biglam/cooper-hewitt-alt-text huggingface dataset:
The Picnic Excursion
Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, August 14, 1869
Wood engraving in black ink on paper
Print

Two groups of men and women in two three-seated White Mountain wagons.  In the right foreground, a kneeling gentleman holds a bottle of wine and a basket while two ladies stand by.  A dog rests in the grass on the left.
Sidewall
Gledhill Wall Paper Co., New York, New York, founded 1900, 1905–1915
Machine-printed paper, textured, liquid mica

Art Nouveau/Mission Style (?). Alternating floral and geometric bands or stripes. Floral bands have rose bouquets on thorny vertical stem and two ivy vines. Geometric bands have floral motifs, beading, embossed (foliate scroll pattern) and shaded ground (grey to cream to grey). Printed in white, greens, light yellows, pinks, tan and gold mica.
Printed in right selvedge: "Gledhill Wall Paper Company. New York. N. Y."
Printed in left selvedge: "G. W. P. Co. 92"
Fragment
, 300–500
wool Technique: tapestry weave

Tapestry woven fragment showing scattered red tulips and flowers with eight petals on an undyed ground.
Sidewall
, 1870–90
Machine-printed

Aesthetic pattern, all-over design of small-scale flowers on red, blue, yellow and brown on ochre ground.
Brooch
, mid 19th century
Tortoiseshell inlaid with gold and silver

Brooch of tortoiseshell, oval in shape, having at each end two adjacent deep triangular indentations and an oval boss in top center. Top and sloping sides are banded or piqued in gold and silver in floral design.
Sketchbook Page: Irish Ivy Leaves
Kenyon Cox, American, 1856–1919, 1874
Graphite on paper
Sketchbook folio

Recto: Three sketches of leaves. 
Verso: Large sketch of one ivy leaf.
Fragment
, 16th–17th century
silk Technique: cut and uncut supplementary warp pile (velvet) in a twill weave foundation

Fragment of red cut and uncut velvet on a yellow ground in a small, tightly-spaced floral pattern.
Brisé fan
, ca. 1875
Tortoise shell sticks, silk ribbon and tassel, metal bail

Brisé fan with tortoise shell sticks. Brown silk connecting ribbon. Black metal bail and brown silk tassel.
Maidens and a Victory
, 1810–15
Block-printed on handmade paper
Sidewall

On pale green ground, dotted with darker green, two isolated scenes of two maidens in classical costume and Amor. Between the two scenes, a winged Victory and scrolls in yellow. Band of floral and bead runs along the right side.
Sidewall - fragment
, 1870–90
Machine-printed ?

Aesthetic style design. Stylized floral motifs in metallic gold. Vines and tendrils are represented by a dotted pattern. Printed on a now-mottled gray background.
The Entombment, from The Passion
Lucas van Leyden, Netherlandish, ca. 1494–1533, 1521
Engraving on laid paper
Print

Christ is being laid in the tomb by two men, while the two Marys and Saint John stand at the right.
Textile
, 19th century
cotton Technique: printed by engraved roller on plain weave; relief print

Continuous vertical pattern of two alternating floral stripes - one a slightly curving leafy vine and the other a wider strongly curved floral vine. Colors are muted and accented by medium blue on a light brown background. Two stripes in one repeat unit. Half drop repeat.
Textile
, 19th century
cotton Technique: stenciled resist (katazome) on plain weave

Length of stencil resist (katazome) with ivory pattern on blue ground. Circles (10cm in diameter) connected by smaller flowers with four peatls.
Ceiling paper
, 1907–08
Machine-printed on paper

On pink ground, staggered clusters of flowers and C-scrolls.
Frieze
, 1905–1915
Machine-printed paper, ribbed

Alternating large and medium foliate medallions with floral bouquet insets connected by floral swag and foliate scrolls. Swag is suspended from top scrolls with pendants. Dark pink ground on paper embossed with vertical lines and covered with white liquid mica. Printed in pinks, red and metallic gold. Slight water damage.
Sidewall
, 1800–1835
Block-printed on handmade paper

On cream ground, maze-like pattern in darker shade of beige with squares of foliate patterns printed in green and blue.
Man and dog on bench
Sebastian Buff, Swiss, 1829–1880, 1860–1870
Graphite on paper
Drawing

Recto: A portly man, holding an umbrella under his arm, seated on a bench with an equally portly dog, whom he is made to resemble. 
Verso: Ornamental designs.
Shagreen Case for Traveling Cutlery Set
, ca. 1798–1809
shagreen (shark skin), silk, silver plated, copper
case

