo edition contained 155 prints of smaller size.
This unbound lithographic plate depicts a hand-colored image of a brown hare with mottled markings crouched among low grasses.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
artist
Audubon, John Woodhouse
printer
Bowen, John T.
publisher
Audubon, John James
ID Number
DL.60.2742
catalog number
60.2742
accession number
228146

Shoeshine boy

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1897/8
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14413.02
accession number
94830
catalog number
14413.02

Gas Light Shade

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915
maker
Macbeth-Evans Glass Company
ID Number
CE.903
catalog number
903
accession number
58571

Portrait of Sarah Gilmor

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1843
original artist
Lawrence, Sir Thomas
graphic artist
Sartain, John
ID Number
GA.14336
accession number
94830
catalog number
14336

Whalebone

Black and white print of a trotting horse (Whalebone) pulling a sulky and driver.
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a trotting horse (Whalebone) pulling a sulky and driver. Inscription beneath image gives details of the horse's breeding and record.
Description
A black and white print of a light horse with dark mane pulling a road sulky and jockey on flat stretch of ground in the open country. The jockey wears a heavily padded suit and a cap tied under his chin. The horse’s equipment includes blinders, a bit, and a harness with attachments for draft poles of sulky.
Whalebone was foaled in New York in 1821, bred by General Coles of Long Island through Bishops Hambletonian and a descendant of Coffins Messenger. He stood out from the other trotters of his day because he focused on stamina instead of speed. In 1827, Whalebone was able to trot 15 miles in 58 minutes and, in 1831, trotted 32 miles in an hour and 58 minutes. He and Top Gallant were hailed as the greatest trotters and rivals of their day. In addition, Whalebone had only one eye.
Kennedy and Lucas was a lithography firm based in Philadelphia from 1829-1835. This firm illustrated work for the “Floral Magazine and Botanical Repository” as well as other contemporary works. David Kennedy and William Lucas were the firm’s partners though the firm itself was listed as a looking glass store, where they retailed prints, mirrors, and frames. Kennedy and Lucas was possibly the first commercial lithographic establishment in the city of Philadelphia.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Kennedy & Lucas
artist
Hillman, Richard S.
ID Number
DL.60.3564
catalog number
60.3564

Clear Automatic Signal Glass

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
est. 1899
1915
ID Number
CE.918
catalog number
918
accession number
58571

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

Untitled (House and stream)

Black and white print of a woodland scene depicting a small house in front of a wide flowing stream. The stream runs below or up to a stone arched stone section of the house.This print was produced from a drawing by Bass Otis.
Description (Brief)
Black and white print of a woodland scene depicting a small house in front of a wide flowing stream. The stream runs below or up to a stone arched stone section of the house.
This print was produced from a drawing by Bass Otis. It was created on a lithographic stone made of limestone from Munich, Germany that had been presented to the American Philoophical Society by Thomas Dobson of Philadelphia. The stone had been signed out In May 1819 for the purpose of experimenting by Otis and scientist Dr. Samuel Brown. The printing was done by Otis and published in the July 1819 issue of The Analectic Magazine. It is generally accepted as the first American lithograph.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1819
maker
Otis, Bass
ID Number
DL.60.2417
catalog number
60.2417
accession number
228146

Washington and Friends After a Days Hunt

Colored print of George Washington and five friends with hunting dogs, resting beside their catch: deer, rabbit, quail and duck. Figures and rowboat in background.
Description (Brief)
Colored print of George Washington and five friends with hunting dogs, resting beside their catch: deer, rabbit, quail and duck. Figures and rowboat in background. The other men are identified as Anthony Wayne, the Marquis de Lafayette, Nathaniel Green, Count Casimir Pulaski, and (John?) Lagrange.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
depicted
Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
Washington, George
Wayne, Anthony
Greene, Nathanael
graphic artist; lithographer
Tholey
publisher
Smith, John
printer
Spohni, G.
ID Number
DL.60.2573
catalog number
60.2573
accession number
228146

Carousel Horse

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1904 - 1909
maker
Dentzel, Gustav A.
ID Number
CL.66.251
accession number
261195
catalog number
66.251

Jar of Blue Glass Rods

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Macbeth-Evans Glass Company
ID Number
CE.252ab
catalog number
252ab
accession number
57114

chimney, lamp

This lamp chimney was purposely left unfinshed as part of a series of lamp chimneys that illustrate the various stages of manufacture of lamp chimneys at Macbeth-Evans Glass Company.
Description
This lamp chimney was purposely left unfinshed as part of a series of lamp chimneys that illustrate the various stages of manufacture of lamp chimneys at Macbeth-Evans Glass Company. This particular one is listed as "Number 2 Pearl Top" and demonstrates how a lamp chimney looks in the factory before it is sent for crimping.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
circa 1899-1915
1914-1915
about 1914
ID Number
CE.214
catalog number
214
accession number
57114

A Collaboration

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1887
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
original artist
Gerome, Jean Leon
ID Number
GA.14469
accession number
94830
catalog number
14469

Philadelphia in the Olden Time.

Color print of a large panoramic view of Philadelphia. The New Jersey shore is in the foreground. A key identifies aspects of the view. Three small vignettes, below the main image above the title, are of the State House, Old Courthouse and Friends Meeting House, and the prison.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a large panoramic view of Philadelphia. The New Jersey shore is in the foreground. A key identifies aspects of the view. Three small vignettes, below the main image above the title, are of the State House, Old Courthouse and Friends Meeting House, and the prison.
Date made
1875
maker
Wade, F. J.
ID Number
DL.60.3752
catalog number
60.3752

Portrait of Mlle. Bellamy

Signed pencil sketch, dated 1906Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Signed pencil sketch, dated 1906
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1906
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16686
catalog number
16686
accession number
119780

The Beggar

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1901
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14383.03
accession number
94830
catalog number
14383.03

John Q. Adams, 5th President of the United States

Black and white print with crude coloring added. Oval bust portrait in an ornate rectangular frame of a man (President John Quincy Adams).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black and white print with crude coloring added. Oval bust portrait in an ornate rectangular frame of a man (President John Quincy Adams).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1846
depicted
Adams, John Quincy
publisher
Williams, C. S.
maker
Newsam, Albert
Duval, Peter S.
ID Number
DL.60.3227
catalog number
60.3227

Allegheny Parade Hat

Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes.
Description
Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.
This hat dates to the first half of the 19th century from Allegheny, Pennsylvania. The hat has been painted red, and bears the text “ALLEGHENY” in gold above a United States shield. The date “1802” is painted in gold on the back of the hat, and the crown of the hat has a star shaped designed with the letter “A” in the center. The Allegheny Fire Company of Allegheny, Pennsylvania was founded in 1802 and operated until 1870, when it was absorbed by the municipal fire department.
Location
Currently not on view
in use
1802-1870
company which the hat's owner belonged to
Allegheny Engine Co.
owner
Neel, Harry
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0026
catalog number
2005.0233.0026
accession number
2005.0233

Presentation Plate to the Patrons of the Philadelphia Inquirer, 1863

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1863
maker
Sinclair, Thomas
Inger, Christian
Inger, Christian
Inger, Christian
Inger, Christian
ID Number
DL.60.2570
catalog number
60.2570
accession number
228146

Electric Light Shade

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
est. 1899
1914-1915
maker
Macbeth-Evans Glass Company
ID Number
CE.891
catalog number
891
accession number
58571

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