Sailor's Embroidery
date: label: Date made
content: late 19th Century
name: label: maker
content: Adams, J. M.
notes: label: Description
content: Sailors sometimes used their off-duty hours aboard ship to do hand crafts such as carving, knotting, and needlework. This sailor's silk embroidery on linen of patriotic symbols and Civil War-related scenes, was "Worked at sea by J. M. Adams" in the late 19th century. It is 20-1/2 inches long. The center vignette has "Liberty" seated on a wharf beside the "Mississippi River," looking at a three-masted ship flying the stars and stripes. She holds a pole topped with a liberty cap in her left hand and a shield decorated with stars, stripes, and the word "Liberty" in her right. An anchor and cannon balls are at her feet.
label: Description
content: "United States of America" and "In God We Trust" are embroidered on the scene's circular frame. Atop the frame is an American eagle holding an "E Pluribus Unum" banner. A rising sun is behind the eagle, and a stars-and-stripes shield is at its feet. To the right and left of the eagle are rifles with bayonets and American flags. To the right of the frame is a sailor; at the left is a soldier in Zouave uniform. The corner vignettes depict: 1. The "Battle of Mill Creek," fought in Kentucky on January 19, 1862, ending in a Union victory and a Confederate retreat. It is based on an engraving published by Johnson, Fry & Co., New York, from a painting by Alonzo Chappel. 2.The "Death of Ellsworth" in Alexandria, Va. He was the first Union soldier killed in the Civil War. It is based on an illustration in <i>Harper's Weekly</i> of June 15, 1861, from a sketch by Francis Brownell, a young Zouave soldier who immediately avenged Colonel Ellsworth's death and became a national hero. 3. Monument in Charlestown, Mass; designed by Martin and Joseph Milmore. Dedicated in 187l, it reads, "Erected in memory of the heroes of Charlestown who fell in the late Civil War." 4. Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument on "Boston Common," Massachusetts. Designed by Martin Milmore and dedicated in 1877.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: Place Made
content: At sea
topic: label: referenced
content: Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols
label: Subject
content: Liberty
label: depicted
content: Liberty Cap
label: depicted
content: Eagles
label: depicted
content: Sailing Ships
label: depicted
content: Flags
label: Subject
content: Patriotic
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: Military
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content: Sports & Leisure
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur M. Greenwood
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.E388178
label: catalog number
content: E388178
label: accession number
content: 182022
objectType: label: Object Name
content: embroidered picture
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: silk (thread material)
label: Physical Description
content: linen (ground material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20 1/2 in x 30 1/2 in; 52.07 cm x 77.47 cm