Case for three implements, oval in section. Green painted shark skin. Lid attached to body with hinge and push lock. Silver plated copper mounts attached with visible rivets. Inside covered with red silk.
The Approach of the British Pirate "Alabama"
Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, April 25, 1863
Wood engraving in black ink on paper
Print

Captain and crew sighting the pirate ship on the horizon.
Cup and Saucer with Battle Scenes (Bataillen-Malerei)
Royal Porcelain Manufactory, Berlin, German, established 1763, 1870–1900
hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold
cup and saucer

Curving cup. Slightly compressed in lower part. Scrolling handle. Saucer slightly curved. Decoration similar to that of 1953-17-49. Neuzierat style.
Baby Rattle with Bust of a Baby in a Nightcap
, ca. 1910
silver, mother of pearl
baby rattle

Baby in nightcap with pendant bells in silver with handle in mother-of-pearl.
Coverlet
, 1840
wool, cotton

Overshot coverlet in rust red, blue-green and tan, made of two lengths stitched together.
Matchsafe
Whitehead & Hoag Company, ca. 1905
Celluloid, metal

"The Berkshire Mfg. Co. Molding Machinery Cleveland, Ohio"
Textile
, 1760–70
linen warp, cotton weft Technique: block printed with blue applied by brush, on plain weave

Exotic blossoms and pairs of birds on a curving vine in reds, blue, green and yellow on an off-white ground, with black outlining. The interstices are filled with fine seaweed-like vine in red. Half drop repeat.
Chintz
, 18th century
cotton Technique: mordants (black, 2 reds, brown & purple) and dye applied by brush; blue painted over a resist; chintz on plain weave

Elaborate curving vine from which flowers spring. Small birds and insects.
"Petites colonne placee entre les colonnes departmentales"
Félix Duban, French, 1797 - 1870, 1838
Brush and pen, watercolor, graphite Support: light tan paper mounted on off-white laid paper
Drawing

Design for a post, in which the main body is composed of a red and white striped polygonal column with two horizontal banding elements in blue and white, and which rests on a white base with two vertical red lines and a solid red bottom.  The main striped polygonal body of the post terminates in a gold acanthus capital with a plaque written with the number "29" on top, upon which rests golden scrollwork and a pentagram with a blue, white and red banner hanging above.
Textile
, 18th century
Technique: mordant for black painted by brush, then dyed; chintz on plain weave

a) Insects, abstracted mounds, and sprays of flowers tied with ribbons scattered over the ground, with an elaborate scrolling border on the left side. (b) scrolling border only. In black on a white ground.
Border
, 1650–1700
linen Technique: cutwork with six bobbins used for connecting bars; the bobbin-made relief decoration with loops was made separately and sewn on using a needle

Fragment of a border has an intertwined floral vine pattern of fine white linen held with connecting bars.
Sketches of Theodore Cole, Cow Legs, and a Tree, Catskill, New York
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, August and September 1844
Graphite on off-white wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Mixed sketches from Catskill, New York, showing views of a standing child, cow legs, and a tree. At left, Thomas Cole's son, Theodore, is shown in left profile as he wears a hat and rolls up his pant leg. At center, a pair of a cow's front legs are sketched above a view of its rear. At right, a tree is visible.

Verso: Landscape sketch showing a view of clouds below the cliffs at the Catskill Mountain House near Catskill, New York. In the foreground at right, the rocky cliff edge is visible, topped with several trees. Extending across the composition at center are groups of puffy, billowing clouds that partly obscure the view of the Hudson Valley below. The Hudson River, however, is still visible beneath the clouds at lower center.
Fragment
, 17th century
silk, metallic thread Technique: compound plain weave Label: Silk, metallic thread plain compound weave

Red and gold fragment has a floral group with three blossoms in the center of an ogive area.
Chimborazo from the Southwest, Ecuador
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, June 3, 1857
Graphite on tan wove paper; verso: graphite, brush and white gouache
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing expansive view of mountainous region in Ecuador, with Chimborazo looming over the landscape in the distance at left. Wooded slope visible in foreground at right overlooks a rugged valley bounded by tall mountains in the distance.

