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Description: Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. (1862–1932) used a wide variety of printing processes, printing out some negatives in more than one medium. In his lectures, he pointed out that this approach to photography was important because in the hands of a photographer who “lives and understands the infinitely varied moods of nature, photography can be made to express and interpret them.” In correspondence with Dr. Olmstead at the Smithsonian, as the presentation of his gifts and bequest to the museum was being arranged, Eickemeyer wrote: “The collection illustrates the use of every important process and will, I believe, be of real educational value.”; The first of the Eickemeyer photographic collection came to the National Museum’s Department of Arts and Industries (the “Castle”), Division of Graphic Arts in 1922 at the close of a large exhibition of Eickemeyer’s work at the Anderson Gallery in New York. It was a gift from the photographer of five framed prints from the New York show that he considered representative of his work.; In 1929, Eickemeyer gave the Smithsonian 83 framed prints (including copies of the prints that he had previously given the museum), 15 portfolios, his medals and awards, and several miscellaneous photographic paraphernalia. In 1930, he made a will bequeathing most of his remaining prints, negatives, photographic equipment and other objects relating to his 30-year career as a photographer to the Smithsonian Institution.; Upon Eickemeyer’s death in 1932, an accession consisting primarily of photographic equipment from his studio came to the Smithsonian. Included in the bequest were 2 cameras, several lenses, scales, timers, printing frames, plate holders, dry mounters and a lecture case with slide projector and hand-colored lantern slides. Also included were 43 albums, journals and portfolios and assorted negatives and contact prints, many marked “discards.” There are 58 albums, notebooks and portfolios in the collection. Eickemeyer requested in his will that his gifts and bequests be called The Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. Collection.
Location: Currently not on view

date made: 1901-1911

maker: Eickemeyer, Jr., Rudolf

ID Number: PG.004135.B007.87
catalog number: 4135.B7.87
accession number: 128483

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Ribbon, "Young Native American Republicans"

ID Number: 2015.0200.079
catalog number: 2015.0200.079
accession number: 2015.0200

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woman in native american costume

Location: Currently not on view

date made: before 1907

ID Number: 1986.3048.0939
nonaccession number: 1986.3048
catalog number: 1986.3048.0939

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Native American Mountain Lion Fetish

Location: Currently not on view

ID Number: MG.128669
catalog number: 128669
accession number: 019294

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Native American Ice Cream Mold

Description: This figure of a Native American is one of 14 pewter ice cream molds donated to the Museum in 1972 by the wholesale distribution company Foremost-McKesson, Inc., of San Francisco, California. Other forms include a lion, a butterfly, an elephant, and patriotic symbols such as an eagle, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, and George Washington in profile.; Molded ice cream was a popular treat in the United States from the 1870s to 1950s, with a boom in ice cream consumption driving increases in mold manufacturing between 1921 and 1925. The Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 until it was repealed in 1933, sparked an increase in consumer demand for such things as soft drinks, ice cream, and confections. Indeed, ice cream consumption increased by over 100 million gallons between 1921 and 1929.; Unlike the majority of the molds in the collection, which were manufactured by Eppelsheimer & Co. of New York, this cast was created by an unidentified manufacturer. These hinged molds, dating from the 1920s and 30s, while still functional, can no longer be used due to the lead content in the pewter.; The exterior of the mold is stamped with a product catalogue number, “458” and an 1896 date stamp. While the mold’s exterior is otherwise nondescript, its interior, where the ice cream was poured and frozen, is intricately detailed with stereotypical characteristics: feathers, hatchet, and braids. Once frozen, ice cream makers could embellish their confections by painting on a layer of food coloring. These individual molded ice creams would then be served for special occasions or holiday meals, such as Thanksgiving. As American holidays became more commercialized in the early twentieth century, the demand for variety in ice cream molds increased, as is apparent in the collection. However, technological advancements in ice cream manufacturing, the development of ice cream novelties such as the Eskimo Pie and the Popsicle, and the advent of packaged ice creams available in groceries, transformed ice cream in the eye of the American public from a seasonal or specialty dish into an everyday treat. As such, molded ice creams fell out of fashion by the 1950s.
Location: Currently not on view