Cultures & Communities
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.
2,094
Page 1 of 105
-
Carousel Sea Monster (Hippocampus)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1878-1900
- maker
- Dare, Charles
- ID Number
- CL.65.1025
- accession number
- 256396
- catalog number
- 65.1025
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Letter to Mary Copp from Samuel Copp Brewster
- Description
- The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1819-11-06
- recipient
- Copp, Mary Esther
- ID Number
- DL.006873.075
- catalog number
- 6873.075
- accession number
- 28810
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Herramientas De Coser
- Date made
- 20th century
- ID Number
- 1997.0097.0593.004
- catalog number
- 1997.0097.0593.004
- accession number
- 1997.0097
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Cantimplora
- Description
- This contemporary coconut canteen demonstrates dynamic craftsmanship using a variety of materials. The main body is made from a polished coconut incised with geometric designs. It is carried in a metal frame with a wooden handle and sealed with a plastic and cork stopper.
- Description (Spanish)
- Esta cantimplora contemporánea de coco es ejemplo de una artesanía dinámica que recurre al empleo de gran variedad de materiales. El cuerpo principal del objeto está confeccionado de coco pulido con incisiones de diseños geométricos; posee un soporte metálico con asa de madera y un tapón de plástico y corcho.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 20th century
- ID Number
- 1997.0097.0956
- catalog number
- 1997.0097.0956
- accession number
- 1997.0097
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Firemen's Insurance Company Fire Mark
- Description (Brief)
- Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
- The Firemen's Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania issued this cast iron fire mark in 1834. This mark was taken from a building on Marbury Street (now Third Street) in Pittsburgh that was owned by James Wood. The square mark has a raised image of a Philadelphia-style pumper in the center. The Firemen’s Insurance Company operated from 1834 until 1845, when losses suffered in the Great Fire of Pittsburgh forced it to close.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1834
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0507
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0507
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engraved woodblock of a "Dancer holding up the great plumed arrow"
- Description
- This engraved woodblock for “Dancer holding up the great plumed arrow” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published as Figure 54 (p.434) in an article by Dr. Washington Matthews (1843-1905) entitled “The Mountain Chant: a Navajo ceremony” in the Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1883-84.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1887
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- block maker
- A. P. J. & Co.
- author
- Matthews, Washington
- ID Number
- 1980.0219.0438
- accession number
- 1980.0219
- catalog number
- 1980.0219.0438
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Mound City Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Company Fire Mark
- Description (Brief)
- Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
- The Mound City Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Company of St. Louis, Missouri issued this zinc fire mark around 1870. The oval fire mark has raised lettering the reads “MOUND/CITY/MUTUAL” in the center of the mark. The Mound City Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Company operated from 1855 until 1891.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1870
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0526
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0526
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Picture postcard, "Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, California - 1722"
- Description (Brief)
- This postcard view of Mission San Luis Obispo De Tolosa was printed by the Curt Teich Company using photomechanical processes. It was published in about 1914 by the I. L. Eno Company in San Diego, Calif.
- The Chicago-based Curt Teich Company manufactured postcards between 1898 and 1978 in association with several publishers. The company used the term "photochrom," later "colortone," to describe its color printing processes.
- Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, located in San Luis Obispo County, was founded in 1772 by Fr. Junípero Serra. It was the fifth of twenty-one Spanish Franciscan missions established in California between 1769 and 1823, and was built to convert American Indians of the Chumash tribe to Catholicism.
- Today the mission serves as a parish church.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1914
- graphic artist
- Eno, I. L.
- ID Number
- 1986.0639.0324
- accession number
- 1986.0639
- catalog number
- 1986.0639.0324
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Shoshone Range, S.E. of camp, 1943
- Description
- Pencil sketch of Shoshone mountain range.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1943
- ID Number
- 2008.0105.02.01
- accession number
- 2008.0105
- catalog number
- 2008.0105.02.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engraved woodblock of an American Indian woman
- Description
- This engraved woodblock of a portrait of an American Indian woman was prepared by Henry Hobart Nichols (1838-1887) and the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for the Bureau of American Ethnology in about 1880.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1880
- publisher
- Bureau of American Ethnology
- printer
- Government Printing Office
- graphic artist
- Nichols, H. H.
- ID Number
- 1980.0219.0528
- accession number
- 1980.0219
- catalog number
- 1980.0219.0528
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Letter to Esther Copp from Samuel Copp
- Description
- The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1807-03-16
- originator (author or composer, etc.)
- Copp, Jr., Samuel
- recipient
- Copp, Esther
- originator (author, etc.)
- Copp, Jr., Samuel
- ID Number
- DL.006873.171
- catalog number
- 6873.171
- accession number
- 28810
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Kensington Fire Company Fire Hat
- Description
- Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.
- This fire hat was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the first half of the 19th century. The hat is painted brown overall with golden bands around the top and base. The front of the hat has the golden painted text that reads “KENSINGTON/1791.” There is an encircled number “1” on the back of the hat in gold paint. The crown of the hat bears the owner’s initials “J.F.” painted in gold. The Kensington Fire Company was founded in August of 1791 to serve the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company operated until 1855, when it refused to join the newly organized Philadelphia Fire Department, which, although volunteer, was under the administrative and financial control of the city.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1810-1860
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0066
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0066
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Hand-in Hand Fire Company Fire Hat
- Description
- Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.