Verso: Botanical sketches of a plant with blue flowers and an architectural sketch of the porch at the inn in which Church stayed in Guaranda, Ecuador. Porch rectilinear with a stone balustrade and two steps. In the upper half, a plant with long leaves and a billowing canopy is highlighted in white gouache.
Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes.
Thomas Gray, British, 1716 – 1771, 1753
Letterpress and etching on laid paper
Bound print

First page of the poem ‘Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat'. The text is letterpress printed with an etched illuminated letter ‘T' decorated with a cat. An etched headpiece above depicting a drowning cat in a tub within an interior with a table and chair behind. The vignette is within a decorative frame ornamented with rosettes, fleurons, fish, and birds, with standing cats on either side.
Decorative door boss and nail
, ca. 1550–1700
Steel-plated wrought iron

Square type, pierced and embossed with wrought lines. Quadrant leaf design with bean-shaped embossing on each leaf. Nail with square domed head on square shank.
Design for an Earring
, ca. 1800
Pen and black ink, brush and gray watercolor on paper
Drawing

Jewelry design for an earring. Double-sloped ring, with diamonds at the front. Suspended at it with both ends is the chain, consisting of two framing bands with, inside, round diamonds, connected by scrolls of ribbon, à jour. The upper slope of the ring is outlined.
Earring Design, Three Entwined Snakes Holding Pearls
, ca. 1840
Pen and ink, graphite on paper, laid down
Drawing

Design for an earring with three entwined snakes holding three dangling, teardrop-shaped pearls.
Tree Fern, Jamaica
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, August 1865
Graphite on gray-green wove paper
Drawing

Botanical sketch of a tree fern in Jamaica. Characterized by its light and wispy leaves and wooly bark, the tree dominates the right portion of the composition while the remaining space is blank.
In the Jungle, Jamaica
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, August 1865
Brush and oil, graphite on paperboard
Drawing

Landscape and botanical sketch showing view of trunk and roots of a large tree in the Jamaican jungle. At right, another tree leans out of frame. Foreground includes a slight prominence out of which the trees grow. In background, dense green foliage is visible.
Stole
, 19th century
silk ribbons, glass beads, metal thread, and paillettes. Technique: embroidered

Lavender silk ribbon decorated at either end with a vase ornament, a cross border and fringe worked in red, blue, and yellow glass beads and in metal threads, foil, and paillettes; two rosettes of metal between borders.
Design for an Andiron
Jean François Forty, active 1775 – 1790, ca. 1780
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

The second plate from a series of six designs for andirons. The base of the andirons resembles a balustrade with acanthus and laurel leaf motifs and friezes. A vase to the right with dragon-shaped handles, is ornamented with acanthus leaves, fluting and a garland of flowers. To the left a smaller flaming torch decorated with fluting and two snakes and leaves intertwined around its base. The plate is numbered, lettered, and signed.
Rocaille Design
Georg Michael Roscher, German, 1700–1775, mid- 18th century
Engraving on white laid paper
Print

Design for a rocaille frame or mirror decorated with scrolls, horns, architectural motifs, fountains, vines, serpents, crown, sheaves of wheat. The plate is signed and numbered.
Lit à la Turque
Pierre Ranson, French, 1736–1786, late 18th century
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Design for a canopy bed with small crown (baldachin) mounted above on the wall along the side of the bed (view from a side angle). The bed linen and drapery are decorated with flowers, scrolling leaves (rinceaux), fleurons, and festoons of flowers. The hanging bed curtain from the canopy is scalloped. Feather finials top the baldachin (canopy). The curtains are drawn to the side and tied with ropes. The plate is titled, numbered, and signed. A scale below.
Stage Design, Temple of Love
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1775-90
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash over black chalk on off-white laid paper
Drawing

Horizontal rectangle. Interior of huge vaulted temple, seen at an angle from right to left, inside monoptral building serving as a sort of altar; groups of people worshipping.
Stage Design, Ruins and Seaport
Giuseppe Raina, Italian, late 18th century
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, traces of graphite on cream laid paper
Drawing

Horizontal rectangle. Ruins on both sides of foreground opening up toward background with port and ship.
Trophy Designs
Pierre Ranson, French, 1736–1786, 1779–90
Etching on paper
Print

Six designs for trophies incorporating flowers, festoons of flowers and leaves, baskets, bottles, potted plants, watering jugs, fruit, scythe, agricultural tools, flag with the Royal French coat of arms (three fleurs-de-lys), and arms and armor. The plate is numbered.
Title Page
Gilles-Marie Oppenord, French, 1672–1742, ca. 1900
Photomechanical print
Bound print

