Object Details
printer
Government Printing Office
publisher
Bureau of American Ethnology
author
Holmes, William Henry
Description
This engraved woodblock of “Shell Gorgets – the Cross” was prepared by the Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C.; the print was published in 1883 as Plate LI.1 (p.268) in an article by William H. Holmes (1846-1933) entitled “Art in Shell of the Ancient Americans” in the Second Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, 1880-81.
A gorget is a piece of shell that has been engraved and perforated so that it can be worn as a pendant; in this case, it has been engraved with a cross insignia. The caption beneath the image reveals that the gorget was found in Union County, Illinois.
In a footnote to his article, Holmes identifies “Kate C. Osgood” as an accompanying artist on his collecting expedition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1883
ID Number
1980.0219.0080
catalog number
1980.0219.0080
accession number
1980.0219
Object Name
block
Object Type
Wood Engraving
Other Terms
Block; Wood Engraving
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
engraving (overall production method/technique)
Measurements
overall: 8.9 cm x 8.8 cm x 2.3 cm; 3 1/2 in x 3 7/16 in x 7/8 in
place made
United States: District of Columbia, Washington
See more items in
Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
Cultures & Communities
Communications
Wood Blocks for early Bureau of American Ethnology Publications, Graphic Arts Collection
Science & Mathematics
Wood Engravings, Graphic Arts Collection
Art
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Native Americans
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_749072