This object is an original pen and ink political cartoon hand drawn on white paper by Clifford Berryman circa 1912 in Washington, D.C. It depicts the face in the clouds of William Howard Taft smiling down upon Secretary of the Interior James R. Garfield and Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot, who are wading into waves labeled "Renomination Surf." Each is wearing a floatation pillow labelled "Taft 1912." There are two Berryman numbers, 12343 and 12344, stamped in blue ink in the lower right corner. The drawing is signed "Berryman" in the lower right area of the illustration.
The object is a political cartoon hand-drawn in ink on white paper by Clifford Berryman in Washington, D.C. It depicts a seated and beleagured bear named "Russia" leaning against a leafless, bare tree with a sign "Posted- Lenin" signifying ownership of the surrounding land with other leafless, bare trees. A bone is on the ground near the bear, who appears too tired to reach the bone, and the bear is saying "Everyone warned me against this Soviet wilderness." Berryman signed the drawing in the lower right area of the illustration.
This work appears to be a commentary on the political transition from Russia to Soviet Russia which occurred in 1917 with Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin as the founding head.
By the late 19th century, symbols of home and family life had become mainstays of American political culture. The home became a setting in which the policies of the major parties and their presidential candidates played out. This pamphlet from Eisenhower’s 1952 presidential campaign suggests that voting for Eisenhower will “sweep out the mess” of government.
The coat-of-arms of the Belgian Province of Hainaut was the design inspiration for this piece. The Mechlin bobbin lace motif depicting four lions and a crown was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I and was likely intended to be inserted into a larger item. See a similar motif in TE*E383965.
The Great Seal of the United States, often used in American decorative arts, provided the design inspiration for this Mechlin bobbin lace. It was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I and was likely intended to be inserted into a larger item.
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes and hats such as this one distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation.
This paperweight was designed by William Jennings Bryan when he was Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson. Donated to the Smithsonian by Secretary Bryan, it is identical to paperweights he gave to thirty diplomats who, in 1914, joined him in signing treaties providing for the investigation of all international disputes before war would be declared.
Shaped like plowshares, the paperweights were made from swords condemned by the War Department. A recognized advocate of universal peace, Bryan chose the design to reflect the mandate in Isaiah: 2:4“They shall beat their swords into plowshares,” inscribed on the plow’s blade. The shaft of the plow is inscribed with two of Bryan’s own well-known sayings: “Nothing is final between friends” and “Diplomacy is the art of keeping cool.” The base is inscribed: “From William Jennings Bryan to the Smithsonian Institution, August 13, 1914.”
The objects seen here are souvenirs collected by Abby Knight McLane and her husband Allen McLane. The well-traveled couple is thought to have personally gathered the collection, which represents the kind of curio-cabinet collecting that occupied many Americans in the late 1800s.
Though each piece is unique, McLane’s souvenir collection is a typical mix of found objects and items with historical associations: a piece of a cedar doorpost from Government House in St. Augustine, Florida; a stone in the shape of an arrowhead from Mount Pony, near Culpeper, Virginia; “antediluvian oak” from a bog near Killarney, Ireland; a small white stone from the ruins of Pompeii, Italy; and a round metal fragment of the HMS Great Eastern, the ship used in the laying of the Atlantic Cable.
This transfer-printed creamware bowl was made by Fletcher Shelton of Staffordshire, England during the early 1800s. The interior base of the bowl depicts an American sailing ship. On the outside of the bowl are three transfer prints—two of George Washington and one of a boat on a canal. The first depicts George Washington stepping on a lion, representing his defeat of Great Britain. Second is a portrait of George Washington flanked by the allegorical figures of Liberty and Justice. Justice proclaims, -“Deafness to the Ear that will patiently hear & Dumbness to the tongue that will utter a Calumny against the immortal Washington.” Liberty is pointing to Washington as she says, “My Favorite Son.” Below the portrait is the statement, “Long live the president of the United States.” Both maritime designs and celebrations of George Washington are common themes on Liverpool creamware. Robert H. McCauley purchased this bowl from Sara B. Clutz of Gettysburg, PA on July 13, 1940 for $55.00.
This bowl is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
This transfer-printed creamware pitcher was made by Francis Morris of Shelton, England during the early 19th century. One side of the pitcher features a circular chain of sixteen links, each with a state’s name. Inside is an image of Liberty crowning a portrait of George Washington with laurels. The other side has a circular ribbon with states names written on it, enclosing a stanza from Joseph Addison’s 1701 poem “A Letter From Italy To The Right Honourable Charles Lord Halifax.” The stanza reads “O Liberty thou Goddess! / heav’nly bright, / Profuse of bliss / and pregnant with delight. / Eternal pleasures / in thy presence reign. / and smiling plenty leads / thy wanton train.” Lastly, under the spout is a small print of a sailor bidding farewell to a lady. The print is titled “Smuglers.” Robert H. McCauley purchased this pitcher from Mrs. Fred W. Austin of Weymouth, MA for $65.00 on May 31, 1939. Much of the transfer printed pottery of the period celebrates the life of Washington and the ideals of freedom and liberty.
This pitcher is part of the McCauley collection of American themed transfer print pottery. There is no mark on the pitcher to tell us who made it, but it is characteristic of wares made in large volume for the American market in both Staffordshire and Liverpool between 1790 and 1820. Pitchers of this shape, with a cream colored glaze over a pale earthenware clay, known as Liverpool type, were the most common vessels to feature transfer prints with subjects commemorating events and significant figures in the early decades of United States’ history. Notwithstanding the tense relationship between Britain and America, Liverpool and Staffordshire printers and potters seized the commercial opportunity offered them in the production of transfer printed earthenwares celebrating the heroes, the military victories, and the virtues of the young republic, and frequently all of these things at once.
By the 1950s, women comprised half of the voting electorate. To encourage their participation, campaigns produced inexpensive costume jewelry such as this pin featuring the symbol of the Republican Party and the familiar nickname of Republican presidential candidate Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower defeated Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956.