Design for a pendule, or clock. The face of the design has in it the title of the series and grotesque dragons and a mascaron at the bottom. The plate is numbered but not signed.
Family Under a Canopy
Jean-Baptiste Pillement, French, 1728–1808, 1773
Etching on laid paper
Print

Plate from a series of chinoiserie scenes with figures in a landscape. A vignette with a man and a woman leaning against a wooden structure. A child stands in front of them in between two vases of flowers. Two other children stand in the background. The figures stand under a canopy made of four poles holding up a draped textile. Trees, rocks, and foliage surround them. The plate is signed and dated.
Ruins of Phaena at Al-Masmiyah, Syria
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, April 28, 1868
Graphite on gray-green wove paper; verso: graphite and white gouache
Drawing

Landscape and architectural sketch showing a view of the praetorium, or temple, and other ruins of the ancient Roman city of Phaena, located near the town of Al-Masmiyah in southern Syria. The polychromed temple no longer exists, having been dismantled in 1876 by the Ottoman army for the construction of a barracks nearby. Column fragments and other ruins--one surmounted by a goat--are visible in foreground. The ornate classical facade of the Roman temple is visible at center, with three standing columns to the left of its entrance. Mountains rise in the background.

Verso: Landscape and architectural sketches showing details of the ruins of Phaena found at Al-Masmiyah, Syria. Transcription of a Greek carving visible at upper left. Below, carved cornice details are shown, described being visibly colored with paint. Grapes and leaves are shown within intertwining circular motifs. In the lower portion and oppositely oriented, a landscape sketch showing a mountain ridge and clouds is visible.
Paravent de quatre Pieds huit Pouces de haut [et] Chaise courante
Richard de Lalonde, French, active 1780–96, 1775-1788
Etching on off-white laid paper
Print

Designs for a folding screen and for a movable chair. The sceen is decorated with ornament motifs of baskets of flowers and arabesques, and carved with interlaced piastre and beads. The chair is covered in a striped textile and carved with fluting and spiral fluting detail. Between the chair and folding screen and plans and examples of the joinery. The plate is signed and numbered.
Girandolle à branche de porcelaine garnie d'or (Girandolle with Porcelain Branches Covered in Gold), plate 69, from Oeuvres de Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (Works by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier)
Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier, French, b. Italy, 1695–1750, 1740
Engraving on white laid paper
Print

1921-6-212-29-a: Girandolle (calendabrum) on platform; three entwin...;     1921-6-212-29-b: Girandolle (calendabrum) on platform; three entwin...
Pleated fan
, ca. 1790
Printed paper leaf, wood sticks

Paper leaf with the obverse printed with a pastoral scene of shepherds and shepherdesses, and a poem. Scene is entitled: "La ruse d'amour." Other either side is three 8-line stanzas of a poem: "Air on compterait les diamants." Reverse is blank. Sticks are plain.
Roofs of an Italian Town
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, 1868 - 1869
Oil and graphite on paperboard
drawing

Architecture and atmosphere sketch showing an enormous, billowing storm cloud in the distance that backdrops a view of nearby building roofs. Visible at center, the thunderhead is tinged in hues of cream and rose. In the foreground, among several building roofs, a rectangular cupola with a pyramidal roof is visible at center left.

Verso: Light, loose, and indistinct landscape sketch of a mountainous landscape, possibly showing a cave, grotto, or tomb.
Second Chestnut Street Theater, Philadelphia
R. Goodacre, 1831
Engraving on paper
Print

Horizontal rectangle. Oblique view of the theater. Persons in the street. Caption similar to 1938-57-1409, except for the number "47." "Drawn by R. Goodacre CHESTNUT STREET THEATRE, PHILADELPHIA"
Elevaon du Chasteau de Rincy appartenant à Monsr. Bordier
Jean Marot, French, 1619 - 1679, ca.1635–ca.1660
Etching on laid paper
Print

An architectural exterior elevation of the Castle of Raincy featuring a façade of horizontal banded smooth-faced rustication, portrait busts, pilasters, balustrades, vase finials, windows, dormer windows, and a frieze. The plate is titled and signed.
Title Page
François de Cuvilliés the younger, German, 1731 - 1777, 19th century
Pen and ink, brush and wash on paper
Drawing

Title page by an anonymous designer for a miscellaneous volume with prints after François de Cuvilliés the Elder and the Younger.  Ornamental text within a decorated frame topped with an armorial trophy.
Galerie métallique des grands hommes français (Great Men of France)
N. Wolff, French, 1823
Cast bronze
Medal

