biglam/cooper-hewitt-alt-text huggingface dataset:
Iceberg at Twilight, Canada
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, June–July 1859
Oil and graphite on paperboard
Drawing

Seascape sketch showing a view of a distant iceberg at sunset off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Visible on the horizon at center across an expanse of dark bluish-brown ocean water, a roughly pyramidal iceberg is colored pink by the light of the setting sun, which also casts the clouds above in rich tones of orange-pink. A strip of yellow-green sky is visible over the clouds along the upper margin. One low-lying, pink cloud can be distinguished just above the iceberg itself.
Sleeve
, 13th century
Embroidery using silk on plain weave linen

Three embroidered bands, one at right angles to the other two embroidered in red and black silk.
Rugged Mountain Range, Mexico
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, 1892–93
Graphite on light brown wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of a sharp and rugged mountain range in Mexico. Flat terrain stretches across the foreground and middle distance, until it encounters the base of the mountain range in the background. The range stretches horizontally across the entire composition and is characterized by several craggy, pointed, and overlapping peaks. At center, a cliff or a band of rocks strata is visible.
Birth of Christ
Antonio Cavallucci, Italian, 1752 - 1795, 18th century
Pen and ink, brush and wash, on paper
Drawing

A dramatic scene of the Birth of Jesus Christ: Mary, holding the Infant in her lap, Joseph, standing by her, two Magi kneeling before the Holy Family, two more Magi, and shepherds at the threshold are stopped in awe by a bright beam of light announcing the arrival of God the Father, seated in clouds and preceded by angels, to bless his Son. Christ's family is in a rustic shelter not far from Bethlehem, the city upon a hill in the background.
Two Staircase Balustrade Designs
Caillouet, French, mid-18th century, 1775–87
Engraving and etching on paper
Print

Two designs for wrought-iron staircase balustrades featuring scrolling bands and scrolling leaves. The plate is signed and numbered.
Button
, 1830–52
A,B) Brass; C) gilt

Three buttons showing Gallic Cock and words "Ecole Militaire Speciale" 1930-1852.

Component -a is on card i80
Component -b is on card C
Cabins near Belalp, Switzerland
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, September 3, 1868
Graphite on light gray paper
Drawing

Architectural sketch showing an oblique view of two mountain cabins near Belalp, Switzerland. In the foreground, a rocky slope descends from right to left. At center, a wooden cabin is built into the slope and is viewed diagonally. Behind it to the left, another nearly identical cabin is visible.

Verso: Landscape and architecture sketchesshowing multiple views of cabins in the Swiss alps near Belalp in the Rhone Valley. At upper right, three cabins are shown grouped closely next to one another. At center, three other cabins on the mountainside are visible, with a vignette of two cabins beside them at left. At lower right, two sketches of rocks in streams are included.
Design for a Mantel Clock
Jean-Louis Prieur the Younger, French, 1759 – 1795, 1780–90
Graphite, pen and ink, brush and watercolor on paper
Drawing

Design for a marble and bronze clock. The clock is set in a marble case, a truncated pyramid in shape, mounted on a marble and bronze plinth. Below the dial a bronze swag, above the dial an escutcheon. An eagle at apex with outstretched wings, with chains suspended from his beak.
Groups of Women at Beach, Cullercoats, England
Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, 1881–82
Graphite on gray-green paper
Drawing

Horizontal view  showing, in the foreground of the upper section of the sheet,  a beach with groups of women, some carrying babies and some with baskets on their backs, while in the background boats are standing in toward shore in the sea.  In the lower section of the sheet there is a sketch of a woman with a basket on her back.
Sketch of Mt. Blanc at Sunrise
Daniel Huntington, American, 1816–1906, August 19, 1843
Graphite and white chalk on buff laid paper
Drawing

Mountain ridges, with peak at left. Verso: Study of clasped hands.
A Couple Embracing in a Landscape
François Boucher, French, 1703–1770, 1751
Etching on laid paper
Print

A pastoral scene with a couple embracing in a landscape. A man standing over a woman who is seated on the ground. He has his arm around her and holds her chin with his left hand. Their faces are very close to each other, and their legs are intertwined. A basket of flowers, straw hat, and shepherd's crook lay on the ground to the left of the couple, with sheep in the background to the right. Trees, rolling hills and foliage in the background with a stream of water in the foreground to the right. The plate is signed and numbered.
Conversation Chinoise
François-Thomas Mondon, French, 1709 – 1755, 1736
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Print

