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

Corset and Whalebone Scrimshaw Busk

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1825 - 1835
fashion
19th century
ID Number
CS.287645.001
catalog number
287645.001

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century

This small tooth has four images on it that appear unrelated. On the bottom of the main side is an oceangoing three-masted sidewheel paddle steamship.
Description
This small tooth has four images on it that appear unrelated. On the bottom of the main side is an oceangoing three-masted sidewheel paddle steamship. An American flag flying at the stern identifies its nationality, and the presence of the three masts alongside the steam engine indicates that it predates the 1880s. By that time, steam engines were reliable enough to eliminate the need for auxiliary sail on ocean steamers.
Above the steamer at a different scale is a long, three story building with rectangular windows along the side wing and end on the ground level. On the end are arched and semi-circular windows above the main door, to which a set of stairs ascends. Three long vertical spikes are spaced along the roof that may represent lightning rods. The long roof has three dormers along its length and a tree is visible at the end of the wing. Above the building is a sketchy eagle grasping a schematized shield and arrows in his talons. To the left of the eagle is a crest with stars and stripes. There may be a story linking the four pictures to each other, but it is long lost in time.
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
mid 19th century
ID Number
DL.65.1136
catalog number
65.1136
accession number
256396

Ernest Tubb performing

Henry Horenstein's photographs of fans swarming Ernest Tubb (1914-1984) was a familiar scene. Fans had many opportunities to see, hear, and hug Tubb. Between the early 1960s and 1982, he worked 150 to 200 shows each year.Currently not on view
Description
Henry Horenstein's photographs of fans swarming Ernest Tubb (1914-1984) was a familiar scene. Fans had many opportunities to see, hear, and hug Tubb. Between the early 1960s and 1982, he worked 150 to 200 shows each year.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.083
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.083

Horse Weathervane

Date made
1850-1899
ID Number
CL.65.0931
accession number
256396
catalog number
65.0931

Engraved Porpoise Tooth, mid-19th century

The short length and slender proportions of this carved tooth indicate that it came from the mouth of a porpoise rather than a sperm whale.
Description
The short length and slender proportions of this carved tooth indicate that it came from the mouth of a porpoise rather than a sperm whale. Its rough, dark and mottled surface was badly prepared for the craftsman’s sharpened tool, rendering the details of the carving difficult to see clearly.
The obverse depicts a man standing inside a circular rope motif; his costume is reminiscent of a Near Eastern or Asian warrior, with padded pants and low hanging blouse and hair in a bun. The surface of the tooth above the figure has horizontal striations, almost like a metal file was applied. On the reverse is another man surrounded by an oval rope motif; he wears a more traditional Western waistcoat and holds a cane in his right hand. Atop his head is a tightly-wrapped turban.
The pinprick method for preparing the line infill is evident, suggesting that the original drawings from which these were derived was in a periodical of the period. Perhaps one day the source for these enigmatic figures will be identified.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.388606
catalog number
388606
accession number
182022

Accordian Player, Louisiana

The first accordion was built in Germany in 1822. It took close to one hundred years before it was introduced into country music.Currently not on view
Description
The first accordion was built in Germany in 1822. It took close to one hundred years before it was introduced into country music.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1977
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.027
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.027

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

"Washington at the Battle of Trenton" 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.
This engine panel painting is attributed to the Washington Fire Company No.14 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was founded in 1796. Originally organized as a hand engine company, it acquired a steam fire engine in 1858 and operated as a steam fire engine company until 1871 when Philadelphia’s paid firefighting department was established. John A. Woodside completed this oil painting in 1853, copying it from “George Washington Before the Battle of Trenton,” painted by John Trumbull in 1792. The painting depicts Washington surveying the battleground, with Continental troops in the background. The volunteer fire company named itself after Washington and commissioned the painting to link itself with Washington’s prestige America’s foremost Founding Father.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1853
referenced
Trumbull, John
Washington, George
maker
Woodside, John Archibald
ID Number
2005.0233.0309
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0309

Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Panbone, mid 19th Century

This large panbone, or section of the back of a sperm whale’s jaw, served as the canvas for a whaleman’s freehand drawing on two levels. In the center of the upper level is a three-masted whaleship with painted gun ports along its sides.
Description
This large panbone, or section of the back of a sperm whale’s jaw, served as the canvas for a whaleman’s freehand drawing on two levels. In the center of the upper level is a three-masted whaleship with painted gun ports along its sides. Merchant vessels often did this, to look like powerful warships from a distance and thus protect themselves from pirates or other predators. The ship’s vertical whaleboat davits are empty, and the ship is sailing towards its little fleet of four whaleboats in various stages of harpooning a pod of five whales. Four of the whales are ‘blowing,’ or exhaling through the blowholes on top of their heads. One of the whales already has two harpoons sticking out of its back and is towing a whaleboat on a ‘Nantucket sleigh ride.' Behind the ship on the left is an old-fashioned two-masted topsail schooner sailing in the opposite direction. The sea in the foreground is calm, and the scene is placed against a shoreline of low, rolling hills. Below is another pair of sailing ships: a two-masted square-rigged brig follows a brigantine with a square-rigged foremast and a fore-and-aft main. Although engraved by the same very talented artist, the two levels of illustrations do not appear to be related. Judging from the extremely detailed and technical rigs and sails of all the ships, the scrimshaw artist may have been a sailmaker or rigger.
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.
date made
mid 1800s
1840 - 1860
ID Number
DL.057605B
catalog number
57605B
accession number
2009.0206

Bill Monroe

The country music sound created by Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys starting in 1938, would become a new style of country music named "bluegrass."Currently not on view
Description
The country music sound created by Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys starting in 1938, would become a new style of country music named "bluegrass."
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
Associated Name
Monroe, Bill
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.104
catalog number
2003.0169.104
accession number
2003.0169

Couple Cooking on a Grill near their Camping Tent

Some fans traveled great distances to participate in music festivals, and would camp nearby. This couple brought a grill to make a meal or two.Currently not on view
Description
Some fans traveled great distances to participate in music festivals, and would camp nearby. This couple brought a grill to make a meal or two.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.097
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.097

Tex Ritter and Fans

A Tex Ritter fan holds a 45 RPM record as Ritter signs a photograph.Currently not on view
Description
A Tex Ritter fan holds a 45 RPM record as Ritter signs a photograph.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.064
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.064

Scrimshaw Whale Busk, 19th Century

Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage.
Description
Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage. Busks were slipped into vertical pocket in ladies’ corsets to stiffen the garment.
This example has four stacked pictures framed by straight lines and has polychrome infill of red and black. On the rounded bottom is a sideways image of a harp and horn in red against a red flag motif, surrounded by a leafy vine in black outline. Above is a vertically-oriented three-masted sailing ship shown from behind, sailing away from the viewer. A red rainbow is overhead this and the next scene as well: a sideways view of a whale towing a whaleboat on a Nantucket sleigh ride. The harpooner in the bow of the whaleboat is holding a killing iron. Overhead are two seabirds, one of which has a laurel sprig in its mouth. Beneath the red rainbow is a red sun, and two wagon wheel-like circles decorate each corner. The bi-lobed top of the busk contains an eagle rampant with vines in its talons and a banner behind its head.
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.388602
catalog number
388602
accession number
182022

Mailbox

Thousands of homes were obliterated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. One of those homes stood at 2005 Lizardi Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
Description
Thousands of homes were obliterated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. One of those homes stood at 2005 Lizardi Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This mailbox is all that remained, except for the front steps and a field of debris.
The hand-painted green flowers and butterflies on this mailbox, and the carefully lettered name and address of the Alexander family, evoke the domestic serenity that was shattered by Katrina's waters. Inside the mailbox a thick layer of dried mud recalled the wall of water that washed over this neighborhood August 29, 2005, when everything in its path was either submerged or destroyed.
The Lower Ninth Ward was a victim of the over-burdened Industrial Canal, whose concrete flood walls collapsed beneath the weight and force of the water. Further afield, a manmade navigation canal, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet ("Mr. Go"), offered a short cut not only to ships leaving the Gulf headed for New Orleans but for storm water moving inland from the Gulf. It was this water that in large part flooded the Industrial Canal and devastated the Lower Ninth Ward.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
Associated Date
2005-08-2005-09
ID Number
2006.3059.01
nonaccession number
2006.3059
catalog number
2006.3059.01

Scrimshaw Whale Busk, 19th Century

Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage.
Description
Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage. Busks were slipped into vertical pocket in ladies’ corsets to stiffen the garment.
This example has four vertical unframed compositions stacked on its exterior; the back is undecorated. On the rounded bottom is the corner tower of a heavy stone fort, complete with arrow slits and crenellations along the top. Above that is a large sailing ship heeled over in a strong wind with reduced sails. Although it has gun ports along its port side, they do not necessarily indicate a warship since merchant vessels painted gun ports on their hulls for protection. Above that is a small gaff-rigged sloop or cutter for coastal trade. On top is an old, gnarled leafy tree with several lower branches sawn off. A bi-lobed top completes the piece; the absence of any pin pricking in the drawings indicates that a skilled freehand artist carved this piece.
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.388603
catalog number
388603
accession number
182022

