Floor plan

Time and placeThe United States

The United States

The sculpture depicts a mythical creature resembling a dragon. It has a long spiraled body and an intricate head with spiky protrusions. The sculpture is a warm brown color. The dragon has bat-like wings, an open mouth, detailed texture with scales, and is standing on a small base.
A young, gangly, brown-skinned boy sits on a green chair and leans over the banjo he plays in this loosely painted, vertical composition. His body faces our right in profile, and his head leans to his left and away from us. Light comes from our left to highlight his ear and the side of his chin, but throws his profile into shadow against the lighter background. The boy has short black hair and wears a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants, and black shoes. The floor is loosely painted with streaks of earth brown, taupe, and dark moss green. The wall behind the boy is painted with visible strokes of parchment brown, peachy tan, pearl white, and fog gray. The space to our left of the boy is dark brown, and an outline of a standing person is sketched in the top left corner. A grid is overlaid across the boy’s body and the chair.
This is a drawing depicting instructional annotations on a pattern for tailoring or assembling clothing. The pattern includes various pieces labeled with letters and numbers corresponding to specific parts of a garment, like "FRONT," "SIDE BACK," and "COLLAR." The layout is precise and technical, resembling a guide for constructing a garment with detailed cutting and assembly instructions.
Eaton's Neck, Long Island, by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
STUDY FOR "SCIENTIFIC GROUP"
The image shows a spinning wheel with intricate details, surrounded by smaller insets highlighting specific components. The color palette consists of muted browns, greens, and beiges. The spinning wheel is positioned in the center, with its circular wheel on the right and the spinning mechanism on the left. Detailed insets are placed around the spinning wheel, each showing different mechanical elements.
The image features a round, ornately decorated object resembling a shield with metallic-looking decorative hinges on its surface. The color palette is primarily earthy tones such as brown, red, and hints of gold. The object is centered in the image, viewed from the front, with engravings decorating its surface. The background is plain and light in color.
Garden View, Brooklyn, by Fidelia Bridges, ca. 1867

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the United States, from every century in the collection.

First room, north wall

  1. The sculpture depicts a mythical creature resembling a dragon. It has a long spiraled body and an intricate head with spiky protrusions. The sculpture is a warm brown color. The dragon has bat-like wings, an open mouth, detailed texture with scales, and is standing on a small base.
    FenceRose Campbell-Gerke, c. 1941Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A young, gangly, brown-skinned boy sits on a green chair and leans over the banjo he plays in this loosely painted, vertical composition. His body faces our right in profile, and his head leans to his left and away from us. Light comes from our left to highlight his ear and the side of his chin, but throws his profile into shadow against the lighter background. The boy has short black hair and wears a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants, and black shoes. The floor is loosely painted with streaks of earth brown, taupe, and dark moss green. The wall behind the boy is painted with visible strokes of parchment brown, peachy tan, pearl white, and fog gray. The space to our left of the boy is dark brown, and an outline of a standing person is sketched in the top left corner. A grid is overlaid across the boy’s body and the chair.
    Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Banjo PlayerThomas Eakins, probably 1877Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. This is a drawing depicting instructional annotations on a pattern for tailoring or assembling clothing. The pattern includes various pieces labeled with letters and numbers corresponding to specific parts of a garment, like "FRONT," "SIDE BACK," and "COLLAR." The layout is precise and technical, resembling a guide for constructing a garment with detailed cutting and assembly instructions.
    Waistcoat PatternRosalia Lane, c. 1936Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Eaton's Neck, Long Island, by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
    Eaton's Neck, Long IslandJohn Frederick Kensett, 1872Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

