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: Drawings

Dispatch Motor Cycle

Charcoal and crayon sketch on paper. The work depicts a dispatch carrier on a motor cycle near a fortified hill. The hill, with structures on the side (possibly dugouts) dominates the background of the work. On the left are several soldiers pushing a piece of heavy artillery.
Description
Charcoal and crayon sketch on paper. The work depicts a dispatch carrier on a motor cycle near a fortified hill. The hill, with structures on the side (possibly dugouts) dominates the background of the work. On the left are several soldiers pushing a piece of heavy artillery. A low building is visible behind the dispatch carrier.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Harding, George Matthews
ID Number
AF.25741
catalog number
25741
accession number
64592

Council (or more properly, Sun Dance or Medicine Lodge)

Bear's Heart, or Nock-ko-ist (Cheyenne),drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida"Council" (or more properly, Sun Dance or Medicine Lodge)Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878Colored pencil, ink, colored ink, and watercolorThe drawing of a Sun Dance or Medicine Lo
Description
Bear's Heart, or Nock-ko-ist (Cheyenne),
drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida
"Council" (or more properly, Sun Dance or Medicine Lodge)
Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878
Colored pencil, ink, colored ink, and watercolor
The drawing of a Sun Dance or Medicine Lodge gathering offers a partial view of one moment in the most sacred of Plains Indian ceremonies. The event is represented here by the Sun Dance lodge with its cloth and tree-branch offerings flying. The people stand outside to bear witness to the sacred offerings being made, while four painted Sun Dancers stand ready to make their sacrifices inside. Four men, probably warrior society officers, stand guard over the ceremony.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875-1878
original artist
Bear's Heart
ID Number
2008.0175.56
accession number
2008.0175
catalog number
2008.0175.056

The Road through Fossoy. (On the German line of Retreat)

Gouache, ink wash, and graphite. The work depicts a shell-torn building near Fossoy, France. One side of the building has been completely destroyed.Currently not on view
Description
Gouache, ink wash, and graphite. The work depicts a shell-torn building near Fossoy, France. One side of the building has been completely destroyed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07-26
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25675
catalog number
25675
accession number
64592

Tanks Attacking Early September 26th Between Avocourt and Montfaucon

Charcoal and pastel drawing on heavy beige textured laid paper. The subject of the drawing is a tank attack during World War I. In the foreground is a tank, most likely a Renault FT; in front of the tank are barbed-wire entanglements.
Description
Charcoal and pastel drawing on heavy beige textured laid paper. The subject of the drawing is a tank attack during World War I. In the foreground is a tank, most likely a Renault FT; in front of the tank are barbed-wire entanglements. Three more tanks are visible in the background. A man walks along the road. Smoke rises on the horizon.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917-1918
referenced
1918-09-26
associated person
War Department
artist
Harding, George Matthews
ID Number
AF.25749
catalog number
25749
accession number
64592

Camera-ready comic strip, entitled "Aggie".

Originally drawn as "Aggie Mack" by Hal Rasmusson in 1946, Roy Fox took over the comic strip in 1962 at the time of Rasmusson's death, shortening the title to "Aggie". The strip features the adventures of a blond teenager named Agnes (Aggie) and her friends.
Description
Originally drawn as "Aggie Mack" by Hal Rasmusson in 1946, Roy Fox took over the comic strip in 1962 at the time of Rasmusson's death, shortening the title to "Aggie". The strip features the adventures of a blond teenager named Agnes (Aggie) and her friends. In this strip, Wayout is describing the perfect person: himself.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
08/15/1966
graphic artist
Fox, Roy
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22628
catalog number
22628
accession number
277502

His Bunkie

Charcoal or crayon with gouache drawing on beige paper backed by card matte. The drawing depicts an American soldier, fully equipped, standing at the grave of his bunk mate or "bunkie." A wooden cross is at the head of the grave.
Description
Charcoal or crayon with gouache drawing on beige paper backed by card matte. The drawing depicts an American soldier, fully equipped, standing at the grave of his bunk mate or "bunkie." A wooden cross is at the head of the grave. Beside the cross are a helmet and what looks like a metal canister.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25661
catalog number
25661
accession number
64592

Seated Male Nude

Red chalk study of a nude male model. Studies like this one are sometimes called “academy figures” or simply “academies” because such subjects were required exercises in art schools or academies.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Red chalk study of a nude male model. Studies like this one are sometimes called “academy figures” or simply “academies” because such subjects were required exercises in art schools or academies.
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.14358
accession number
94830
catalog number
14358

Cheyenne Pictures. 'High Wolf' kills a Shoshone or Snake Indian.

