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: France

Street in Neufchâteau

Charcoal, wash, and gouache drawing on card. The work depicts a street scene in Neufchâteau, France. A woman carrying a basket walks down in the road, facing the viewer. A church's tower dominates the background.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal, wash, and gouache drawing on card. The work depicts a street scene in Neufchâteau, France. A woman carrying a basket walks down in the road, facing the viewer. A church's tower dominates the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25669
catalog number
25669
accession number
64592

Billeting Village Near Neufchateau, Farm Building

Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts a farm building in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The farm building is in good condition.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on beige card. The work depicts a farm building in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The farm building is in good condition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25648
catalog number
25648
accession number
64592

A Billet Village on the Marne

A charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. The sketch depicts a small village in France where American soldiers were billeted during World War I.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. The sketch depicts a small village in France where American soldiers were billeted during World War I. The Marne river, seen here in the right background, was
the line a German offensive in the spring and summer of 1918.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25944
catalog number
25944
accession number
64592

Paris porcelain coffee cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
early nineteenth century
ID Number
CE.P-99ab
catalog number
P-99ab
accession number
225282

At Ménil-la-Tour

Pencil and watercolor color sketch on paper. The work depicts the French village of Ménil-la-Tour during World War I. Soldiers, trucks, and horses populate the scene; a church steeple rises in the background.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil and watercolor color sketch on paper. The work depicts the French village of Ménil-la-Tour during World War I. Soldiers, trucks, and horses populate the scene; a church steeple rises in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25916
catalog number
25916
accession number
64592

The Square, Pont-à-Mousson

Charcoal sketch on paper. The sketch is a street scene, with people milling about and buildings on either side of the street.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal sketch on paper. The sketch is a street scene, with people milling about and buildings on either side of the street.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25886
catalog number
25886
accession number
64592

Montsec, A Street in No Man's Land

Charcoal sketch on white paper. Sketch shows the ruins of a village on a hill. Smith calls this village "No Man's Land." There are two soldiers at the top of the hill. The street has multiple holes from shell fire.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Sketch shows the ruins of a village on a hill. Smith calls this village "No Man's Land." There are two soldiers at the top of the hill. The street has multiple holes from shell fire. The buildings have all been destroyed and are now without roofs and walls. Telephone pole at left.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26016
catalog number
26016
accession number
64592

Baccarat Paperweight

In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
The French firm, Baccarat, was originally founded as the Verrerie Renaut in 1764, by request of the Bishop of Metz to the King of France, Louis XV. After the French Revolution, the company was re-named Verrerie de Baccarat. Peak production of Baccarat paperweights was between 1846 and1855.
Millefiori, “Gridel” silhouette canes (said to be named after a young boy whose cut paper silhouettes inspired Baccarat’s glass workers), and an “1848” date cane are found in this Baccarat paperweight. Millefiore paperweights, first manufactured in Venice, consist of sections from rods of colored glass encased in a clear, colorless sphere. By the mid-nineteenth century, glass factories elsewhere in Europe were emulating the millefiore style.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1848
maker
Baccarat
ID Number
CE.67.231
catalog number
67.231
accession number
213138

The Engineer

Oil and watercolor painting on paper of two American soldiers while off duty during World War I. The soldiers are in uniform and sitting on a cot.
Description
Oil and watercolor painting on paper of two American soldiers while off duty during World War I. The soldiers are in uniform and sitting on a cot. The soldier on the right is wearing his helmet, with his rifle (probably an M1903 Springfield) propped on the cot next to him, reading a newspaper. The soldier on the left is smoking a cigarette and looking at the viewer. His helmet and bag are hanging on the wall above his head and there is a canteen at his feet. Signed by the artist at bottom left, "Harvey Dunn, 1918"
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.25713
catalog number
25713
accession number
64592

No Man's Land, Near Thiaucourt

Charcoal sketch on paper of a road leading through shell-torn countryside. Denuded trees on either side of road. There are several forms lying on the road in the foreground--possibly soldiers or horses. Stark and lifeless.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal sketch on paper of a road leading through shell-torn countryside. Denuded trees on either side of road. There are several forms lying on the road in the foreground--possibly soldiers or horses. Stark and lifeless.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
maker
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25849
catalog number
25849
accession number
64592

