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.

"Saint Florian" Engine Panel Painting

In the nineteenth century, volunteer fire companies often commissioned paintings to decorate their hand-pumped fire engines for parades, competitions, and community events.
Description
In the nineteenth century, volunteer fire companies often commissioned paintings to decorate their hand-pumped fire engines for parades, competitions, and community events. Sometimes framed with elaborate carvings, they adorned the tall air chamber located at the middle or rear of a pumper. The paintings would often feature patriotic, heroic, or allegorical images to associate the volunteer companies with these lofty ideals.
The knight pictured is Saint Florian, who is associated with protection from the destructive forces of fire and water. Florian was a Roman guard under Emperor Diocletian who converted to Christianity. He was drowned when he refused to follow the order to persecute fellow Christians. The painting depicts Florian in his Roman garb putting out a fire with a single bucket of water, a common motif in depictions of the saint.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0323
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0323

In the St. Mihiel Sector

Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station.
Description
Pencil and watercolor sketch on white paper, mounted on thick paper. The sketch shows a telephone station trench-like structure in the foreground. There is an American soldier standing right outside of the station. Behind them, there are barbed wire fences, and more American soldiers (one of which is one a horse). In the distant background, destroyed structures and fields are visible. Two barrage balloons and two clouds of smoke are floating in the sky above the scene.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918-09-13
1918-09
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26004
catalog number
26004
accession number
64592

The Machine Gunner

Currently not on view
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.25722
catalog number
25722
accession number
64592

A Corner House at Badonviller

Charcoal sketch on paper. The work depicts a damaged house on the corner of a street in Badonviller, France during World War I. The roof and one wall of the house are shell-torn, with structural elements, rafters, and the chimney visible from the street.
Description
Charcoal sketch on paper. The work depicts a damaged house on the corner of a street in Badonviller, France during World War I. The roof and one wall of the house are shell-torn, with structural elements, rafters, and the chimney visible from the street. Pairs of soldiers are walking past and gathered around the house.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25939
catalog number
25939
accession number
64592

Joseph H. Stowers

Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Sergeant Joseph H. Stowers. Stowers wears a Alabama State Letters collar disk on the collar of his tunic and two gold chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve (indicating overseas service).
Description
Oil on illustration board. Portrait of Sergeant Joseph H. Stowers. Stowers wears a Alabama State Letters collar disk on the collar of his tunic and two gold chevrons on his lower left arm sleeve (indicating overseas service). He also wears a M1917 helmet with the chinstrap worn above the rim. Stowers rests his right arm on the back of a chair. Only his head, helmet, and chevrons are filled in with color. His signature in red crayon is in the top left corner.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
Associated Date
1919
artist
Chase, Joseph Cummings
ID Number
AF.58064M
catalog number
58064M
accession number
203612

The Rhine Looking Down Stream from Coblenz

This pencil sketch of the Rhine River was drawn at the close of World War I by one of the official American Expeditionary Forces soldier-artists. Reaching the Rhine was a major objective of the AEF during the war.
Description
This pencil sketch of the Rhine River was drawn at the close of World War I by one of the official American Expeditionary Forces soldier-artists. Reaching the Rhine was a major objective of the AEF during the war. The American occupation of the German city of Koblenz began in December 1918, after November's armistice.
In this sketch, the Rhine River is in the foreground. Across the river, the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress sits atop a hill. This fortress served as the US Army's headquarters during the occupation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917 - 1918
associated person
War Department
Smith, J. Andre
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.26041
catalog number
26041
accession number
64592

Main Street, Varennes

Charcoal and ink wash sketch on white card stock. The center of the village of Varennes is destroyed. A soldier on a motorcycle and several vehicles pass along the main raid through the village.Currently not on view
Description
Charcoal and ink wash sketch on white card stock. The center of the village of Varennes is destroyed. A soldier on a motorcycle and several vehicles pass along the main raid through the village.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Peixotto, Ernest Clifford
ID Number
AF.25845
catalog number
25845
accession number
64592

Tiffany vase

Amber bottle glass. Form: Jar or bowl with double body, ring sides, no neck and large opening. Lip was ben in a triangle while glass was hot. Decorated with broad leaves in metallic blue, iridescent. Purchased from Charles Tiffany, $20.00.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Amber bottle glass. Form: Jar or bowl with double body, ring sides, no neck and large opening. Lip was ben in a triangle while glass was hot. Decorated with broad leaves in metallic blue, iridescent. Purchased from Charles Tiffany, $20.00.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1895
maker
Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company, or Tiffany Studios
ID Number
CE.96421
catalog number
96421
accession number
30453
maker number
4952

St. Louis or 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. Glass production at Saint Louis was authorized by Louis XV in 1767. By 1782 the firm was creating high quality glass crystal, progressing into pressed glass in the 1800s. St. Louis produced paperweights from 1845 to about 1867.
This paperweight was probably made at St. Louis or Clichy. It features a bouquet of deep pink flowers with one red bud, and a star-cut base.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 1800s
maker
St. Louis
ID Number
CE.67.228
catalog number
67.228
accession number
213138

vase

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1875-1900
c.1875-1900
maker
Gillinder & Sons
ID Number
1986.0446.0070
accession number
1986.0446
catalog number
1986.446.70

Colorful, Electric Light Shade

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915
maker
Macbeth-Evans Glass Company
ID Number
CE.900
catalog number
900
accession number
58571

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

Marian Anderson

White on black lithograph of American opera singer, Marian Anderson (1897-1993).
Description

White on black lithograph of American opera singer, Marian Anderson (1897-1993). The print is marked:

[in script along bottom]

MARIAN ANDERSON

[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
Anderson, Marian
maker
Delaunay, Charles
ID Number
2001.0182.02
accession number
2001.0182
catalog number
2001.0182.02

Paris porcelain cup and saucer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c.1811
ID Number
CE.P-582ab
catalog number
P-582ab
accession number
225282

L'Antichambre

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1874
original artist
Fortuny y Carbo, Mariano
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
ID Number
GA.14518.02
catalog number
14518.02
accession number
94830

Nandina domestica

Japanese wood block print. No. 13 in a series of progressive proofs of a stylized group of leaves and berries from the shrub Nandina domestica. Designed by Tsubaki Chinzan, engraved by Kotaro Kido, and printed by Iwakichi Yamamoto.Currently not on view
Description
Japanese wood block print. No. 13 in a series of progressive proofs of a stylized group of leaves and berries from the shrub Nandina domestica. Designed by Tsubaki Chinzan, engraved by Kotaro Kido, and printed by Iwakichi Yamamoto.
Location
Currently not on view
engraver
Kido, Kotaro
ID Number
GA.03217.13
catalog number
03217.13
accession number
22582

Man wrapped in white sheet

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1983
maker
Colo, Papo
ID Number
2013.0327.0321
accession number
2013.0327
catalog number
2013.0327.0321

Untitled (J.P. Morgan?)

Black & white print; 1/2 length portrait of a man (possibly J.P. Morgan).Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Black & white print; 1/2 length portrait of a man (possibly J.P. Morgan).
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Campbell, V. Floyd
ID Number
DL.60.3112
catalog number
60.3112
accession number
228146

Sèvres compote bowl (part of a service)

The compote bowl comes from a service that Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) gave to his sister Pauline (1780-1825) when she established a home in Paris at the hôtel de Charost.
Description
The compote bowl comes from a service that Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) gave to his sister Pauline (1780-1825) when she established a home in Paris at the hôtel de Charost. The pale lilac used as a ground color was fashionable in post-revolutionary France, a time when interior designers experimented with new and unusual colors and color combinations, and one of the boudoirs in the hôtel de Charost was painted in a similar color. The figure subjects are painted in brown and highlighted in gold on a ground painted to imitate marble. On one side the subject appears to be Mars the god of war with helmet, club, and vulture at his feet, his chariot drawn by three hybid monsters, but we see also the attributes of other gods like Mercury's staff, and neptunes trident. On the other side of the bowl the subject of a female figure in a chariot drawn by cupids holding flaming torches is also not clear. Two Roman heads in profile are painted on medallions with marble grounds, and framed by gold stars, purple beads and foliate ornament.
The compote's light lilac ground has dark purple ornament painted in overglaze enamel. A Greek key pattern circles the bowl below the rim, and a foliate frieze circles the base of the bowl where it meets the foot. The foot stem supporting the bowl is heavily gilded, and a band of gold circles the interior of the compote, which is otherwise left undecorated.
See Liana Paredes, 2009, exhibition catalog “Sèvres Then and Now: Tradition and Innovation in Porcelain, 1750-2000”, p.73, p.148.
This compote belongs to the Alfred Duane Pell collection in the National Museum of American History. Before Pell (1864-1924) became an Episcopalian clergyman quite late in life, he and his wife Cornelia Livingstone Crosby Pell (1861-1938) travelled widely, and as they travelled they collected European porcelains, silver, and furniture. Pell came from a wealthy family and he purchased the large William Pickhardt Mansion on 5th Avenue and East 74th Street in which to display his vast collection. The Smithsonian was one of several institutions to receive substantial bequests from the Reverend Pell which laid the foundation for their collections of European applied arts.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1805
ID Number
CE.P-778B
catalog number
P-778B
accession number
225282

Devil's Way, Algiers

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1879
graphic artist
Ferris, Stephen James
original artist
Mouilleron, Adolphe
ID Number
GA.14468.03
accession number
94830
catalog number
14468.03

Worcester porcelain sugar bowl and cover (part of a service)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1785
ID Number
CE.P-850Cab
catalog number
P-850Cab
accession number
225282

Distant View of Hattonchatel

A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Hattonchatel, France. The town sits atop a hill; in the field below is a barbed wire fence.Currently not on view
Description
A pencil and watercolor sketch on paper of Hattonchatel, France. The town sits atop a hill; in the field below is a barbed wire fence.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
associated date
1917-1918
associated person
War Department
artist
Smith, J. Andre
ID Number
AF.25980
catalog number
25980
accession number
64592

Trotting Horse Weathervane

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1875-1899
ID Number
CL.65.0932
catalog number
65.0932
accession number
256396

Meissen cup and saucer

TITLE: Meissen cup and saucerMAKER: Meissen ManufactoryPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ceramic, porcelain (overall material)MEASUREMENTS: Cup: H. 1¾ 4.5cm; Saucer: D. 5⅛" 13.1cm.OBJECT NAME: Cup and saucerPLACE MADE: Meissen, Saxony, GermanyDATE MADE: ca.
Description
TITLE: Meissen cup and saucer
MAKER: Meissen Manufactory
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ceramic, porcelain (overall material)
MEASUREMENTS: Cup: H. 1¾ 4.5cm; Saucer: D. 5⅛" 13.1cm.
OBJECT NAME: Cup and saucer
PLACE MADE: Meissen, Saxony, Germany
DATE MADE: ca. 1740
SUBJECT: Art
Domestic Furnishing
Industry and Manufacturing
CREDIT LINE: Hans C. Syz Collection
ID NUMBER: 1987.0896.16ab
COLLECTOR/ DONOR: 183ab
ACCESSION NUMBER:
(DATA SOURCE: National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center)
MARKS: Crossed swords in underglaze blue; “N” in iron-red; “44” impressed on cup; “66” impressed on saucer (former’s numbers).
PURCHASED FROM: Adolf Beckhardt, The Art Exchange, New York, 1942.
This cup and saucer is from the Smithsonian’s Hans Syz Collection of Meissen Porcelain. Dr. Syz (1894-1991) began his collection in the early years of World War II, when he purchased eighteenth-century Meissen table wares from the Art Exchange run by the New York dealer Adolf Beckhardt (1889-1962). Dr. Syz, a Swiss immigrant to the United States, collected Meissen porcelain while engaged in a professional career in psychiatry and the research of human behavior. He believed that cultural artifacts have an important role to play in enhancing our awareness and understanding of human creativity and its communication among peoples. His collection grew to represent this conviction.
The invention of Meissen porcelain, declared over three hundred years ago early in 1709, was a collective achievement that represents an early modern precursor to industrial chemistry and materials science. The porcelains we see in our museum collections, made in the small town of Meissen in the German States, were the result of an intense period of empirical research. Generally associated with artistic achievement of a high order, Meissen porcelain was also a technological achievement in the development of inorganic, non-metallic materials.
The white cup and saucer have onglaze enamel painted scenes of Dutch merchants and harbor workers engaged in loading or unloading goods and conducting business on the quayside. The harbor scenes of the seventeenth century represented to the Dutch their success in trade from the Baltic to the Mediterranean and the Far East at a time when the Republic was the most prosperous seafaring nation in Europe. The popularity of these subjects extended into the eighteenth century, and introduced at Meissen in the 1720s these so-called Kauffahrtei remained in the manufactory’s repertoire until the 1750s. The Meissen manufactory accumulated folios of prints, about six to twelve in a set, as well as illustrated books and individual prints after the work of many Dutch artists, especially the work of Jan van Goyen (1596-1656), Jan van de Velde (1593-1641), and Johann Wilhelm Baur (d.1640). Printed images enriched people’s lives and a series of prints might take the viewer on a journey, real or imaginary. Prints performed a role in European visual culture later extended by photography and film, and they provided artisans and artists with images, motifs, and patterns applied in many branches of the applied arts.
The Meissen manufactory operated under a system of division of labor. Enamel painters specializing in landscapes, harbor, and river scenes with staffage (figures and animals) were paid more than those who painted flowers, fruits and underglaze blue patterns. Most painters received pay by the piece rather than a regular wage or salary. The gold rim lines were the work of another specialist in the painting division.
On graphic sources for Meissen’s painters see Möller, K. A., “’…fine copper pieces for the factory…’ Meissen Pieces Based on graphic originals” in Pietsch, U., Banz, C., 2010, Triumph of the Blue Swords: Meissen Porcelain for Aristocracy and Bourgoisie 1710-1815, pp. 84-93.
On the painting division at Meissen see Rückert, R., 1990, Biographische Daten der Meissener Manufakturisten des 18. Jahrhunderts, pp. 134-136.
Hans Syz, J. Jefferson Miller II, Rainer Rückert, 1979, Catalogue of the Hans Syz Collection: Meissen Porcelain and Hausmalerei, pp. 310-311.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1740
1740
maker
Meissen Manufactory
ID Number
1987.0896.16ab
catalog number
1987.0896.16ab
accession number
1987.0896
collector/donor number
183ab

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