Religion

One hallmark of the American experience captured in the Museum's collections is the nation's broad diversity of religious faiths. Artifacts range from Thomas Jefferson's Bible to a huge "Sunstone" sculpture carved for a Mormon temple in Illinois in 1844 to a household shrine from the home of a Pueblo Indian in the 1990s. Furniture, musical instruments, clothing, cooking ware, and thousands of prints and figures in the collections have all played roles in the religious lives of Americans. The most comprehensive collections include artifacts from Jewish and Christian European Americans, Catholic Latinos, Protestant Arab Americans, Buddhist and Christian Asian Pacific Americans, and Protestant African Americans. One notable group is the Vidal Collection of carved figures known as santos and other folk religious material from the practice of Santeria in Puerto Rico.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1855
ID Number
NU.68.263.788
catalog number
68.263.0788
accession number
281689
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
c. 1850
date made
ca 1800
graphic artist
Melish, John
ID Number
1985.0303.05
accession number
1985.0303
catalog number
1985.0303.05
Physical DescriptionPrint on paper; bound in leather.Specific HistoryNew Testament owned by James H. Stetson, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.General HistoryThe Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War.
Description
Physical Description
Print on paper; bound in leather.
Specific History
New Testament owned by James H. Stetson, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.
General History
The Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War. During the first three days of July 1863, over 172,000 men and 634 cannons were positioned in an area encompassing 25 square miles. An estimated 569 tons of ammunition were expended and, when the battle had ended, the losses toped 51,000 in dead and wounded soldiers on both sides. While the Confederate army retreated after Gettysburg, the war would drag on another two years. It would be the most costly battle ever fought on U.S. soil. The battle was commemorated by Abraham Lincoln’s legendary address. Lincoln stated: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who died here that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” The world has remembered both the battle and Lincoln’s eloquent words.
Date made
1852
user
Stetson, James H.
publisher
American Bible Society
ID Number
AF.77318M
catalog number
77318M
accession number
307583
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1852-1853
1890
ID Number
GA.285049.02.01
accession number
285049
catalog number
285049.02.01
This colored print is an outdoor scene of a group of well-dressed people who look, hide their faces, or run from a vision that appears in the sky. The vision includes Hebrew letters followed by the inscription "God, All-knowing, all-good, all-wise.
Description
This colored print is an outdoor scene of a group of well-dressed people who look, hide their faces, or run from a vision that appears in the sky. The vision includes Hebrew letters followed by the inscription "God, All-knowing, all-good, all-wise. He judges." The inspiration for this is taken from the writings of the prophet Habakkuk 2:2 – Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.” In other words, let the teachings of Christ be so clearly described, that they may be easily understood at once.
This print was produced by the lithographic firm of Kelloggs & Comstock in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1848, John Chenevard Comstock (1818-1862) formed a partnership with E.B. and E.C. Kellogg. In 1850, Edmund Burke Kellogg (1809-1872) left the firm, leaving his brother Elijah Chapman Kellogg (1811-1881) and J.C. Comstock to run the lithography firm as Kellogg and Comstock. The short-lived partnership disbanded in 1851.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1852
distributors
Ensign, Thayer and Company
maker
Kelloggs & Comstock
ID Number
DL.60.2942
catalog number
60.2942
accession number
228146
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date published
1850 or later
inscribed date
1872-06-19
1889-12-25
1898
printer
Eyre and Spottiswoode
ID Number
DL.033666
catalog number
033666
accession number
70138
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1859
ID Number
DL.246429
catalog number
246429
This colored print depicts a mission school at the American Baptist Missionary Union in Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), British Burma. This former colony became an independent republic in 1948.
Description
This colored print depicts a mission school at the American Baptist Missionary Union in Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), British Burma. This former colony became an independent republic in 1948. The ruling military leadership changed the British name for the country to Myanmar in 1988. The scene includes dormitories, teachers' residences, and classroom buildings. A variety of palm trees and shrubs are scattered about the grounds and along a central dirt path.
This print was created by Mrs. H.B. Mason(artist) and produced by Sarony & Major. Ellen Huntly Bullard Mason was the wife of the missionary clergyman Frances Mason (1799-1874). Mrs. Mason wrote and illustrated works about her missionary activities in Burma, including efforts aimed at Burmese women.
Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896) was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms, including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, and he eventually developed a cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, Sarony partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and created Sarony & Major lithography firm. Joseph F. Knapp (1832-1891) joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography, and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. However, by the 1870s, the firm had shifted its focus to the more profitable area of advertising. It also expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, successfully producing calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930 it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850
publisher
Colby, Lewis
maker
Sarony & Major
artist
Mason, Mrs. H. B.
ID Number
DL.60.2488
catalog number
60.2488
accession number
228146
Tall, tulip-shaped goblet or footed cup on short, compressed-ball stem and double-stepped, flared circular base. Two grooves at rim exterior.
Description
Tall, tulip-shaped goblet or footed cup on short, compressed-ball stem and double-stepped, flared circular base. Two grooves at rim exterior. No touchmark apparent; possible illegible numbers or letters struck incuse inside bottom.
One of four pieces - a flagon, pair of chalices and baptismal bowl, 1986.0027.62-.65 - from the First Methodist Church of Greenfield, MA. Overall form of chalices is the same, but their rims, surfaces and weights differ.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1826 - 1856
ID Number
1986.0027.64
catalog number
1986.0027.64
accession number
1986.0027
Tall, tulip-shaped goblet or footed cup on short, compressed-ball stem and double-stepped, flared circular base. Two grooves at rim exterior.
