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.

Topic: Pharmacy

C: CAS CARILL

This "Albarello-shaped" jar and lid is an unusual shape for a wooden drug container.
Description
This "Albarello-shaped" jar and lid is an unusual shape for a wooden drug container. (the lid is stuck to the container) The jar has two incised lines at the neck and near the base, and it is painted green with an ivory-colored medallion, a black and gold border, and an alchemical symbol for Pulvis (Powder).
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0874
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 796
catalog number
1991.0664.0874

Prescription Label, Hofapotheke in coln von J.J. Wrede

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860-05-03
ID Number
1991.0664.1287
catalog number
1991.0664.1287
accession number
1991.0664

Prescription Label, Apotheke von C. Lesaulnier in Niederbreisig

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1239
catalog number
1991.0664.1239
accession number
1991.0664

Prescription Label, Apotheke von Ferd von Gahlenin Barmen

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1846-02-13
ID Number
1991.0664.1285
catalog number
1991.0664.1285
accession number
1991.0664

Albarello

This blue and white albarello dates to the 17th century and is attributed to the city of Faenza, Italy. The jar has a flared neck, and likely would have been used as a medicine container.
Description
This blue and white albarello dates to the 17th century and is attributed to the city of Faenza, Italy. The jar has a flared neck, and likely would have been used as a medicine container. The jar bears the image of a house or other architectural structure that is rendered with a painterly quality and is surrounded by stylized flowers and vines. The back of the container is white.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1600
Date made
1600 - 1650
ID Number
1991.0664.0503
catalog number
M-05715
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 427
catalog number
1991.0664.0503

LE CHIMISTE

The texts at the bottom of this engraved image read “LE CHEMISTE / Tiré du Cabinet de Monsieur Jacques Jean Comte de Wassenaer Seigneur d’Obdam / Chevalier du Saint Empire Roman. / a Paris chez L’Auteur” and “D. Teniers pinxit” and “Gravé par Ch. Fr.
Description
The texts at the bottom of this engraved image read “LE CHEMISTE / Tiré du Cabinet de Monsieur Jacques Jean Comte de Wassenaer Seigneur d’Obdam / Chevalier du Saint Empire Roman. / a Paris chez L’Auteur” and “D. Teniers pinxit” and “Gravé par Ch. Fr. Hormann de Guttenberg.” David Teniers the younger (1610-1690) was a prolific Flemish artist who portrayed alchemists as humble scientists conducting research in their laboratories. Christof Friedrich Hőrmann von Guttenberg (fl. 1730-1760) was a print maker in Nuremberg.
Location
Currently not on view
engraver
Hormann
artist
Teniers II, David
ID Number
1991.0664.0014
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 953

Apothecary Bottle, POLYCR

Blown and molded rectangular shaped bottle with rounded shoulders. The label, applied with a cold color technique is an oval shield framed by green and red leaves with a shell. The label is marked with the alchemical symbol for salt and is marked POLYCR.Currently not on view
Description
Blown and molded rectangular shaped bottle with rounded shoulders. The label, applied with a cold color technique is an oval shield framed by green and red leaves with a shell. The label is marked with the alchemical symbol for salt and is marked POLYCR.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0426
catalog number
M-05575
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 287
catalog number
1991.0664.0426

Mortar and Pestle

Beaker-shaped mortar with two knob handles. The body of the mortar has incised lines Marked "ANNO 1783". Based on the decoration of the mortar, Urdang felt this mortar was made within the in Germanic territory.Currently not on view
Description
Beaker-shaped mortar with two knob handles. The body of the mortar has incised lines Marked "ANNO 1783". Based on the decoration of the mortar, Urdang felt this mortar was made within the in Germanic territory.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1783
ID Number
1991.0664.0136
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 401
catalog number
1991.0664.0136
M-05689

Prescription Label, Faaborg Apothek

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1320
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
1991.0664.1320

SPIR CARMIN SYLV

This square-shaped bottle is marked SPIR CARMIN SYLV. The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment. The bottle would have contained Spirit of Carminative.
Description
This square-shaped bottle is marked SPIR CARMIN SYLV. The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment. The bottle would have contained Spirit of Carminative. Carminatives are used to prevent or expel gastrointestinal gas.
The generic blue and yellow decoration with its stylized crown above the cartouche is similar to glass drug jars in the collection of the Deutsche Apotheken Museum in Heidelberg, Germany.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0246
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05394
collector/donor number
SAP 103
catalog number
1991.0664.0246