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

Diana Figure

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
19th century
ID Number
CL.65.1118
accession number
256396
catalog number
65.1118

Scrimshaw Whale Busk, 19th Century

Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs or other whale parts that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage.
Description
Busks are long, flat slices out of whalebone ribs or other whale parts that whaling crews decorated with carvings and then gave to their wives or sweethearts once they were back on land after a voyage. Busks were slipped into vertical pocket in ladies’ corsets to stiffen the garment.
This unusual example is made out of black baleen from the mouth of a baleen whale rather than an ivory-colored rib. It is in poor condition, and appears to have been shot on both sides with buckshot on account of the size and shapes of the holes over its entire surface. The back is heavily scratched and has the letters “MAM” etched into its surface in a childish scrawl.
This busk has four vertical unframed compositions stacked on its exterior; the back is undecorated. At the bottom is a two-masted brig with gun ports sailing from right to left. Above is a sketch of a small domed building set in a flagstone patio, in a view like a builder’s measured design plan. Above that is another, different domed building with a larger dome relative to its footprint. The top vignette contains the portside profile of a hermaphrodite or half brig, square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast, sailing from the right towards a rocky shore. It too has gun ports along its port side.
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.59.2146
catalog number
59.2146
accession number
224966

Rooster Figure

Rooster figure made of carved wood. Standing rooster. Flat carving.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Rooster figure made of carved wood. Standing rooster. Flat carving.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
CL.65.1109
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.1109
collector/donor number
T-27

Stove Plate or Fireback

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1763
ID Number
CL.65.1140
catalog number
65.1140
accession number
256396

Cheyenne Pictures. Soldiers Charging on Sioux and Cheyennes.

Unknown artist, about 1894“Cheyenne Pictures. Soldiers Charging on Sioux and Cheyennes.”Pencil and colored pencilThis drawing of U.S. Army cavalry soldiers in a charge displays the uniformity of the colors, equipment, and methods of the military.
Description
Unknown artist, about 1894
“Cheyenne Pictures. Soldiers Charging on Sioux and Cheyennes.”
Pencil and colored pencil
This drawing of U.S. Army cavalry soldiers in a charge displays the uniformity of the colors, equipment, and methods of the military. The soldiers fire their rifles at the Sioux and Cheyenne targets ahead of them. Some of these drawings are so accurate that the specific unit uniforms and types of firearms can be identified.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1894
original artist
unknown
ID Number
GA.08109
catalog number
GA*08109
accession number
1897.031963

Triton Weathervane

Depicting a Triton blowing a horn. Silhouette of triton with a three-dimensional horn. There is a metal sleeve attached in the center of the weathervane for a support rod.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Depicting a Triton blowing a horn. Silhouette of triton with a three-dimensional horn. There is a metal sleeve attached in the center of the weathervane for a support rod.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
late 19th century
ID Number
CL.65.0908
accession number
261195
catalog number
65.0908
collector/donor number
T-8

Essex Tavern Sign

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1826
ID Number
CL.65.0980
accession number
256396
catalog number
65.0980

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

Shoreside scenes were popular subjects for scrimshaw artists, lonely for their homes, families and friends. On one side of this tooth, two large merchant ships clear harbor, possibly embarking on long whaling voyages.
Description
Shoreside scenes were popular subjects for scrimshaw artists, lonely for their homes, families and friends. On one side of this tooth, two large merchant ships clear harbor, possibly embarking on long whaling voyages. To the right, a local coastal schooner sails around the point of land separating a town from the sea. Its simple rig would have been very old-fashioned by the mid-nineteenth century or later, when this piece was probably carved. The other side appears to derive from a print, for the engraving is much deeper and more shaded. Two warships sail to the left. The one on the right is flying an American flag. The flag on the stern of the left-hand ship—and the bow of the American vessel—are obscured by an immense explosion between the two fighting ships. Unfortunately, neither ship is identified, although such sea battle images between American frigates and English warships were popular subjects beginning around the time of the War of 1812.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
DL.65.1129
catalog number
65.1129
accession number
256396

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