"Cigar Box" Chest
ca. 1880-1920
Medium
Decorative Arts-Furniture
Classification
Decorative Arts-Furniture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Accession Number
1986.65.90
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
“Tramp” art was created from old cigar boxes by tradesmen at the turn of the twentieth century. Craftsmen chip-carved the edges of pieces of wood and layered them together to create furniture, sculptures, and religious objects. The Crown of Thorns Construction (see 1998.84.52) is named because of the interlocking construction technique, which was supposed to represent Jesus’s crown when he was crucified (Helaine Fendelman, Tramp Art, 1975). These objects were not made by vagrants, but by traveli...
Art Historical Context
Step into the inventive world of "Tramp art with this charming "Cigar Box", crafted around 1880-1920. Made from repurposed cigar box wood, this piece exemplifies a folk art tradition popular at the turn of the 20th century. Far from the work of vagrants—as the name might suggest—these objects were created by skilled traveling tradesmen, such as, carpenters, and cigar makers, whotramped" from city city showcasing their craftsmanship. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art's collection, thanks to a gift from Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., and a museum purchase, it highlights American ingenuity a...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –