Bracelet
1850–70
Classification
jewelry
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift from the Thomas W. Evans Collection from University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Accession Number
1983-69-6
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This elegant bracelet, dating from 1850–70, hails from the mid-19th—a vibrant era in American material culture when jewelry served as both personal adornment and a canvas for social expression. Classified simply as jewelry and held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Smithsonian Collection, it reflects the craftsmanship of a time when accessories often symbolized sentiment, status, or romance amid the Industrial Revolution's growing access to fine goods. Its provenance adds intrigue: a gift from the Thomas W. Evans Collection, originally housed at the University of Pennsylvania School of D...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...