A chinoiserie (European decorative arts and architectural style inspired by fanciful ideas of China and East Asia) ornament print featuring a male and female figure seated in a fantastical landscape surrounded by rocaille motifs and a fantastical bird or dragon. The male figure holds a parasol. The ornament features a vase with leaves, shells, feathers, scrolling leaves (rinceaux), c-scrolls, and batwings. The plate is titled, numbered, and signed.
Left Foot From a Plaster
Daniel Huntington, American, 1816–1906, 1840
Black chalk, white chalk on light rose-violet wove paper
Drawing

Study of a left foot with heel raised, sketched from plaster.
The Pigodeon, Illustration for Scribner's Magazine (XVI, No. 6, December 1894, p. 64)
Frederick Stuart Church, American, 1842–1924, 1894
Printed in black ink on paper
Ephemera

Center, bear with glasses sitting by piano, with music sheet, labelled, turned to see woman. Right, profile of a woman sitting on chair, with hat, head slightly tilted, closed umbrella in right hand. Left, pigs sitting in wooden contraption, some singing. Drawing labelled.
Design for Textile with Fruit
, early 18th century
Woodblock in black ink with brush or stenciled orange watercolor on paper
Print

Block printed design in orange with flowers, rinceaux, and fruit.
Design for a Decorative Panel
Juste-François Boucher, French, 1736 – 1782, ca. 1780
Pencil, pen, ink, pink and blue watercolor washes on paper
Drawing

A candelabrum showing the half figure of a caryatid with a flower basket at the bottom, a sacrificing man in an ovoid in the upper center, a bowl on top. Framing moulding. Paper margins.
Hills and Cattle, Mexico
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, 1890–93
Graphite on off-white wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of hills and cattle in a field in Mexico. In the foreground, a streak of differently colored earth is shown at center, while just beyond it, two cows are shown grazing in an expansive, grassy plain. In the background, three distinct hills form an undulating horizon with the highest point at upper center.
Design for Fireplace Mantel Decoration
Richard de Lalonde, French, active 1780–96, 1780-1789
Etching on off-white laid paper
Print

Design for a fireplace with a mantel on which sits an urn in a shallow bowl. The fireplace is decorated with ornament motifs including bead course, rosettes, wave pattern, acanthus leaves, garland, and rinceaux. The plate is signed and numbered.
Drawing: Sketch of a woman walking and carrying a basket
, 1650–1700
Pen and ink on paper
Drawing

Vertical composition of a woman walking. She is turned towards the left and carries the basket in her lowered left hand and holds her right arm horizontally.
Woodland Stream, Vermont
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, September 1848
Brush and oil on tan paperboard
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a detailed view of a shallow stream in Vermont, likely near Pittsford or Rutland. The nearby grassy bank stretches across the immediate foreground along the lower margin. Just beyond, the stream's crystal clear and shallow waters flow gently over a rocky bed, rendered in shades of brown and gray. At upper center, a small bush partially contains this portion of the stream, which may be a pool. The upper left and right portions are unfinished and indistinct.
Decorated Capital Letter T
Jakob Frey, Swiss, active Italy, 1681 - 1752, ca. 1715
Engraving on paper
Print

Letter T before the kneeling St. Thomas holding a carpenter's rule.
Sampler
, 19th century
silk embroidery, linen foundation Technique:

Alphabets, vases, baskets, birds, dogs, people, hearts and other designs.  One corner is cut in a curve.
Knife with Porcelain Handle (Paired with Fork)
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, German, active from 1710 to the present, 18th century
hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, steel
knife

Part of a set, with fork (b). Knife (a): Slightly curved steel blade and tapering tubular blue and white porcelain handle, nickel socket.
Frame for an Escutcheon
, 1750–1800
Pen and ink, brush and sepia wash on paper
Drawing

Right half of a frame showing putti at upper right and lion mask upper center. Scrollwork escutcheon at center.
Wall Painting with Allegory of Vigilance
, 1800–1830
Black chalk, pen and ink, brush and watercolor, white heightening on paper
Drawing

A flying girl riases an urn containing a fire with her right hand. In her left hand she holds a book, helped by a putto.
Embroidery sample
, 1790–1800
silk, glass, paper Technique: embroidery and appliqué on a compound weave