Unknown artist, about 1894“Cheyenne Pictures.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1894
“Cheyenne Pictures. High Wolf Kills a Shoshonee or Snake Indian.”
Pencil, colored pencil, ink and watercolor
This drawing shows a mounted warrior with a name glyph - a symbol for the personal name “High Wolf” - riding victoriously over a fallen Snake (Shoshone) warrior, identified by his shield. The artist depicts High Wolf counting coup on his enemy by showing a riding whip (quirt) touching the shield of the fallen Shoshone warrior. Counting coup - in this instance touching an adversary in battle - was considered an act of bravery that could gain war honors.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1894
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.08113
catalog number
GA*08113
accession number
1897.031963

The Hand Grenade

A charcoal and pastel drawing on paper of a group of German soldiers attempting to take cover from a hand grenade that has been thrown into the middle of their party. Depicted are five German soldiers wearing dark green uniforms, two with helmets and two with fatigue caps.
Description
A charcoal and pastel drawing on paper of a group of German soldiers attempting to take cover from a hand grenade that has been thrown into the middle of their party. Depicted are five German soldiers wearing dark green uniforms, two with helmets and two with fatigue caps. Two soldiers at right are attempting to dive away from the grenade, while the three other soldiers recoil away from the grenade. The soldier at left is standing against the wall with his hands shielding his face. The grenade is likely an Mk.I Offensive Fragmentation grenade, an Mk.II Defensive Fragmentation grenade, or a French F1 Defensive grenade. It is in the center of the room emitting white smoke but has not yet detonated. The soldiers are in a stone room, possibly a bunker or an "Albri," with an arched doorway which the grenade was thrown through. Signed at bottom left by the artist, "Harvey Dunn, AEF"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
artist
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25718
catalog number
25718
accession number
64592

Campaign speeches are useful, at that

This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink comic art drawing by Rube Goldberg from 1924 features the concept of using “windy” political speeches as free energy.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was an engineer before he was a comic artist. After receiving an engineering degree, he started his career designing sewers for the City of San Francisco, but then followed his other interest and took a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. After moving to New York in 1907 Goldberg worked for several newspapers, producing a number of short-lived strips and panels—many of which were inspired by his engineering background, including his renowned invention cartoons. In the late 1930s and 1940s he switched his focus to editorial and political cartoons and in 1945 founded the National Cartoonists Society. The Reuben, comic art’s most prestigious award, is named after him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1924-10-31
original artist
Goldberg, Rube
ID Number
GA.23492
catalog number
23492
accession number
299186

portrait studies of women and men

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca. 1900
ID Number
2014.0250.01
accession number
2014.0250
catalog number
2014.0250.01

Camera-ready comic art drawing for Hubert

This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Hubert comic strip shows the title character suspecting his wife of cheating at Checkers because she knocked over the Checkers table while she was sneezing.Richard C.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Hubert comic strip shows the title character suspecting his wife of cheating at Checkers because she knocked over the Checkers table while she was sneezing.
Richard C. "Dick" Wingert (1919-1993) studied art in Indianapolis beginning in 1937. His career began as an artist for the U.S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes, where his single comic character, a simple soldier named Hubert, was debuted. The character's wife, children, and dog were included in the story of his later civilian life. Wingert drew the strip until 1992.
Hubert (1942-1994), a single-panel comic strip concerning an ordinary soldier, was produced for Stars and Stripes. After the war the title character became a civilian and went back to everyday life, with its repetitious, disagreeable, and unsatisfying components.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-09-07
graphic artist
Wingert, Dick
publisher
King Features Syndicate
ID Number
GA.22439
catalog number
22439
accession number
277502