Ung: Santalum

This waisted drug jar has a white background decorated with stylized garlands of blue and orange flowers surrounded by green leaves. The waist has a band of gothic–style letters that read Ung Santalinum. The foot has a green wash and the lid has a band of blue flowers.
Description
This waisted drug jar has a white background decorated with stylized garlands of blue and orange flowers surrounded by green leaves. The waist has a band of gothic–style letters that read Ung Santalinum. The foot has a green wash and the lid has a band of blue flowers. The lid has a crack down the center and the finial has broken off. Historian George Urdang attributes this piece to mid–eighteenth century Strasbourg. The jar would have contained Unguentum santalum, or ointment from the "Santalum", or sandalwood tree. The oils from sandalwood were well known for their strong aromas, and were used as an antivenereal and astringent.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
Date made
1725 - 1775
ID Number
1991.0664.0678
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05890
collector/donor number
SAP 602
catalog number
1991.0664.0678.01
1991.0664.0678.02

Oxyd. Aipri

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0981.03
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-06377
1991.0664.0981.03
collector/donor number
SAP 1069

Prescription Label, Apotheke in Steele

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1859
ID Number
1991.0664.1208
catalog number
1991.0664.1208
accession number
1991.0664

Die Mondsüchtigen

Satirical image of moonstruck charlatans offering quacks cures for cholera, probably created at the time of the cholera epidemic of 1831-1832.
Description
Satirical image of moonstruck charlatans offering quacks cures for cholera, probably created at the time of the cholera epidemic of 1831-1832. The inscription reads “DIE MONDSÜCHTIGEN / oder / allerneuste Gespensterfurcht ver der so gräfslich genannten / aber schon seit Jahrtausenden bekannten—Cholera.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0011
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 969

Prescription Label, Schwanen Apotheke

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1280
catalog number
1991.0664.1280
accession number
1991.0664

Apothecary Bottle, SP FORMIC

This square, blown and molded glass bottle has an applied neck and flared collar. The bottle is decorated with a baked white enamel cartouche which is framed by stylized blue leaves and yellow and red flowers. It is marked in black SP FORMIC.Currently not on view
Description
This square, blown and molded glass bottle has an applied neck and flared collar. The bottle is decorated with a baked white enamel cartouche which is framed by stylized blue leaves and yellow and red flowers. It is marked in black SP FORMIC.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
17th-18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0209
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05357
collector/donor number
SAP 66

BENEDITTA H

The lower shoulder of this drug jar in inscribed BENEDITTA H. The jar would have contained Benedicts’s herb, or Geum urbanum. The herb and its roots were used as a remedy for liver disease and stomach ailments.The jar has a white background decorated with blue vines.
Description
The lower shoulder of this drug jar in inscribed BENEDITTA H. The jar would have contained Benedicts’s herb, or Geum urbanum. The herb and its roots were used as a remedy for liver disease and stomach ailments.
The jar has a white background decorated with blue vines. Its center contains a coat of arms framed by a yellow shield and topped by a knight’s helmet. The escutcheon has a blue field, with three stars on a yellow band running diagonally across the upper quarter of the shield. The bottom of the shield features a yellow rooster perches on a three-pronged brown base. The initials P. and G. flank either side of the shield. This jar belongs to a series of containers 1991.0664.0525 through 1991.0664.0529 which have been attributed to eighteenth century Savona.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1700
ID Number
1991.0664.0527
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 451
catalog number
1991.0664.0527

SPIRIT MURIAT AH

This square-shaped glass bottle has a baked enamel label marked SPIR MATRICAL. Matricaria contains the leaves of the Feverfew plant, a European herb.The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment.
Description
This square-shaped glass bottle has a baked enamel label marked SPIR MATRICAL. Matricaria contains the leaves of the Feverfew plant, a European herb.
The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment. The generic blue and yellow decoration with its stylized crown above the cartouche is similar to glass drug jars in the collection of the Deutsche Apotheken Museum in Heidelberg, Germany.
This blown and molded glass bottle is marked "SPIRIT MURIAT AH.” Muriaticum was used as a tonic, diuretic, and antiseptic.
The European Apothecary Collection contains dozens of drug jars with this same embellishment. The generic blue and yellow decoration with its stylized crown above the cartouche is similar to glass drug jars in the collection of the Deutsche Apotheken Museum in Heidelberg, Germany.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0242
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05390
1991.0664.0242.01
1991.0664.0242.02
collector/donor number
SAP 99