Floral pattern embroidered with white silk and pieces of blue and clear glass on a vertically striped blue and black ground.
A church in Guadalajara (Mexico)
Howard Russell Butler, American, 1856 - 1934, 1888
Black crayon with white heightening on paper, laid down on cardboard
Drawing

Oblique view of a group of structures, a church included. A square with people is in the foreground. Caption in the lower corner: Guadalajara / 1888.
spoon
, ca. 1722
silver

Oval bowl, tapering stem with rattail join, rounded terminal with cast shell on reverse.
Wall with Mirror and Console Tables
François de Cuvilliés the Elder, Belgian, 1695 - 1768, 18th century
Engraving on paper
Bound print

Design for an interior wall decoration with applied ornamental stuccowork. At center, a wall panel with large mirror flanked by two trumeaux with console tables. Scale at lower right.
Three ships surrounded by monsters
Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus, Flemish, 1523–1605, ca. 1590
Engraving on paper
Print

Horizontal rectangle. Second state. At center, a ship surrounded by sea monsters; on its decks are men and many bells. In the background are two similar ships. In a choppy sea. Near right bottom corner: "Joan. Stradanus invent. / Joan. Galle. excud." Bottom margin: "Nauita Erythraeum panidus qui navigat aequor / In prorae et puppis summo resonantia pendet / Tintinabula: eo sonitu praegrandia late, Balenas et Monstra marina à navibus arcet." "6."
Mountain Above a Lake
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, probably 1856
Graphite on green wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch of a large mountain beyond a body of water, likely a lake in New York or Maine. The lake's water extends from the foreground to the middle distance, where it encounters the opposite shoreline. In the background at center, a large, pyramidal peak towers over the lake. Above, sun beams pierce through a cloudy atmosphere, shining down on the mountain below.
Design for Theater Ceiling
Giuseppe Borsato, Italian, 1770 - 1840, ca. 1820
Pen and black ink, brush and watercolor, gouache, graphite on paper
Drawing

Vertical format. Form of a horseshoe, similar to 1940-21-22. The central panel has the same shape. In the center is a circular medallion with a standing lyre with two hanging laurel wreaths in front of two crossed trumpets and rays. It is surrounded by a circle formed by a Greek motif and farther away by another, for which two alternative suggestions are made: a cresting border with alternating blossoms and palmettes, and lyres connected by scrolls; two dancers, slightly skteched with pencil, are seemingly remnants of an earlier idea. Below are two triangles. This panel is framed by a band in the shape of a horseshoe; octagons alternate in it with lozenges. In the latter are figures of dancing girls. A moulding frames the central panel with the band. Outside is a corresponding frieze with, alternating: a swan supporting a garland or, at the base, two wreaths, and a standing trophy consisting of a candelabrum, two harps, branches, two wreaths. The part near the stage is divided into many oblongs and triangles. The details at the right side are not entirely executed.
Early Days of Successful Men, Article for Harper's Young People (XLV, No. 804, March 26, 1895, p. 366)
Frederick Stuart Church, American, 1842–1924, 1895
Printed in black ink on paper
Ephemera

Article clipping from Harper's Young People, on Frederick Stuart Church. Third page of the article, with illustrations of warfare above and below the text.
Trophy with allegorical figure
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1746–1809
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash on off-white laid paper
Drawing

Trophy with allegorical figure.
Design for Fountain with Trelliswork Arches
François de Cuvilliés the Elder, Belgian, 1695 - 1768, 1745
Etching and engraving on off-white laid paper
Print

Design for a fountain in the form of an irregular, architectural cartouche. In front of the archway of the cartouche are attributes of geometry; behind a balustrade stand three scholars with a map, a globe, and compass. The plate is signed and numbered.
Design for Fountain with Canopic Jar
Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809, 1790
Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, traces of graphite on off-white laid paper
Drawing

In the center of a wide, low basin stands a column topped with a canopic jar. At the base sit two Egyptian figures with water flowing from their mouths.
Tassel
, 17th century
metal foil, metallic thread, and silk on wood core

Tassel with a turned wooden core covered with metal foil, metallic thread, and silk in a woven and knotted pattern; skirt of twisted silk threads (green, white, yellow, and pink) covered with threads and strings of flower-like forms in metal. Cord at top of yellow, pink and white threads with cylinder covered with pink, yellow and gold threads in chevron pattern.
Design for a Salon
François-Jacques Delannoy, French, 1755 - 1835, ca. 1785
Pen and ink, brush and watercolor, graphite on paper
Drawing

