Anacostia Community Museum Search

object

Happiness

4 pp

A blue origami kimono features a pattern of flowers and butterflies with metallic gold accents. Light blue beads form a necklace around the collar of the traditional Japanese garment. To the right, the artist has written kimono in script above his signature and the date. On the left, he included the Kanji character for "good fortune" above the word "happiness." This mounted origami work draws on m

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object

Hat Box Used by Ethel L. Payne

8 pp

This hat box belonged to journalist Ethel L. Payne (1911-1991), who filed reports from thirty countries in her pioneering career. The blue, circular case has a zippered, hard shell to protect a hat or wig inside. The fabric-lined interior has a pocket and ribbons to secure objects. A label on the pocket identifies the model and make as CarryAll by Munro, an American shoe and luggage company. Outsi

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object

Hearts and Flowers Tin Punch

6 pp

In this punched tin design, three flowers sprout from two concentric hearts. A single dotted row borders the rectangular sheet, which also features four smaller hearts in each corner. Commonly used in the American colonies, punched tin served both practical and aesthetic functions. The patterned holes punched into a tin insert on a pie safe door, for example, could provide both air flow and exteri

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object

In Case You Ever Lose Your Shirt

5 pp

Here, artist Ira Blount showcases his origami and calligraphy skills, as well as his sense of humor. Text on the left reads “In case you ever lose your shirt…” inscribed in green ink. On the right, Blount transforms a dollar bill into a collared short sleeved shirt. Blount works with the design of the dollar to create a white collar, and the Seal of the United States is prominently displayed on th

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Iris Cross-Stitch

4 pp

Purple irises tinged with yellow grow out of a brown bowl in this cross-stitch with a geometric green border. Artist Ira Blount (1918-2020) incorporates the Chinese character, “mei,” which translates to “beauty” to the left of the flowers. This work invokes the conventions of still-life paintings by including a memento mori, a single flower that has fallen off the plant. Viewers are encouraged to

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object

Jar-Shaped Basket

1 pp

This basket, which resembles a jar, tapers inward toward the wood splint rim. Natural-colored splints, round reeds, and double plied twisted seagrass cord are woven in a plain weave. The rim is decorated with seagrass cord.

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John Robinson's Paintbrushes

1 pp

These heavily used paintbrushes—featuring paint splotches on the handles and tape to reinforce some of the ferrules—belonged to artist John Robinson. The tools enabled the lifelong D.C. resident, who worked full-time as a cook at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, to escape to his “secret place” where “all the cares and troubles of the day just melt away.” Robinson painted people and places in his Anacosti

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Johnson-Humphrey Inaugural Committee Pin With Ribbon and Medal

3 pp

Members of the Inaugural Committee wore this beribboned pin as they organized official occasions marking the inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey on January 20, 1965. Suspended from the metal bar pin, over which an eagle presides, are two ribbons. A short loop of blue satin holds a golden medallion embossed with national symbols, including another eagle. U

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Kitchen Towel, Saturday, Baking

3 pp

The embroidered design on this linen towel reserves it for kitchen décor rather than for drying dishes. Stitched in cotton thread on a white towel is a woman rolling out dough on a table. Behind her, a child sneaks a treat from the cookie jar. The woman wears a ruffled white apron over a red gingham dress as she bakes, the housekeeping task scheduled for “Saturday.” The towel is part of a days-of-

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Kitchen Towel, Sunday, Resting

3 pp

The embroidered design on this linen towel reserves it for kitchen décor rather than for drying dishes. Stitched in cotton thread on a white towel is a woman sitting in bed wearing a blue gingham robe. A man wearing a white apron bears a tray with a blue-and-white teapot and cup, while a child next to the bedside touches the woman’s hand. All look at the viewer, rather than one another. The towel

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Kitchen Towel, Thursday, Sewing

3 pp

The embroidered design on this linen towel reserves it for kitchen décor rather than for drying dishes. Stitched in cotton thread on a white towel is a woman wearing a blue-and-white striped apron over a yellow dress. She holds fabric flecked with red starbursts unfurling from a gray dress form. The pins in her mouth and on the floor beside a pin box and black scissors also point to sewing, Thursd

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Kitchen Towel, Tuesday, Ironing

3 pp

The embroidered design on this linen towel reserves it for kitchen décor rather than for drying dishes. Stitched in cotton thread on a white towel is a woman in a red apron ironing, the housekeeping task scheduled for “Tuesday.” The towel is part of a days-of-the-week set made from a needlecraft kit, a popular creative endeavor in the 1940s, when smaller, single-family homes and new appliances eas

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Anacostia Community Museum

Filters

Happiness

Hat Box Used by Ethel L. Payne

Hearts and Flowers Tin Punch

In Case You Ever Lose Your Shirt

Iris Cross-Stitch

Jar-Shaped Basket

John Robinson's Paintbrushes

Johnson-Humphrey Inaugural Committee Pin With Ribbon and Medal

Kitchen Towel, Saturday, Baking

Kitchen Towel, Sunday, Resting

Kitchen Towel, Thursday, Sewing

Kitchen Towel, Tuesday, Ironing