Policeman's Rattle
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 49.4 x 40.5 cm (19 7/16 x 15 15/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13727
Art Historical Context
Alfred Koehn's *Policeman's Rattle* (c. 1939) captures a charming slice of American history through watercolor and graphite on paper. This detailed rendering depicts a wooden ratchet noisemaker, once a staple tool for urban police officers in the 19th century. Before the invention of the modern police whistle in the 1880s, these hand-cranked rattles produced a loud, distinctive clatter to alert the public or summon aid during patrols. Koehn's precise depiction highlights the object's folk craftsmanship, with its turned wooden handle and geared mechanism, evoking everyday heroism in early Ameri...