First room, south wall

  1. STUDY FOR "SCIENTIFIC GROUP"
    Study for "Scientific Group"Daniel Huntington, 1858Courtesy of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
  2. The image shows a spinning wheel with intricate details, surrounded by smaller insets highlighting specific components. The color palette consists of muted browns, greens, and beiges. The spinning wheel is positioned in the center, with its circular wheel on the right and the spinning mechanism on the left. Detailed insets are placed around the spinning wheel, each showing different mechanical elements.
    Spinning WheelClyde L. Cheney, 1935/1942Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The image features a round, ornately decorated object resembling a shield with metallic-looking decorative hinges on its surface. The color palette is primarily earthy tones such as brown, red, and hints of gold. The object is centered in the image, viewed from the front, with engravings decorating its surface. The background is plain and light in color.
    Baptismal FontWilliam Kieckhofel, c. 1941Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Garden View, Brooklyn, by Fidelia Bridges, ca. 1867
    Garden View, BrooklynFidelia Bridges, ca. 1867Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. This print depicts a grayscale desert landscape with a prominent saguaro cactus to the left. In the background, rocky mountains are visible in the darkness. The sky shows a crescent moon and a bright star through an opening in the soft gray clouds. Sparse desert vegetation is faintly visible on the ground, and more cacti can be seen in the distance.
    New Moon and Evening StarGeorge Elbert Burr, c. 1932Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. This is a drawing of a decorative vase design. The central focus of the image is a detailed drawing of a vase with a bulbous body and a flared top, placed on an intricately designed tall stand. The stand features elaborate ornate patterns, giving it an almost floral appearance with its swirling details and golden hue. The vase itself has subtle decorative elements engraved or painted around its surface. Surrounding the primary image are additional sketches showcasing different parts and views of the vase, such as its profile, the pattern, and cross-sectional diagrams. These supplementary sketches provide further insight into the structural and decorative design aspects of the vase. The careful attention to scale and detail suggests this is a design blueprint for a piece of decorative art.
    Metal Base LampHenry Meyers, c. 1936Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. A woman with smooth, pale skin and wearing a hat, long dress, and gloves, stands holding a bunch of pumpkin-orange leaves against a background of trees painted with touches of rust orange and pine green in this vertical painting. The woman tips her head back slightly to look at us with dark eyes under arched eyebrows. Her cheeks are flushed and her coral-pink lips closed. Her round black hat perches on the back of her head and she has an inky black, long-sleeved, hip-length jacket with bronze trim at the shoulders, cuffs, and down the front. A gauzy bow is tied at her neck. Her left elbow, on our right, is bent and she holds up her tan-colored, ruffled skirt with a white-gloved hand. The raised skirt exposes sky-blue lining and white, ruffled flounces at her feet. Her right arm, on our left, hangs at her side and holds the handle of a basket. Deep marigold-orange leaves cascade out of the basket. One black shoe peeks out from under her long skirt. She stands on a hill carpeted with crimson-red, tawny-brown, golden yellow, and forest-green leaves. The space behind her is filled with touches and dabs of red, orange, brown, black, and tan.
    AutumnWinslow Homer, 1877Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. A work made of etching and drypoint in brown on cream laid paper.
    Nocturne, from Venice, a Series of Twelve Etchings (the "First Venice Set")James McNeill Whistler, 1879–80Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, north wall

  1. The image shows two large quilt blocks with a matching design, side by side. Each block consists of red and beige fabric with quilted stitching creating a textured appearance. The color palette includes primarily red, beige, and dark stitching outlining the patterns. The quilt blocks are placed centrally on a light-colored surface.
    Patchwork QuiltPaul Ward, c. 1936Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. This is a painting of a carousel horse. The image shows a gray carousel horse with glossy highlights and shading. The horse has a blue and red saddle with gold bands, and a blue harness with red accents. The horse is mid-gallop, with animated legs. The background is plain to focus on the horse's design. The style is detailed and realistic, reminiscent of carousel art from the late 19th to early 20th century.
    Carousel HorseDorothy Handy, c. 1939Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The image is a portrait painting showing a man's upper body. He is positioned slightly turned to his right, with his head facing the viewer. The man has fair skin, defined cheekbones, and small, bright eyes. His hair is short, neatly combed, and grey or white. He is wearing a dark coat over a white shirt with a high collar, partially visible. The background is a muted, dark color, providing a simple setting that emphasizes the subject. There are no visible jewelry or objects in the image.
    Aaron BaldwinFrancis Alexander, c. 1835Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Christ, by Kenyon Cox, 1905
    ChristKenyon Cox, 1905Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art