- This fire hat was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the first half of the 19th century. The hat is painted red overall with the text “HAND IN HAND” painted in gold, arching over an image of two hands clasped with a golden sunburst in the background. The back of the hat has the date “1741” painted in gold with a gold line on top and bottom. The crown of the hat has the text “Instituted / March 1st 1741” in gold arching above and below the owner’s initials “J.H.L” in the center. The “hand in hand” name and clasped hand symbol were popular among volunteer fire fighting companies and fire insurance companies during this period. It symbolized the mutual assistance needed to combat fires and the fraternal ties of fire companies prevalent in early American communities. This Hand in Hand Fire Company was founded March 1, 1741 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and located in the Dockward at the Fish Market and Drawbridge. Due to lack of interest the company was no longer in service by about 1816. The company was reformed in 1823 and operated as a hand engine company until 1863, when it acquired a steam fire engine. The Hand In Hand operated as a steam fire engine until 1871 when Philadelphia’s paid firefighting department was established.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1810-1860
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0052
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0052
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
The Constitutions of the Presbyterian Church…
- Description
- The “Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America” contained the Confession of Faith, the Catechisms, the Directory for the Worship of God, and the Plan of Government and Discipline ratified by the Presbyterian General Assembly in May 1805. The booklet was printed by Jane Aitken of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806. The General Assembly ordered an updated confession as a response to unauthorized versions of the Confession of Faith. The Presbyterian Constitution served as the organizing principle behind the Presbyterian Church, and it was an important document for new churches being formed in early America.
- The Copp Collection contains about 150 books of early American imprint and shows a wide range of reading matter typical of a New England Puritan family living in a port town. Literacy was expected of many New Englanders, as Puritan doctrine required everyone to read the Bible. The abundance of multiple Bibles, psalms, hymnodies, sermons, and morality tales reflects the Copp’s religious beliefs. Other highlights of the library include the works of Shakespeare, almanacs, historical and political texts, and travel narratives.
- The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- DL.006867.42
- catalog number
- 6867.42
- accession number
- 28810
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Mutual Assurance Company Fire Mark
- Description (Brief)
- Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
- The Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania issued this squatty cast iron flat back fire mark around 1829. This Mutual fire mark is made of cast iron, featuring a raised image of a tree with painted green leaves in the center of an oblong oval. The Mutual was founded in 1784 by former policyholders of the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. The Philadelphia Contributionship decided that buildings with trees in front of them posed a fire hazard and would no longer be insured. Since trees were abundant in early Philadelphia, this decision created a rift in the Contributionship. The Mutual was founded to provide insurance to those members whose buildings had trees. The adoption of the “Green Tree” as the company’s fire mark was a nod to the dispute that led to the Mutual’s founding.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1829
- maker
- unknown
- ID Number
- 2005.0233.0434
- accession number
- 2005.0233
- catalog number
- 2005.0233.0434
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
carpenter's square
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 20th century
- ID Number
- 1997.0097.1199
- accession number
- 1997.0097
- catalog number
- 1997.0097.1199
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Scrimshaw Sperm Whale Tooth, mid 19th Century
- 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
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Letter to Ann Copp from Esther Copp
- Description
- The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1803-05-08
- recipient
- Copp, Esther
- maker
- Copp, Esther
- ID Number
- DL.006873.135
- catalog number
- 6873.135
- accession number
- 28810
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Zulu Nation Baseball Cap
- Description (Brief)
- This maroon fabric baseball-style cap has a white embroidered Egyptian symbol image on front and embroidered text “Universal Zulu Nation” on the side. It was available through the Universal Zulu Nation company created by hip hop artist Afrika Bambaata (b. 1957).
- Afrika Bambaata (born Kevin Donovan), an American DJ from the Bronx, was influential in the early development of hip hop and is regarded as the “Godfather” of hip hop culture. He has been instrumental in spreading hip hop music and culture around the world, as well as creating opportunities and helping to improve the lives of others in the hip hop community through his organization "Universal Zulu Nation." In 1990, Bambaataa made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" issue.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- ID Number
- 2006.0067.06
- accession number
- 2006.0067
- catalog number
- 2006.0067.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Letter to Sarah Rathbone from Esther Copp
- Description
- The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1808-06-05
- originator (author or composer, etc.)
- Copp, Esther
- recipient
- Rathbone, Sarah
- originator (author, etc.)
- Copp, Esther
- ID Number
- DL.006873.186
- catalog number
- 6873.186
- accession number
- 28810
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
Pages
Filter Your Results
Click to remove a filter:
- data source
-
topic
- Firefighting Collection 472
- Art 457
- Communications 455
- Copp Collection 318
- Fire Fighting 303
- Advertising 234
- Fire Marks 226
- Insurance 226
- Clothing and dress 208
- Dress accessories 208
- Family 189
- Social life and customs 189
- Transportation 159
- Amusements 152
- Music 125
- Musical instruments 120
- Industrialization 114
- Manufacturing industries 114
- Models (representations) 112
- Patents 112
-
object type
- fire mark 226
- Correspondence 189
- Sheet (Paper); Manuscript 181
- Books 125
- Drawings 122
- Models 117
- Patents 113
- trumpet, speaking 93
- desk model 92
- Swrimshaws 83
- Fire hats 82
- Photomechanical Lithographic Processes 71
- Postcards 71
- Figures (representations) 68
- drawing; Pen and Ink 68
- Wood Engraving 65
- block 65
- postcard; Halftone 64
- Photomechanical Relief Processes 51
- Photographs 50
- date
- place
- culture
-
set name
- Work 638
- Art 571
- Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement 482
- Firefighting Collection 472
- Communications 455
- Home and Community Life: Domestic Life 366
- Copp Collection 318
- Work and Industry: Graphic Arts 291
- Advertising 234
- Fire Marks 226
- Clothing & Accessories 208
- Family & Social Life 189
- Transportation 159
- Popular Entertainment 145
- Culture and the Arts: Folk Art 132
- Home and Community Life: Ethnic 132
- Work and Industry: Maritime 132
- Home and Community Life: Education 129
- National Museum of American History 126