The central mirror over the mantel is arched. Laterally are shallow niches with sofas beneath mirrors.
Title Page from “Comic Fables, Out of The World”
Frederick Stuart Church, American, 1842–1924, 1878
Printed in black ink on paper
Ephemera

Title page or frontispiece. Text beginning with, Aesop doth with umbrella fare. Waxing crescent with face above.
Project for an Entrance
Carlo Marchionni, Italian, 1702–1786, ca. 1745
Graphite, pen and ink, brush and watercolor on paper
Drawing

An entryway framed by a pair of columns and pilasters supporting an entablature and the cornice of a pediment. The inner frame with the arch is supported by two twisting solomonic columns, between which is a curtain or baldachino. On top, a shell between two garlands. Dimensions are written in the artist's hand.
Les Bord du Loing
Théophile-Narcisse Chauvel, French, 1831 - 1910, 1877
Etching in black ink on cream colored paper
Print

A cow lies in the foreground in a broad field. A copse of willows, left distance.
Design for the decoration of a panel
, 1760–1780
Black chalk, pen and ink, brush and rose and black watercolor on paper
Drawing

In the center are two female half-figures, from which rinceaux spring. They support a torch-like blossom. Rectilinear framing line surrounds. The scale is shown at lower edge.
Horseshoe Falls and Terrapin Tower, Niagara River, Canada
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, October 1856
Graphite and white gouache on brown wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of the Terrapin Tower and the eastern portion of Horseshoe Falls as viewed from the Canadian bank of the Niagara River. The water of the cascades crashes dramatically onto a pile of rocks and boulders. Beyond the Terrapin Tower, the cliffs of Goat Island are visible. Below, foam and mist float around the waters of the Niagara River.
Sketch, Enthroned Figure with Figures Fighting over Child
Fortunato Duranti, Italian, 1787 - 1863, 1820–1850
Pen and ink, brush and sepia wash on paper
Drawing

Sketch, Enthroned Figure with Figures Fighting over Child
Sailor with a Pipe
Dominique Vivant Denon, French, 1747 - 1825, ca. 1788
Etching on paper
Print

A standing male peasant, facing half-right, carrying a long-stemmed pipe in his left hand and wearing a Plergyian cap.
Textile
, 19th century
piña (pineapple) fiber, cotton Technique: plain weave

Square comprised of three fragments stitched together. Light tan pineapple fiber ground with a faint plaid of orange pineapple fiber and white cotton. Machine hemmed.
Man and woman
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1884
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of a male figure and a female figure.
Rocaille Fountain Design
François Boucher, French, 1703–1770, 1736
Engraving on laid paper
Bound print

Folio 6, plate 6 of a series of 7. Design for a fountain. Rocaille fountain design with two tritons amongst a number of large shells with water flowing. Each figure blows into a conch-like horn, from which pours a stream of water. Below, two dolphins or sea creatures. The fountain is situated within a niche, with the face of Poseidon contained within a shell form above.
Elevation of the Teatro Vaccai, Tolentino, Italy
Giuseppe Lucatelli, Italian, 1751 – 1828, 1790
Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash on laid paper
Drawing

Design for a theater.  Elevation of the main facade of a portico with three arched doorways.  The central doorway is decorated with coats of arms (of the cardinal of the town).  The main body of the theater is visible behind the portico.  It includes a semi-circular space, directly behind the portico.  Inscription below the elevation.
Button
, 1830–53
Pewter

Circular button, slightly convex, with cock having left claw on ball, right claw on a rectangle with the words Surete Public; surrounded by "Gendermerie Departmentale" Gendarmrie 1830-1853

On card i
Distant View of St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, January 1869
Graphite on tan wove paper; verso: graphite
Drawing

Landscape and architecture sketch showing a distant view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica enshrouded in shadow. Several illuminated clouds occupy the sunset sky in the background. 

