Cultures & Communities

Cleveland Many Peoples One Language Poster

Furniture, cooking wares, clothing, works of art, and many other kinds of artifacts are part of what knit people into communities and cultures. The Museum’s collections feature artifacts from European Americans, Latinos, Arab Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, African Americans, Gypsies, Jews, and Christians, both Catholics and Protestants. The objects range from ceramic face jugs made by enslaved African Americans in South Carolina to graduation robes and wedding gowns. The holdings also include artifacts associated with education, such as teaching equipment, textbooks, and two complete schoolrooms. Uniforms, insignia, and other objects represent a wide variety of civic and voluntary organizations, including youth and fraternal groups, scouting, police forces, and firefighters.

Topic: Art

Cow Weathervane

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1850-1899
ID Number
CL.65.0939
catalog number
65.0939
accession number
256396

Scrimshaw Panbone

This panbone, or section of the back of a sperm whale’s jaw, served as the canvas for a whaleman’s freehand drawing of a busy whale hunt off the coast of the volcanic island of Ternate, one of the Spice Islands in Indonesia and the world’s main source of cloves until the 18th cen
Description
This panbone, or section of the back of a sperm whale’s jaw, served as the canvas for a whaleman’s freehand drawing of a busy whale hunt off the coast of the volcanic island of Ternate, one of the Spice Islands in Indonesia and the world’s main source of cloves until the 18th century.
In the lower left, a woman reaches out for her whaleman, who symbolically stands across the sea with one hand over his heart and a harpoon in the other. In her background is a tranquil domestic scene, probably their home. In the center, a fenced precinct labels the main scene. Above, on the right are the named whalers Margaret of London and Sophia of Nantucket. The remainder of the lively scene portrays seven whaleboats chasing a pod of six whales.
The artist has managed to convey loneliness between loved ones, great distance from home, an exotic and remote tropical locale, and a busy whale hunt on a single stretch of whalebone.
Date made
mid 19th Century
depicted
late 18th century
ID Number
DL.057605A
catalog number
57605A
accession number
2009.0206

Anita Carter

The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s.
Description
The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s. Anita (1933-1999) was the first to record the song "Ring of Fire," written by her sister June (1929-2003). It later became a hit for her brother-in-law Johnny Cash.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.078
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.078

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

Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family

Maybelle Carter (1909-1978) was an original member of the performing Carter Family. After the breakup of that group in 1943, she formed a new act, known as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, with daughters Helen (1927-1998) shown here on accordian, June and Anita.
Description
Maybelle Carter (1909-1978) was an original member of the performing Carter Family. After the breakup of that group in 1943, she formed a new act, known as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, with daughters Helen (1927-1998) shown here on accordian, June and Anita. Maybelle was an influential presence, particularly as the originator of a style of guitar playing emulated by Leadbelly, Woodie Guthrie, and many other musicians.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.079
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.079

Eagle

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CL.65.1073
accession number
256396
catalog number
65.1073

Rooster Weathervane

Depicting a rooster. Body of cast iron with sheet metal tail. Legs are free standing. There is a metal vertical support between legs.
Description (Brief)
Depicting a rooster. Body of cast iron with sheet metal tail. Legs are free standing. There is a metal vertical support between legs.
ID Number
CL.65.0955
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.0955
collector/donor number
T-9

Pediment

Made of carved wood. Carving of an Indian and buffalo.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Made of carved wood. Carving of an Indian and buffalo.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CL.65.1159
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.1159
collector/donor number
T-28

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

Ernest Tubb arriving at music venue

For much of his career, Ernest Tubb, the "Texas Troubadour" was considered the ultimate honky tonk vocalist and stylist. Inspired by Jimmie Rodgers in the 1920s, Tubb sustained a musical career that at times also branched into film and television.
Description
For much of his career, Ernest Tubb, the "Texas Troubadour" was considered the ultimate honky tonk vocalist and stylist. Inspired by Jimmie Rodgers in the 1920s, Tubb sustained a musical career that at times also branched into film and television. No artist toured as much, or for as long as Ernest Tubb, who worked 150 to 200 shows each year between the early 1960s and 1982. No artist was kinder to his fans, and no fans were more loyal to their star. Ernest Tubb had one national fan club with a single president for its entire existence between 1944 and its deactivation in the early 1990s.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.084
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.084

Eagle

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
associated date
1850 - 1899
maker
Schimmel, Wilhelm
ID Number
CL.65.1088
accession number
256396
catalog number
65.1088

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

Hughes Family Show

Many acts in country music were built around brother duos and family members.Currently not on view
Description
Many acts in country music were built around brother duos and family members.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.007
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.007

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

On the obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale’s tooth is a large bust portrait of a young woman gazing pensively to the left.
Description
On the obverse of this large, highly polished sperm whale’s tooth is a large bust portrait of a young woman gazing pensively to the left. Likely unmarried on account of the absence of a wedding band on her left ring finger, she wears a long veil on her head that is gathered in her hands like a shawl. She holds a nosegay of clematis blooms in her hands, which are folded in her lap.
On the reverse is a finely drawn small whale ship under full sail on a calm sea towards the left. The left or port side has three whaleboats rigged on davits on deck. The hull of the ship is painted with fake gunports to appear armed from a distance.
There are very few pinpricks and they are very shallow in the tooth’s images, indicating an experienced carver etching mostly freehand. Both sides of the tooth are pierced with 4mm holes drilled at different heights. Later, they were filled in with white plaster. These holes probably served as attachment points for a stand to prop the tooth up so it could be seen from both sides.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.024899
catalog number
024899
accession number
4331

Johnson Mountain Boys

The Johnson Mountain Boys was a traditional bluegrass band formed in the Washington, D.C. suburbs in the 1970s. Its members were vocalist, banjoist, and guitarist Dudley Connell, David McLauglin, fiddler Eddie Stubbs, and bassist Larry Robbins.
Description
The Johnson Mountain Boys was a traditional bluegrass band formed in the Washington, D.C. suburbs in the 1970s. Its members were vocalist, banjoist, and guitarist Dudley Connell, David McLauglin, fiddler Eddie Stubbs, and bassist Larry Robbins. Connell worked for Smithsonian Folkways for a time and Stubbs went on to host the Grand Ole Opry.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1981
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.030
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.030

Plastic Scrimshaw Tooth (Fakeshaw), Late 20th Century

This modern polymer tooth, or “fakeshaw”, was collected for comparative purposes. In recent years, authentic whale ivory and bone scrimshaw has become valuable on the folk art market.
Description
This modern polymer tooth, or “fakeshaw”, was collected for comparative purposes. In recent years, authentic whale ivory and bone scrimshaw has become valuable on the folk art market. In the 1970s, companies began casting plastic replica scrimshaw teeth and other objects, usually with very elaborate scenes, dates and inscriptions. Many of these have made their way into antique shops and flea markets, where they are sold as authentic folk art instead of modern reproductions.
On one side of this tooth, there is a vertical portrait of Napoleon, inscribed with his name on the bottom. On the other side is a horizontal scene of a three-man gun crew hauling a loaded cannon up to a gun port on a lower deck of a warship. This side has “1815” inscribed below the men.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1998.0004.01
catalog number
1998.0004.01
accession number
1998.0004

Scrimshaw Cow Horn, 1808

Some purists say that powder horns cannot be scrimshaw in the strictest definition of the term as whaling ivory, but this little piece blurs the distinction on account of its nautical imagery.On the outer surface a brig is engraved, with a small gaff-rigged cutter running before
Description
Some purists say that powder horns cannot be scrimshaw in the strictest definition of the term as whaling ivory, but this little piece blurs the distinction on account of its nautical imagery.
On the outer surface a brig is engraved, with a small gaff-rigged cutter running before it. The cutter has an unusual, old-fashioned heeltapper hull, with a raised quarterdeck and a low waist. Each vessel has a human-headed sea serpent in the water next to it. Above the brig on the right is a winged horse with feathers or scales on its lower body; its tail and tongue end in arrow points. Above and behind the brig on the left is a crowned two-headed winged creature with a body shaped like a plump manatee; its tail ends in a ragged line. Across from its crown the piece is dated “MAY•12•1808”. A floral vine completes the remarkable freehand carving. A painted wooden base is tacked to the wide end as a bottom; any cap that may have topped the 3-3/4-in. high piece is missing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1808-05-12
ID Number
1978.0052.01
accession number
1978.0052
catalog number
1978.52.1

Tex Ritter and Fans

A man sells Tex Ritter photographs to fans waiting for his autograph.Currently not on view
Description
A man sells Tex Ritter photographs to fans waiting for his autograph.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.066
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.066