Bust of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646 -1716).
Pot à Oille. Sucrier.
Richard de Lalonde, French, active 1780–96, 1775-1788
Etching on off-white laid paper
Print

Design for a tureen and sugar bowl in metal. The tureen on the left is lidded with a pinecone finial and acanthus leaf ornamentation on the top. The bowl of the tureen has three goat heads between which is a garland of flowers. The lower art of the bowl has gadrooning. The sugar bowl on the right has a tall dome ornamented with a lozenge pattern, a band of flowers, spiral fluting, acanthus leaves, and a tapered foot. The plate is signed but not numbered.
Round table
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1746–1809
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper
Drawing

Round console table.
Title Page
François-Thomas Mondon, French, 1709 – 1755, 1736
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

Title page for a series of rococo ornament prints. The title is lettered in the center within a curvilinear cartouche framed by c-scrolls, and scrolling acanthus leaves, feathers, a winged mask, and statue of a topless woman on top. The cartouche is set into a garden wall with a decorative panel with putti and a female figure in clouds to the right, and a vase with flowers on top of the wall. Trees and shrubs in the background and foreground. The plate is numbered and signed.
Fragment
, late 18th–early 19th century
silk; tempera Technique: printed and painted on plain weave

White ground divided in to circles and lozenges by slender vines and blossoms, foliage and buds. Round floral group in center of each circle. Single blossoms with four leaves in each lozenge.
Four Bath Designs
Juste-François Boucher, French, 1736 – 1782, 1849–66
Etching on paper
Print

Two designs for baths in the shape of two chairs and two chaises longues with sculpted frames, cabriole legs and upholstered backs. The frames feature scrolling leaves, fluting, and floral motifs. The plate is signed with the printmaker, publisher, and original designer, and numbered.
Semi-Cylindrical Bulb Pot
Royal Worcester, English, established 1751, ca. 1795
porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold
bulb pot

Semi-cylindrical, on four ball feet. Straight-sided back undecorated; bowed front divided into three panels, by pilaster strips. Rectangular reserve in each panel, containing flowers. Cover with three cup-shaped rings around openings, and four circular piercings.
Figure
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, n.d.
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of a male figure bowing.
Backlit Clouds
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, July 1856
Graphite on gray-green wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Atmosphere sketch showing a view of backlit clouds and sun beams, somewhere over upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine. Inclining toward the left half of the composition, a group of loosely-rendered clouds are puffy and layered, while sun rays emanate from behind them and streak across the sky at lower center and lower left. 

Verso: Incomplete atmosphere sketch showing faint outlines of puffy clouds at center right.
At the gate of a villa
Carlo Marchionni, Italian, 1702–1786, 1770–86
Black crayon on laid paper
Drawing

Closed gateway in the wall of a park. A big chain fastened upon stone pillars obstructs the approach. Between it and the gate two gentlemen or soldiers and a beggar. Four other beggars are sitting or lying and standing in the foreground.
The Aletsch Glacier from Belalp, Switzerland
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, September 1, 1868
Graphite, brush and white gouache on gray-green wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of the Aletsch Glacier from near Belalp, Switzerland. Rugged, overlapping ridges in the foreground at lower left partially obstruct the view of the glacier in the middle distance at upper left. The glacier snakes through the valley, bounded craggy alpine ridges at left and right. Snow fields are highlighted in white gouache throughout these sharp peaks. In the background, the extensive peaks of the Swiss Alps form a serrated horizon. 

Verso: Small landscape sketch at upper right showing a loosely rendered view of a rugged alpine ridge in Switzerland with several sharp peaks, continued from the depiction of the Aletsch Glacier on the leaf's opposite side.
Galerie métallique des grands hommes français (Great Men of France)
Louis Michel Petit, French, 1790 - 1844, 1822
Cast bronze
Medal

Bust of Jean-François de La Harpe (1739 - 1803), to the right.
Frieze
, 1880–90
Machine-printed, embossed

Black with conventional vines and fruits, polychrome, scalloped borders; brown bands, waved black lines. Marked "4526" in selvedge. Embossed paper.
Ornamental Vase Designs
Théodore Bertren, active in France, 18th century, 1772
Engraving on paper
Print

Two vases, one above the other. The vase on top is in the shape of an urn and has flowers emerging from the mouth. The vase has goat heads on either side, with drapery across the body of the vase, connecting behind the heads of the goats. The vase has a claw foot. The bottom vase has two handles and is decorated with garland, mascaron, fluting, and gadrooning ornamentation. The plate is signed and numbered.