Vaux, July 23, 1918

Charcoal on white paper. Sketch showing a devastated shell torn village. There is a demolished bridge in the foreground and two destroyed buildings in the background.
Description
Charcoal on white paper. Sketch showing a devastated shell torn village. There is a demolished bridge in the foreground and two destroyed buildings in the background. Cracked wooden beams, chunks of concrete, and other debris are scattered throughout the sketch.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-07
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26133
catalog number
26133
accession number
64592

Joe Turner

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Joe Turner (1907-1990). The portrait features the head and hands of Turner as he would be seated at a piano.
Description

White on black lithograph of American jazz pianist, Joe Turner (1907-1990). The portrait features the head and hands of Turner as he would be seated at a piano. The print is marked:

[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
Turner, Joe
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.07
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.07

Louis Armstrong

White on black lithograph of American jazz trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor Louis Armstrong (1901-1971). The portrait is a close-up of Armstrong's face.
Description

White on black lithograph of American jazz trumpeter, composer, vocalist, and actor Louis Armstrong (1901-1971). The portrait is a close-up of Armstrong's face. The print is marked:

[printed along bottom]

LOUIS

[in script, bottom right]

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

[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
Armstrong, Louis
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.12
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.12

Square at Pont-a-Mousson

Pencil and watercolor sketch on paper. American soldiers, mounted and on foot, move through the square of this small French town. An ambulance is in the right foreground. This scene was captured at the end of the First World War.Currently not on view
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on paper. American soldiers, mounted and on foot, move through the square of this small French town. An ambulance is in the right foreground. This scene was captured at the end of the First World War.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-11
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26051
catalog number
26051
accession number
64592

J. J. Rousseau

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1820s
original artist
Gérard, François Pascal Simon
publisher
Quenot, J. P.
ID Number
2014.0250.50
accession number
2014.0250
catalog number
2014.0250.50

Harry C. Hale

A three-quarters portrait of Harry C. Hale depicted as Major General commanding 26th Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hale has gray hair with gray eyes.
Description
A three-quarters portrait of Harry C. Hale depicted as Major General commanding 26th Division. An oil painting on an illustration board. A white man, Major General Hale has gray hair with gray eyes. He is wearing an overcoat (trench coat) with one thick gray band on the near the edge of the sleeve and a smaller gray band above it with a star in the between. A second star might be just out of view on the top of the sleeve to indicate his rank as Major General. A shoulder patch represents the Twenty-fourth division (Yankee division). He is wearing a oversea cap with yellow lining and two stars on the upper left portion (again indicating his rank). His signature is seen on the bottom of the portrait.
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.58115M
catalog number
58115M
accession number
203612

A Roadside Repair Station, Chateau Thierry

Charcoal sketch on white paper. Soldiers of an ammunition train have stopped for repairs at a roadside repair station located to the northwest of Château-Thierry. Depicted is a large motor supply truck which is being repaired by an American soldier in the foreground.
Description
Charcoal sketch on white paper. Soldiers of an ammunition train have stopped for repairs at a roadside repair station located to the northwest of Château-Thierry. Depicted is a large motor supply truck which is being repaired by an American soldier in the foreground. A group of American soldiers work to repair objects on a makeshift workbench at left. Motor parts and other supply boxes surround them on the ground. Two ambulances with the Red Cross emblems are visible in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Townsend, Harry
artist
Townsend, Harry
ID Number
AF.26099
catalog number
26099
accession number
64592

Building Operations at Is-sur-Tille

Charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. Buildings under construction at Is-sur-Tille, France during World War I.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal and watercolor sketch on paper. Buildings under construction at Is-sur-Tille, France during World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25960
catalog number
25960
accession number
64592

Coleman Hawkins

White on black lithograph of American jazz tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969). The image is of Hawkins, in profile, holding a saxophone on his lap. The print is on a cardboard backing.
Description

White on black lithograph of American jazz tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969). The image is of Hawkins, in profile, holding a saxophone on his lap. The print is on a cardboard backing. The lithograph is marked:

[printed along bottom]

HAWKINS

[in script at bottom]

Coleman Hawkins

[in script]/p>

Charles Delauney
3[ ]

This print is from a set of 15 lithographs of jazz musicians, 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
Hawkins, Coleman
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.06
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.06

A Lodging for the Night, 42nd Division

Pen and ink with touches of graphite. Horizontal landscape format; village scene. Church tower and hills in background. Vehicles and a line of horses in foreground. Several soldiers moving about.
Description
Pen and ink with touches of graphite. Horizontal landscape format; village scene. Church tower and hills in background. Vehicles and a line of horses in foreground. Several soldiers moving about. Sketch done on white wove paper that is mounted on tan card with decorative ruled graphite lines.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
maker
Duncan, Walter Jack
ID Number
AF.25686
catalog number
25686
accession number
64592

Flirey

A charcoal sketch on beige card of a scene at Flirey. The army has gathered in the area of the church where it looms in the background to the left, taking up almost the whole height of the sketch. On the left, a broken supply cart dominates the foreground.
Description
A charcoal sketch on beige card of a scene at Flirey. The army has gathered in the area of the church where it looms in the background to the left, taking up almost the whole height of the sketch. On the left, a broken supply cart dominates the foreground. Next to the cart are three soldiers standing and a soldier sitting down. Deeper into the painting, A covered supply cart holds up a canopy where a smoke is coming out of a pipe. To the right of that, soldiers sit on the road leading up to the church. Three trees are in the background to the right of the church. On the right side, soldiers with supply carts are coming up the road. Shell torn buildings line up the right edge of the sketch. In the sky, two parachutes are seen deployed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
maker
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25986
catalog number
25986
accession number
64592

Clichy Paperweight

In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter.
Description (Brief)
In the 1700s, paperweights made from textured stone or bronze were part of the writer’s tool kit, which also included a quill pen and stand, inkpot, and blotter. By the mid-1800s, decorative paperweights produced by glassmakers in Europe and the United States became highly desired collectibles.
Decorative glass paperweights reflected the 19th-century taste for intricate, over-the-top designs. Until the spread of textiles colorized with synthetic dyes, ceramics and glass were among the few objects that added brilliant color to a 19th-century Victorian interior. The popularity of these paperweights in the 1800s testifies to the sustained cultural interest in hand craftsmanship during an age of rapid industrialization.
The French firm, Verrerie de Clichy, began operation after merging with another local glassworks in 1837. The height of paperweight production at the firm was 1846 to 1857.
This Clichy glass paperweight contains closely packed multi-color canes with two pink-and-white, and four green-and-white Rose canes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1845-1850
maker
Clichy
ID Number
CE.65.483
catalog number
65.483
accession number
264964
collector/donor number
128

Saddler's Room in a Monastery

Pencil sketch on white paper, mounted on white thick paper. Three men stand in a room in a monastery. One of the men is making a horse saddle. Sheets of leather on workbenches are seen in the foreground, and there are tools and chains hanging on the wall to the right.
Description
Pencil sketch on white paper, mounted on white thick paper. Three men stand in a room in a monastery. One of the men is making a horse saddle. Sheets of leather on workbenches are seen in the foreground, and there are tools and chains hanging on the wall to the right. The room is dark and in the shadows, except for the area under an open window where the men are standing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-05
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26048
catalog number
26048
accession number
64592

Mopping up Cierges 1918

Charcoal sketch on paper of four American soldiers advancing down a street in Cierges, France. The soldiers are apparently coming through the village at the end of a recent battle, making sure that the village has been cleared of all enemy combatants.
Description
Charcoal sketch on paper of four American soldiers advancing down a street in Cierges, France. The soldiers are apparently coming through the village at the end of a recent battle, making sure that the village has been cleared of all enemy combatants. They have their rifles drawn with bayonet attached. The street is lined with badly damaged buildings in the background. Rubble from the bombed out buildings litters the street.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Morgan, Wallace
artist
Morgan, Wallace
ID Number
AF.25776
catalog number
25776
accession number
64592

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