"Mermaid and Her Lover" 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 Weccacoe Fire Engine Company No.19 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania commissioned this panel from John Woodside around 1840. The Weccacoe Fire Company was organized in 1800 as a hand engine company. It acquired a steam fire engine in 1859, which was replaced in 1864. It operated as a steam fire engine company until 1871 when Philadelphia’s paid firefighting department was established. This painting of the “Mermaid and Her Lover,” is likely a representation of the tale of Clytia the water nymph and her love for the god Apollo. Fire companies used neoclassical imagery to link their companies to the ancient ideals that the paintings depicted, in this case eternal love and loyalty. The use of neoclassical images also allowed artists to paint an idealized nude female form that would make their beloved engine especially eye-catching during parades.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1840
maker
Woodside, John Archibald
ID Number
2005.0233.0308
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0308

Jeannie C. Riley

Best known for her crossover hit, "Harper Valley PTA," Jeannie C. Riley (b. 1945) is pictured her on her tour bus.Currently not on view
Description
Best known for her crossover hit, "Harper Valley PTA," Jeannie C. Riley (b. 1945) is pictured her on her tour bus.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.033
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.033

Minnie Pearl and Pee Wee King

"How-dee! Ah'm so glad to be here," may be one of the most familiar and beloved radio greetings, Minnie Pearl (Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, 1912-1996) ranked among the premier comedians on the Grand Ole Opry and in country music.
Description
"How-dee! Ah'm so glad to be here," may be one of the most familiar and beloved radio greetings, Minnie Pearl (Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, 1912-1996) ranked among the premier comedians on the Grand Ole Opry and in country music. For decades she entertained audiences with gossip about the residents of her fictional town, Grinder's Switch. She joined the Opry in 1940 and later went on to star in the television show Hee Haw in the 1970s.
Minnie Pearl's costume consisting of her famous straw hat with the dangling price tag, the pink and white gingham dress, and maryjane-style shoes became part of the National Museum of Amercian History's collection after she donated them in 1993.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.050
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.050

Scrimshaw Bone Ruler or Straight Edge, 19th Century

This straight, thick piece of whale bone measuring 13-1/2 inches long is marked at one-and-half inch intervals, starting one inch in from the left end.
Description
This straight, thick piece of whale bone measuring 13-1/2 inches long is marked at one-and-half inch intervals, starting one inch in from the left end. Such tools were used to rule straight lines in ship logbooks, journals, letters and account books.
Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years.
In its simplest form, a tooth was removed from the lower jaw of a sperm whale and the surface was prepared by scraping and sanding until it was smooth. The easiest way to begin an etching was to smooth a print over the tooth, prick the outline of the image with a needle and then “connect-the-dots” once the paper was removed. This allowed even unskilled craftsmen to create fine carvings. Some sailors were skilled enough to etch their drawings freehand. After the lines were finished, they were filled in with lamp black or sometimes colored pigments.
Scrimshaw could be decorative, like simple sperm whale teeth, or they could be useful, as in ivory napkin rings, corset busks (stiffeners), swifts for winding yarn or pie crimpers. The sailor’s hand-carved scrimshaw was then given to loved ones back on shore as souvenirs of the hard and lonely life aboard long and dangerous voyages.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
DL.249981
catalog number
249981
accession number
48696

Gabriel with horn Weathervane

Depicting angel blowing a trumpet. Silhouette figure made of stamped metal. The figures lower body and arm are inserted into a vertical support. The front arm is supporting a horn and there are two wings and garland in the figure's hair.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Depicting angel blowing a trumpet. Silhouette figure made of stamped metal. The figures lower body and arm are inserted into a vertical support. The front arm is supporting a horn and there are two wings and garland in the figure's hair.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1850-1900
ID Number
CL.65.0909
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.0909
collector/donor number
T-16

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale’s Tooth, Mid-19th Century

The activities of whaling were obvious subjects for whaler crews with plenty of time on their hands during ocean voyages that could last up to four years. On the main side, this tooth shows several steps in the grisly business of capturing the world’s largest mammals.
Description
The activities of whaling were obvious subjects for whaler crews with plenty of time on their hands during ocean voyages that could last up to four years. On the main side, this tooth shows several steps in the grisly business of capturing the world’s largest mammals. A whale ship on the left is hauling “blanket pieces,” or long wide strips of whale flesh, from a whale in the water onto the deck for processing. Atop the main mast, a lookout calls “There she blows” and points to two whales exhaling in the water ahead. Sea birds fly overhead as a whale on the right breaches, or jumps out of the water. Underwater is a whale marked “A SPERM WHALE”. On the other side, two ships show their sterns to the viewer as they sail away. Above is an American eagle holding in its beak a banner inscribed “E PLURIBUS UNUM”; in its talons is a starred and striped shield from which fly two American flags.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
TR.58.28
accession number
218148

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