Verso: Architecture sketch showing a somewhat detailed view of St. Peter's Basilica from the northwest. At center, the primary dome is shown supported by ribs, surmounted by a lantern, and bolstered by columns around its base. Beyond, the statues and two towers of the building's facade are partly visible.
View of Venice, Italy
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1881
Graphite on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of three gondoliers and gondolas in Venice.
Designs for Carved Trophies
François Roumier, French, 16..–1748, 1740-1748
Etching and engraving on laid paper
Bound print

Page printed with two narrow plates of trophies set within frames with acanthus leaves, scrolls, and shells at the top and the bottom. The trophy of the left plate features Christian iconography including a crown, an angel, a chalice, a sword, an ax, and a bag spilling coins. At the center is a cartouche with an Old Testament scene. The trophy on the right plate has a cartouche at its center with a scene of the Israelites blowing their horns around the walls of Jericho. Neither plate is signed; both are numbered.
Woodland Scene at Sunset
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, probably 1847
Graphite and white gouache on light brown wove paper; verso: graphite and gouache
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a loosely rendered view of the sun setting over a lush woodland scene with a small body of water. In the foreground, a group of large trees with full canopies frames the scene at left while other organic and rock-like formations are visible at right. Highlighted in white gouache, the sun begins to set at center as it reflects its light off of a stream or small lake at lower center. An indistinct rolling and wooded landscape comprises the middle distance, while puffy clouds hang above the horizon in the background.

Verso: Landscape and atmosphere sketch showing a view of the sunset or the sunrise over a rolling, bucolic landscape. In the middle distance, groups of trees are visible around a flat meadow or a sprawling body of water. In the background, a rolling range of relatively sharp hills stretches across the horizon while vertical sunbeams crest the range at center. Above, a low-lying cloud bank and other, small clouds are vibrantly lit by the light of the transitional sun.
Cliffs and Ridges, El Yemen Valley, Palestine
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, February 20, 1868
Graphite on gray wove paper; verso; graphite
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of a dramatic, precipitous canyon in present-day Israel. A steep, rocky slope descends in foreground from upper left to lower right. Suggestion of caravan at lower right. Another sheer cliff is visible in middle distance at center, part of a rugged ridge. Tall mountain range is visible in distance. 

Verso: Lansdcape sketch from the floor of a narrow, precipitous canyon in present-day Israel, rendered loosely. Stream flows through the base of the canyon in foreground at center, with steep slopes and cliffs on either side. In middle distance at upper center, a rounded ledge is visible, flanked by two tall, sharp prominences. Mountain range visible in background.
Sidewall
, 1800–1815
Block-printed on handmade paper

Design divided by narrow vertical stripes composed of small clusters of flowers separated by a diamond-like motif with a bud enclosed. Field of broad stripe composed of tiny clusters of pin points and daisies arranged in diagonal rows. On the right broad stripe is a scene compposed of a woman churning butter and a small child leaning against a tree planted in a tub is beside her. Opposite this motif in the other broad stripe is a cluster of flowers smaller in scale. Evidently these two motifs alternate.
Arabesque Panel Design
Juste-François Boucher, French, 1736 – 1782, 1775–88
Etching on paper
Print

An arabesque panel design featuring a two-handled flowering vase decorated with fluting and gadrooning and a hanging festoon of leaves, on a bracket or base with scrolling leaves, acanthus leaves, rosettes, fleurons, and an oval medallion below. The plate is numbered and signed.
Fragment
, 13th century
linen, silk Technique: plain weave

Striped cloth.
Buffet de Menuiserie avec Panneaux de Glace et de Mosaique et Porte d'appartement
Jean-Baptiste Le Roux, French, ca. 1677-1746, 1700-1743
Engraving and Etching on paper
Print

Sideboard design with three inset shelf units. To the left of the sideboard is a large mirror on a panel of a dotted lozenge pattern. To the right of the sideboard is a set of doors with carved ornamentation. The plate is neither numbered nor signed.
Sidewall
, 1920
Block-printed and flocked paper

Simulates a two-toned Genoese velvet in a Renaissance design. Urns with carnations with affronted eagles on either side. This motif is enclosed in an interlacing scroll with carnation sprays at points of intersection. Both design and field done entirely in wool flock.
Chamber
Robert Frederick Blum, American, 1857–1903, 1892
Graphite, pastel crayon on wove paper
Drawing

Sketch of a chamber opened for an audience.
Mt. Katahdin, Maine
Frederic Edwin Church, American, 1826–1900, September 6, 1876
Graphite on tan wove paper
Drawing

Landscape sketch showing a view of Mt. Katahdin in Maine, possibly as seen from the east near Katahdin Lake. In the immediate foreground at left, a tall, lone tree frames the scene. The undulating contour of dense treetops stretches horizontally across the scene, interrupted at right by a closer stand of trees. Dominating the view in the background at center, the pyramidal form of Mt. Katahdin, with its overlapping, serrated peaks, looms over the nearby forest.