Drug Jar

This small earthenware jar was made to contain extracts used in the preparations of apothecary medicines.
Description
This small earthenware jar was made to contain extracts used in the preparations of apothecary medicines. The jar has a label that is marked “Extract Salicis.” It would have contained white willow bark extract, salicin, which becomes salicylic acid, a forerunner of aspirin.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1091
catalog number
M-06112
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 824
catalog number
1991.0664.1091

Ell di Sebesten

This blue monochrome albarello is decorated with cobalt blue vines and leaves. The escroll in the center of the container is marked in gothic script that reads Ell di Sebesten. Albarelli with wide mouths held dry bulk materia medica.
Description
This blue monochrome albarello is decorated with cobalt blue vines and leaves. The escroll in the center of the container is marked in gothic script that reads Ell di Sebesten. Albarelli with wide mouths held dry bulk materia medica. Inscriptions of the jar's contents begin to appear about 1450. This jar would have contained Sebestena, the sweet plum fruit from the Cordia myxa tree that was used to soothe the throat.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1500
Date made
1500 - 1550
ID Number
1991.0664.0491
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05703
collector/donor number
SAP 415
catalog number
1991.0664.0491

AQUA PRUN PADI

This glass jar has a broken lip. The blue and white baked enamel label is marked AQUA PRUN PADI in black text. Prunus padus is a species of cherry tree native to Europe. Its leaves and flowers would have been distilled in water to make Aqua Prunus Padus.
Description
This glass jar has a broken lip. The blue and white baked enamel label is marked AQUA PRUN PADI in black text. Prunus padus is a species of cherry tree native to Europe. Its leaves and flowers would have been distilled in water to make Aqua Prunus Padus. The solution was used as a narcotic and a digestive. It would have contained hydrocyanic acid, which is poisonous in large amounts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0464
catalog number
M-05613
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 325
catalog number
1991.0664.0464

Prescription Label, Hofapotheke in Braunfels von Carl Hagen

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.Early labels were plain and without adornment.
Description (Brief)
The Bristol-Myers Squibb Collection has over two hundred early prescription labels from dozens of apothecaries across Germany and Austria.
Early labels were plain and without adornment. Later embellishments included decorative borders, images of animals such as stags, lions, or elephants associated with the name of the apothecary.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.1300
catalog number
1991.0664.1300
accession number
1991.0664

Virid oris

This wooden straight-walled drug jar and lid is painted dark green, with an ivory-colored oval medallion surrounded by ivory-colored half moons and c-scrolls. The interior of the medallion is marked in black, "Virid oris".
Description
This wooden straight-walled drug jar and lid is painted dark green, with an ivory-colored oval medallion surrounded by ivory-colored half moons and c-scrolls. The interior of the medallion is marked in black, "Virid oris". The Interior wall of the container and lid is stained with a bright green residue.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1991.0664.0879
accession number
1991.0664
collector/donor number
SAP 801
catalog number
1991.0664.0879.01
1991.0664.0879.02

Syr Papaver Er

This baluster shaped syrup jar has a white tin glazed background with two continuous bands of stylized blue, orange and red flowers. The spout resembles the stem of a plant.
Description
This baluster shaped syrup jar has a white tin glazed background with two continuous bands of stylized blue, orange and red flowers. The spout resembles the stem of a plant. The handle has two applied brown stems that overlap and terminate with green leaves at the widest point of the jar. Historian George Urdang suggests this jar was made in or around the town of Niderville in the Lorraine region of eastern France. The jar would have contained Syrup of Papaver Erraticum, the juice of red poppy, which was used as an analgesic.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
18th century
ID Number
1991.0664.0683
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
M-05895
collector/donor number
SAP 607
catalog number
1991.0664.0683.01
1991.0664.0683.02

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