Cleaning Out Boche Machine Gun Nest

Crayon and charcoal on paper. The work depicts a tank overrunning a German machine gun emplacement. There are American soldiers behind the tank. In the foreground, two German soldiers, with multi-colored camouflaged helmets, man their machine gun.
Description
Crayon and charcoal on paper. The work depicts a tank overrunning a German machine gun emplacement. There are American soldiers behind the tank. In the foreground, two German soldiers, with multi-colored camouflaged helmets, man their machine gun. The German soldier on the right holds a rifle. A barbed-wire entanglement is visible on the right.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09-12
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Harding, George Matthews
ID Number
AF.25740
catalog number
25740
accession number
64592

Rhineland Village

Ink and watercolor sketch on paper. In this scene from the close of World War I, soldiers walk down the middle of a road in a German village lined with timber-framed houses. Trees, wagons, and fences further crowd the midground of the composition.Currently not on view
Description
Ink and watercolor sketch on paper. In this scene from the close of World War I, soldiers walk down the middle of a road in a German village lined with timber-framed houses. Trees, wagons, and fences further crowd the midground of the composition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-12
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26039
catalog number
26039
accession number
64592

Sept. 26, The Argonne

A charcoal and watercolor drawing on paper of a machine gun encampment formerly occupied by the Germans and now taken over by the Americans. At center are three dead German soldiers in forest green uniforms lying on the ground in front of a small doorway.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor drawing on paper of a machine gun encampment formerly occupied by the Germans and now taken over by the Americans. At center are three dead German soldiers in forest green uniforms lying on the ground in front of a small doorway. A machine gun (MG 08/15) is lying on top of one of the Germans. In the background at right, several American soldiers wearing olive drab uniforms are coming through a trench headed towards the encampment. Scattered throughout the encampment are discarded pieces of German military equipment. At left is a box of stick grenades (Model 24 Stielhandgranate). Below that is a shovel and a rifle (possibly a Gewehr 98). At bottom center is a helmet and a German officer's hat. At bottom right is an ammunition belt for a machine gun along with a knife that was probably a bayonet (Seitengewehr). Written in pencil at bottom left by the artist is: "Study - Sept 26 (The Argonne)"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
artist
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.67525m
accession number
229290
catalog number
67525M

Camera-ready comic strip, entitled Mr. Breger

Mr. Breger (also published as Private Breger and G.I. Joe during World War II) was created by Dave Breger (1908-1970), syndicated by King Features from 1946-1960s. Breger has been credited with creating the term "G.I.
Description
Mr. Breger (also published as Private Breger and G.I. Joe during World War II) was created by Dave Breger (1908-1970), syndicated by King Features from 1946-1960s. Breger has been credited with creating the term "G.I. Joe", replacing the term "Yank" to describe American soldiers. The comic is a gag-panel about life in the military. In this comic, The Bregers go to the attorney to discover what Mr. Breger's uncle willed to him.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
8/21/1966
publisher
King Features Syndicate
ID Number
GA.22334
catalog number
22334

Relief Entering Nesle. (Detachment Fourth Infantry, U.S.A.)

Charcoal, crayon, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts American infantry soldiers entering the town of Nesle, France. The men march with their gear, while a soldier in the foreground looks on, with his back to the viewer.
Description
Charcoal, crayon, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts American infantry soldiers entering the town of Nesle, France. The men march with their gear, while a soldier in the foreground looks on, with his back to the viewer. The town's buildings are damaged from shelling. There is rubble in the street.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25663
catalog number
25663
accession number
64592

A Street Behind the Front

Pen and watercolor drawing on paper. This detailed sketch of a street scene is unusually polished for J. Andre Smith's wartime art, using pen hatching to create textures and watercolor chiaroscuro to create depth.
Description
Pen and watercolor drawing on paper. This detailed sketch of a street scene is unusually polished for J. Andre Smith's wartime art, using pen hatching to create textures and watercolor chiaroscuro to create depth. This work depicts American soldiers in a war-torn village behind the Western Front of World War I. The soldiers appear to be assisting with securing the shell-torn structures of the village. Light blue poles are installed along the facade of the the home in the background, preventing its collapse.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-04
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25904
catalog number
25904
accession number
64592

