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

Street Barricade at Château-Thierry

Charcoal, gouache, and watercolor drawing on paper mounted on brown board. The work depicts two American soldiers at a rubble barricade on a street in Château-Thierry, France. The two buildings on either side of the barricade are damaged.
Description
Charcoal, gouache, and watercolor drawing on paper mounted on brown board. The work depicts two American soldiers at a rubble barricade on a street in Château-Thierry, France. The two buildings on either side of the barricade are damaged. Several white buildings are in the background including one with the French word "Coiffeur" written near its roof. The sky is partly cloudy and a plane is flying overhead.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25667
catalog number
25667
accession number
64592

Going into Position through a Ruined Town

A charcoal, pastel, and watercolor drawing on paper of American soldiers marching through a ruined town. Depicted are twelve American soldiers in olive drab uniforms wearing helmets, with gas masks hanging from their necks and packs on their backs.
Description
A charcoal, pastel, and watercolor drawing on paper of American soldiers marching through a ruined town. Depicted are twelve American soldiers in olive drab uniforms wearing helmets, with gas masks hanging from their necks and packs on their backs. Some are carrying M1903 Springfield rifles. One of the soldiers at front left is holding the reins of a horse that is pulling a blue cart full of packs and supplies. Beyond the soldiers in the background is a village filled with damaged and destroyed buildings. The buildings are white with red roofs. Army trucks can be seen driving through the village streets in the background at left.
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.25707
catalog number
25707
accession number
64592

Studies for San Salvador, 1492

Gerome Ferris sketched these helmets in pencil for his 1930 historical painting of Christopher Columbus landing in the new world, San Salvador, 1492.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Gerome Ferris sketched these helmets in pencil for his 1930 historical painting of Christopher Columbus landing in the new world, San Salvador, 1492.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1920s
original artist
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
1985.0650.006
accession number
1985.0650
catalog number
85.0650.006

The River at Neufchâteau

Crayon and gouache on card. The work depicts a view of the river at Neufchâteau, France. Two soldiers are along the bank of the river. One man is sitting down and fishing; the other holds an umbrella over the sitting man's head.
Description
Crayon and gouache on card. The work depicts a view of the river at Neufchâteau, France. Two soldiers are along the bank of the river. One man is sitting down and fishing; the other holds an umbrella over the sitting man's head. A large church, several houses, and outhouses are visible in the background.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25674
catalog number
25674
accession number
64592

Between Le Charmel and Jaulgonne

A watercolor and pastel drawing on paper of American troops moving between Le Charmel and Jaulgonne in France during the Battle of the Marne. At left, soldiers in green uniforms march along the road towards the foreground.
Description
A watercolor and pastel drawing on paper of American troops moving between Le Charmel and Jaulgonne in France during the Battle of the Marne. At left, soldiers in green uniforms march along the road towards the foreground. Several of the soldiers are carrying guns, probably M1903 Springfield rifles. At right are several covered supply wagons heading down the road into the background. The wagon at the rear is stuck in the muddy road and several soldiers are trying to push it out. One soldier at center, possibly an officer, is watching the soldiers push the wagon. Trees line the side of the road and a white building can be seen in the far background.
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.67519M
catalog number
67519M
accession number
229290

German Prisoner Type

Mixed media on board. Portrait of a German prisoner of war. The man is wearing rimmed glasses and has a beard.Currently not on view
Description
Mixed media on board. Portrait of a German prisoner of war. The man is wearing rimmed glasses and has a beard.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25660
catalog number
25660
accession number
64592
64592

The Flare

Charcoal and pastel drawing on paper of a scene in No Man's Land that is being lit by a flare burning overhead. Depicted at center are two soldiers carrying a body on a stretcher as they walk along a line of barbed wire.
Description
Charcoal and pastel drawing on paper of a scene in No Man's Land that is being lit by a flare burning overhead. Depicted at center are two soldiers carrying a body on a stretcher as they walk along a line of barbed wire. In the foreground at left another soldier is sitting on the ground by more barbed wire and what remains of a tree. On the right is a dead soldier lying next to his rifle, which is staked into the ground with a helmet hanging from the stalk, likely as a battlefield cross. There is another soldier in the background at right and a ruined village in the background at left. Rows of barbed wire are visible throughout. The sky is black with only the light from the flare illuminating the scene. Signed by the artist at bottom right, "Harvey Dunn, AEF, Sept. '18"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
artist
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25717
catalog number
25717
accession number
64592

Working Sketch

Unsigned drawing showing a printing press in ink and two male figures in pencilCurrently not on view
Description (Brief)
Unsigned drawing showing a printing press in ink and two male figures in pencil
Location
Currently not on view
original artist
Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome
ID Number
GA.16562.13
catalog number
16562.13
accession number
119780

Clearing Out the Road through Mont St. Père

Charcoal and gouache on beige textured paper mounted on brown card. The work depicts soldiers clearing rubble off the road that goes through Mont-Saint-Père. The large building that dominates the scene is badly damaged from the war.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal and gouache on beige textured paper mounted on brown card. The work depicts soldiers clearing rubble off the road that goes through Mont-Saint-Père. The large building that dominates the scene is badly damaged from the war.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25651
catalog number
25651
accession number
64592

Bramme

Charcoal drawing on paper. Two American soldiers and a woman stand in front of a large building in the town of Bramme, a village on the Mosel River. There are a few other people dotting the background of this World War I village street scene.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal drawing on paper. Two American soldiers and a woman stand in front of a large building in the town of Bramme, a village on the Mosel River. There are a few other people dotting the background of this World War I village street scene.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25954
catalog number
25954
accession number
64592

First Division Headquarters Kitchen - St. Mihiel Drive

A charcoal and gouache painting on light beige card of the first division headquarters kitchen located on St. Mihiel Drive. The kitchen is in front of a building. There are approximately 27 soldiers in the drawing although most of their faces are not detailed.
Description
A charcoal and gouache painting on light beige card of the first division headquarters kitchen located on St. Mihiel Drive. The kitchen is in front of a building. There are approximately 27 soldiers in the drawing although most of their faces are not detailed. The soldiers are standing around, eating, resting, or gathering food into their mess kit. There is a tent with the sign "Mud Dog Inn" at left. Rifles are stacked against the building on the right.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25656
catalog number
25656
accession number
64592

Chateau Thierry

Ink wash sketch. The scene depicts the village of Chateau Thierry as seen from the Old Chateau. A label affixed to the bottom of the drawing reads: "CHATEAU THIERRY/From the terrace of the Old Chateau, July 21, 1918/BY E.
Description
Ink wash sketch. The scene depicts the village of Chateau Thierry as seen from the Old Chateau. A label affixed to the bottom of the drawing reads: "CHATEAU THIERRY/From the terrace of the Old Chateau, July 21, 1918/BY E. PEIXOTTO/TRANSFERRED FROM THE WAR DEPARTMENT/2977."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-06
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
maker
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25819
catalog number
25819
accession number
64592

The Church at Nesles

Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on card. The work depicts a shell-torn church at Nesles, France. In the foreground, an American soldier crouches in front of a stone wall.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal, ink wash, and gouache on card. The work depicts a shell-torn church at Nesles, France. In the foreground, an American soldier crouches in front of a stone wall.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
date depicted
1918-07-09
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25672 [dup1]
catalog number
25672
accession number
64592

Block printer

Watercolor drawing depicting the activities of the block printer for Japanese printmaking. Identified as "Fig. III" . Published in Tokuno essay on Japanese woodcutting and wood-cut printing, edited by S. R. Koehler for SI Annual Report for 1892.
Description
Watercolor drawing depicting the activities of the block printer for Japanese printmaking. Identified as "Fig. III" . Published in Tokuno essay on Japanese woodcutting and wood-cut printing, edited by S. R. Koehler for SI Annual Report for 1892. One of a series of drawings received about 1890 that later were used to model manikins and lay out the Graphic Arts exhibit of Japanese printmaking techniques. Printer shown seated with his furniture and tools.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1888-89
ID Number
GA.03209.03
accession number
22582
catalog number
03209.03

Billeting Village Near Neufchateau

Charcoal, crayon, watercolor, and gouache on heavy white card. The work depicts several buildings on a street in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The buildings are intact and not shell-torn.
Description
Charcoal, crayon, watercolor, and gouache on heavy white card. The work depicts several buildings on a street in a village near Neufchâteau, France. The buildings are intact and not shell-torn. The painting shows the view down a road which leads through village.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25646
catalog number
25646
accession number
64592

A Repair Shop at Issoudun

Pencil and crayon drawing on paper. The work depicts the interior of an airplane repair shop at Issoudun, France during World War I. Men are working on disassembled airplanes.
Description
Pencil and crayon drawing on paper. The work depicts the interior of an airplane repair shop at Issoudun, France during World War I. Men are working on disassembled airplanes. A piece of an engine or airplane body is suspended in the ceiling above the overhead beams.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25924
catalog number
25924
accession number
64592

Buffalo Chase

Wohaw, aka Beef, Wolf Robe, Gu hau de (Kiowa),drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida"Buffalo Chase"Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878Pencil, colored pencil, and watercolorWohaw's drawing shows a party of Kiowa warriors participating in a buffalo hunt.
Description
Wohaw, aka Beef, Wolf Robe, Gu hau de (Kiowa),
drawn between 1875 and 1878 at Fort Marion, Florida
"Buffalo Chase"
Collected by Richard Henry Pratt about 1878
Pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor
Wohaw's drawing shows a party of Kiowa warriors participating in a buffalo hunt. The warriors ride tightly together behind the herd. One buffalo has been successfully killed.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1875-1878
original artist
Wohaw
ID Number
2008.0175.53
catalog number
2008.0175.053
accession number
2008.0175

Study of Man in a Suit

Stephen Ferris made his sketch in a class at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879. (His son Gerome had been enrolled at the Academy since 1878).
Description (Brief)
Stephen Ferris made his sketch in a class at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1879. (His son Gerome had been enrolled at the Academy since 1878). On the verso there is an outline sketch of bare- breasted woman with large necklace and long hair, holding a bowl on her left hip with cup raised in right hand.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1879-02-14
original artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.16688
catalog number
16688
accession number
119780

No Man's Land

A charcoal and watercolor drawing on paper of a typical scene in No Man's Land during World War I. Depicted is a deserted, empty ruin of tree stumps and barbed wire with smoke in the background. At left is a dead horse next to a human skull.
Description
A charcoal and watercolor drawing on paper of a typical scene in No Man's Land during World War I. Depicted is a deserted, empty ruin of tree stumps and barbed wire with smoke in the background. At left is a dead horse next to a human skull. At right is a dead soldier with a rifle staked into the ground and a helmet lying beside the rifle. There is a crashed airplane in the distance. Signed by the artist at bottom right, "Harvey Dunn, AEF, Oct. 1918"
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-10
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
maker
Dunn, Harvey Thomas
ID Number
AF.25711
catalog number
25711
accession number
64592

Boy with a Snowball

The signed pencil drawing was squared with faint grid lines for transfer to another medium, probably a plate for reproduction as an etching or engraving. It could also have been squared for transfer to a canvas.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
The signed pencil drawing was squared with faint grid lines for transfer to another medium, probably a plate for reproduction as an etching or engraving. It could also have been squared for transfer to a canvas.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
original artist
Schussele, Christian
ID Number
GA.16633
catalog number
16633
accession number
119780

Taking Artillery Around the Mine Crater in the Road to Varennes

Charcoal sketch on paper. A large cross is surrounded by several smaller crosses, some bearing wreaths or ribbons, in the foreground. A group of soldiers is resting among the crosses. Some men appear to be eating.
Description
Charcoal sketch on paper. A large cross is surrounded by several smaller crosses, some bearing wreaths or ribbons, in the foreground. A group of soldiers is resting among the crosses. Some men appear to be eating. A group of soldiers, on foot and on horseback, ascend a small hill in the background. At the end of this procession is a large piece of artillery. On the right of the sketch is a crater; some soldiers are walking up and out of the depression while others are at work inside the crater.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
maker
Morgan, Wallace
ID Number
AF.25783
catalog number
25783
accession number
64592

Sniper at Chateau Thierry

Charcoal and gouache drawing on card taped to a white matte. The work depicts an American sniper lying prone on the ground with his Springfield rifle aimed to the right of the picture. A portion of a stone structure, likely a chimney, is behind him.
Description
Charcoal and gouache drawing on card taped to a white matte. The work depicts an American sniper lying prone on the ground with his Springfield rifle aimed to the right of the picture. A portion of a stone structure, likely a chimney, is behind him. The red tiles in the drawing indicate that he is on the roof of a building.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25666
catalog number
25666
accession number
64592

German Prisoner Type

Mixed media drawing on cardboard. Portrait of a German soldier's face. He has a cap with a green ribbon on it, pulled to one side.Currently not on view
Description
Mixed media drawing on cardboard. Portrait of a German soldier's face. He has a cap with a green ribbon on it, pulled to one side.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Aylward, William James
ID Number
AF.25658
catalog number
25658
accession number
64592

Lewis Latimer Patent Drawing

Electricity pioneer Lewis Latimer drew this component of an arc lamp, an early type of electric light, for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company in 1880.The son of escaped slaves and a Civil War veteran at age sixteen, Latimer trained himself as a draftsman.
Description
Electricity pioneer Lewis Latimer drew this component of an arc lamp, an early type of electric light, for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company in 1880.
The son of escaped slaves and a Civil War veteran at age sixteen, Latimer trained himself as a draftsman. His technical and artistic skills earned him jobs with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, among others. An inventor in his own right, Latimer received numerous patents and was a renowned industry expert on incandescent lighting.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1880-07-25
maker
Latimer, Lewis H.
ID Number
1983.0458.21
accession number
1983.0458
catalog number
1983.0458.21

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