Description
Tall, tulip-shaped goblet or footed cup on short, compressed-ball stem and double-stepped, flared circular base. Two grooves at rim exterior. Bottom underside of cup struck once "I·TRASK" in raised serif letters inside a rectangle; chatter marks.
One of four pieces - a flagon, pair of chalices and baptismal bowl, 1986.0027.62-.65 - from the First Methodist Church of Greenfield, MA. Overall form of chalices is the same, but their rims, surfaces and weights differ.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1826 - 1856
ID Number
1986.0027.63
catalog number
1986.0027.63
accession number
1986.0027
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca. 1850
maker
Aragon, Jose
Aragon, Rafael
ID Number
CL.67.802
accession number
269937
catalog number
67.802
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1835-1850
maker
Aragon, Rafael
Aragon, Rafael (?)
ID Number
CL.67.795
catalog number
67.795
accession number
269937
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1829 - 1855
maker
Aragon, Miguel
ID Number
CL.280129.05
accession number
280129
catalog number
280129.05
The image shown here represents El Santo Niño de Atoche, a depiction of the Christ child common throughout Mexico and the American Southwest. Made by Rafael Aragón in Santa Fe, this particular image is from a retablo, a kind of Catholic devotional art.
Description
The image shown here represents El Santo Niño de Atoche, a depiction of the Christ child common throughout Mexico and the American Southwest. Made by Rafael Aragón in Santa Fe, this particular image is from a retablo, a kind of Catholic devotional art. Aragón came from a family of santeros (religious artisans) who worked during the golden age of Spanish colonial art in New Mexico in the first part of the 1800s. In isolated communities where there were few priests, religious art within the home played a huge role in promoting Catholic beliefs and maintaining religious faith. When this retablo was made, between 1840 and 1850, New Mexico was the most populated region of Mexico's northern territories. Its ancient colonial history was shaped by violent contests over land, trade, and religion between Spanish settlers and various indigenous communities. The exchanges between these peoples, and then later, between immigrants from Mexico and the eastern United States, created several unique cultures in New Mexico. The phenomenon of tourism, beginning in the late 1800s, further transformed New Mexico and its art and craft traditions. Santeros and other artisans are still producing religious images like this retablo, though today many are valued for decorative rather than devotional use.
Description (Spanish)
Esta imagen representa a El Santo Niño de Atocha, un retrato del Niño Jesús muy habitual a lo largo de México y el sudoeste americano. Esta imagen en particular, elaborada por Rafael Aragón en Santa Fe, pertenece a un retablo, una manifestación del arte religioso católico. Aragón provenía de una familia de santeros (artesanos religiosos) que trabajaron durante la época dorada del arte colonial español en el Nuevo México a principios del 1800. En aquellas comunidades aisladas donde había tan solo unos pocos sacerdotes, el arte religioso doméstico desempeñaba una función preponderante para el fomento de las creencias católicas y la conservación de la fe. Este retablo data del período entre 1840 y 1850, en que Nuevo México era la región más poblada de los territorios del norte de México. Su antigua historia colonial se forjó entre violentas competencias por la tierra, el comercio y la religión entre los colonos españoles y las distintas comunidades indígenas. Los intercambios entre estos pueblos, y más tarde entre inmigrantes de México y del este de los Estados Unidos, generaron diversas culturas únicas dentro de Nuevo México. El fenómeno turístico, que se inició a fines de los 1800, transformó más aún a Nuevo México y a sus tradiciones artísticas y artesanales. Los santeros y otros artesanos aún producen imágenes religiosas como este retablo, si bien hoy en día muchas de ellas se valoran por sus cualidades decorativas más que por sus connotaciones religiosas.
Date made
1840 - 1850
artist
Aragon, Rafael
ID Number
CL.67.806
accession number
269937
catalog number
67.806
Date made
1840-1850
ID Number
CL.67.788
catalog number
67.788
accession number
269937
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1826-1855
ID Number
CL.219162
accession number
40071
catalog number
219162
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
1858-08-25
ID Number
1991.0664.1277
catalog number
1991.0664.1277
accession number
1991.0664
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
1850-10-21
ID Number
1991.0664.1330
accession number
1991.0664
catalog number
1991.0664.1330
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
1858-11-09
ID Number
1991.0664.1205
catalog number
1991.0664.1205
accession number
1991.0664
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
1859-05-16
ID Number
1991.0664.1204
catalog number
1991.0664.1204
accession number
1991.0664
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
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
ca 1850
ID Number
1991.0664.1202
catalog number
1991.0664.1202
accession number
1991.0664
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
1857-10-21
ID Number
1991.0664.1192
catalog number
1991.0664.1192
accession number
1991.0664
This intricately designed prayer mat was produced in India and quilted in the first half of the 19th century. The top is a single piece of fabric; a central mihrab (prayer niche) with floral motifs that is framed by several printed borders of various widths.
Description
This intricately designed prayer mat was produced in India and quilted in the first half of the 19th century. The top is a single piece of fabric; a central mihrab (prayer niche) with floral motifs that is framed by several printed borders of various widths. The cotton fabric used for the prayer mat is block-printed, hand-printed, resist-printed, and dyed. Black outlines of stems and leaves and red outlines of flowers are block-printed with a series of small blocks. Resist-painted details were added to flowers before red-dyeing. Blue color appears to be painted. Painted yellow appears in the mihrab and some other areas. The lining is a roller-printed cotton with a small overall floral pattern. It has a cotton filling. The quilting consists of parallel diagonal lines in a running stitch. It is bound with a silk/cotton bias strip. Printed cotton prayer mats were sold and used across the Islamic world.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1800-1850
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T14440
catalog number
T14440
accession number
275379

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