The Homecoming

Charcoal, oil, pastel, and watercolor drawing on paper of a French soldier returning to his war-torn home.
Description
Charcoal, oil, pastel, and watercolor drawing on paper of a French soldier returning to his war-torn home. The scene shows a French solider dressed in a blue uniform with a blue steel helmet leaning on his rifle (probably a Berthier Model 1916 Infantry Rifle or a Lebel Model 1886) with bayonet attached. An American soldier in uniform is standing behind the French soldier. The men are standing in the doorway of the French soldier's house which has recently been occupied by the retreating German Army. The house is in ruins with vases, chairs, a clock, and other objects scattered on the floor. One door has been partially shattered and the other has been torn from its hinges and is propped against the wall. Signed at the bottom left by the artist, "Harvey Dunn, AEF"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
maker
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25721
catalog number
25721
accession number
64592

Camera-ready comic art drawing for Ferd'nand

This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Ferd’nand comic strip shows the title character looking for his glasses.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Ferd’nand comic strip shows the title character looking for his glasses. He cannot remember where he left them until he sits down to read the newspaper and realizes he's just broken them.
Henning Dahl Mikkelsen (1915-1982) was a Danish comic artist who worked in animation in Copenhagen and in filmmaking in London. In 1937 he created the Ferd’nand strip, which was syndicated in European and later American newspapers. Mikkelsen became an American citizen in 1954. He continued writing the strip until his death in 1982.
Ferd’nand (1937-2012) was first published in Copenhagen in 1937. It became syndicated and was first published in the United States in 1947. The characters in the strip included Ferd'nand, his wife, his son, and the family dog. The likable and extended strip also became popular with international readers because of its lack of dialogue.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-24
graphic artist
Mikkelsen, Henning Dahl
publisher
United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
ID Number
GA.22641
catalog number
22641
accession number
277502

Camera-ready comic art drawing for Dondi

This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Dondi comic strip shows Baldy and Dondi talking about how the bike they thought was missing was actually secretly purchased by Baldy's parents for his birthday.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing produced for the Dondi comic strip shows Baldy and Dondi talking about how the bike they thought was missing was actually secretly purchased by Baldy's parents for his birthday. The reader then sees a man sitting in a jail cell.
Irwin Hasen (1918-2015) started his career in comic book illustration for titles such as The Green Hornet and The Flash. After service in the U.S. Army Hasen returned to comic book production, but while on holiday in Europe he met Gus Edson, with whom he later collaborated on Dondi. The strip, written by Edson and drawn by Hasen, debuted in 1955. After Edson’s death in 1966, Hasen continued drawing and writing the strip.
Dondi (1955-1986), the title character, was the inspiration of cocreator Gus Edson after a USO trip to Europe during World War II. The young, orphaned Italian boy was found by an American soldier named Ted Willis, who took him back to the United States. The early comic strip story discussed Dondi's Italian history and new American life. Later, during and after the Korean and Vietnam wars, Dondi's heritage in the strip changed to fit a similar story in the later wars. A film adaptation of Dondi premiered in 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966-08-17
author
Hasen, Irwin
graphic artist
Edson, Gus
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22626
catalog number
22626
accession number
277502

Studies for San Salvador, 1492

Unsigned sheet of pencil drawings listing names of men who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first expedition to the New World and shows some armor they might have worn.
Description
Unsigned sheet of pencil drawings listing names of men who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first expedition to the New World and shows some armor they might have worn. About 1930 Gerome Ferris painted San Salvador, 1492 in which Columbus claims the island of present-day San Salvador for Spain.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920s
maker
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
1985.0650.004
accession number
1985.0650
catalog number
85.0650.004

Camera-ready comic panel, entitled "Here's Mom".

"Here's Mom" was a series of comic panels created and drawn by Jud Isabel and distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate between 1961 and 1970. The comic featured the domestic trials of everyday mothers.
Description
"Here's Mom" was a series of comic panels created and drawn by Jud Isabel and distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate between 1961 and 1970. The comic featured the domestic trials of everyday mothers. In this panel, Mom comes home to find cupcakes and a mess in her kitchen, with her daughter baking. Written in blue ink beneath the picture, "Hi mom! Guess what I learned to make in school today!"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
08/22/1965
publisher
Tribune Printing Company
ID Number
GA.22349
catalog number
22349
accession number
277502

El Musico Arabe

The signed ink drawing was made after Mariano Fortuny’s painting El Musico Arab.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The signed ink drawing was made after Mariano Fortuny’s painting El Musico Arab.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
original artist
Fortuny y Carbo, Mariano
ID Number
GA.16617
catalog number
16617
accession number
119780

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