Manufactured by

American Watch Company

Used by

Henson, Matthew A., American, 1866 - 1955

Subject of

Henson, Matthew A., American, 1866 - 1955

Peary, Robert E., American, 1856 - 1920

Medium

nickel , metal and glass

Dimensions

H x W x D: 3 1/4 × 2 1/4 × 3/4 in. (8.3 × 5.7 × 1.9 cm)

Type

pocket watches

Place used

North Pole, Arctic

Greenland, Cape Morris Jessup, North and Central America

Place made

Waltham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1888-1889; inscribed 1908 or 1909

Caption

An engraved watch that is believed to be the watch carried by Matthew Henson (1866-1955) on his exploration of the North Pole along with Adm. Robert E. Peary from July 6, 1908 to April 23, 1909. Henson is an iconic figure among American pioneering explorers. During the 1908-09 expedition led by Admiral Peary (whom he assisted on several Arctic expeditions over a 20-year period), Henson became the first man to reach the North Pole. For his achievements, Henson received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944. In 2000, the National Geographic Society awarded Henson the Hubbard Metal – its highest award.

Description

This pocket watch belonged to Matthew Henson and is engraved with his initials. The watch is silver in color and the words [R.E. PEARY / NORTH POLE / EXPEDITION / 1908] are engraved on the front in an Edwardian style. Henson's initials [M.A. HENSON] are engraved on the side. The watch has a white face with black hands and roman numerals. The watchmaker's name [Am. Watch Co. / WALTHAM] is printed in the top center of the face. The inside of the watch is engraved with the watchmaker's name [American Waltham Watch Co.] and the serial number [3639616].

Topic

African American

Men

Nature

Science

Technology

United States--History--1865-1921

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2017.31

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Adornment

Tools and Equipment-Personal use

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Manufactured by

Unidentified

Medium

iron

Dimensions

H x W x D: 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (9.5 × 6.4 × 4.4 cm)

Type

irons

Place collected

Deltaville, Middlesex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

Late 19th century

Description

A small marquise shaped flat iron with handle. The metal sadiron is made from a single piece of iron. The object is heavily corroded. No identifying marks are visible.

Topic

African American

Domestic life

Emancipation

Labor

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Leonard H. Powell

Object number

2017.95

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Tools and Equipment-Domestic

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Chandler, D. L., American

Received by

Sklarek, Norma Merrick, American, 1926 - 2012

Subject of

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, American, founded 1861

Owned by

Sklarek, Norma Merrick, American, 1926 - 2012

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 11 × 8 1/2 in. (27.9 × 21.6 cm)

Type

letters (correspondence)

Place made

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

September 29, 1976

Description

Letter from DL Chandler to Norma Merrick Sklarek. The white paper has a black and red printed letterhead from the Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The letter is handwritten in blue ink and dated in the upper right corner. The letter begins [DEAR MS. SKLAREK - / I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE LONG DELAY IN RELAYING YOUR COPY TO YOU.] Chandler discusses a potential topic, “Architectural History of Black America,” for a PhD thesis and asks for permission to include research on Sklarek. Chandler also asks for information about other African American women architects to contact. The reverse is blank.

Topic

African American

Architecture

Correspondence

Education

United States--History

Women

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David Merrick Fairweather and Yvonne Goff

Object number

TA2018.23.3.1.11.10

Restrictions & Rights

Unknown - Restrictions Possible

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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Documents and Published Materials

Archival Collections

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Distributed by

Big World Productions, American

Owned by

Brown, James, American, 1933 - 2006

Subject of

Lowell Memorial Auditorium, American, founded 1922

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 17 × 11 in. (43.2 × 28 cm)

Type

portraits

broadsides

Place used

Lowell, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

2003

Description

A black-and-white broadside for a James Brown concert at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. The broadside has white lettering at top that reads “BIG WORLD PRODUCTIONS presents / LOWELL / MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM / FRIDAY JANUARY 17 / 8:00pm / The Godfather of Soul.” At the center of the broadside is an image of James Brown singing with his eyes closed. He is holding a microphone close to his mouth with his right hand. Written below the image in gray text is “James / BROWN.” At the bottom of the page are telephone numbers for Ticketmaster and the box office. Big World Production’s logo and web address is also at the bottom.

Topic

African American

Communication

Funk (Music)

Soul (Music)

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2008.7.19

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Cleage, Pearl, American

Subject of

Borsay, LaTonya

Dortch, Ron

Mulamba, Gwendolyn

Scott, Donovan Dain

Whitehurst, Scott, American, born 1962

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (22.2 x 14.6 cm)

Type

theater programs

Place used

New Brunswick, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America

Date

1998

Description

Theater program for Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage directed by Walter Dallas, Oct. 1st-Nov. 1st 1998. Black and white image of a building in the background, window with curtains in the midground, bottom left woman with her chin propped up on her intertwined hands. [CROSSROADS/THEATRE COMPANY/BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY/ by PEARL CLEAGE/directed by WALTER DALLAS/ Oct. 1st-Nov. 1st 1998]

Topic

African American

Drama (Theatre)

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kayla Deigh Owens

Object number

2011.45.13

Restrictions & Rights

© Pearl Cleage Interior cover photographs: © Arthur Paxton. Permission required for use.

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Classification

Memorabilia and Ephemera

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Rev. Bourne, George, British American, 1780 - 1845

Published by

Hunt, Edwin, American

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W x D: 6 x 3 3/4 x 3/4 in. (15.2 x 9.5 x 1.9 cm)

Type

books

Place made

Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America

Date

1834

Description

This book is entitled "Picture of Slavery in the United States of America," and was written by Reverend George Bourne. It was published by Edwin Hunt in 1834. The text is bound in a plain dark blue paper cover with text on the interior pages printed in black ink. There are ten (10) engravings included, featuring images related to scenes of slavery.

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Literature

Religion

United States--History--1815-1861

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2013.46.7

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

Exhibition

Slavery and Freedom

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Robert Houston, American, born 1935

Subject of

Miles Davis, American, 1926 - 1991

Medium

digital

Dimensions

H x W: 5604pixels × 9079pixels

Type

portraits

digital images

digital media - born analog

Place depicted

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1970

Description

This image depicts musician Miles Davis playing the trumpet. Viewed from the shoulders up, and his eyes are cast downward. His hands are visible as he holds his instrument to his lips. He wears a light colored shirt with a scarf around his neck. A microphone is visible at the extreme right of the image.

Topic

African American

Jazz (Music)

Photography

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Greta Houston

Object number

2014.116.31

Restrictions & Rights

© Robert Houston

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Classification

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Received by

Rev. Selden, David, American, 1761 - 1825

Written by

Selden, David, American, born 1785

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W (folded): 9 15/16 × 7 7/8 in. (25.2 × 20 cm)

H x W (unfolded): 9 15/16 × 15 5/8 in. (25.2 × 39.7 cm)

Type

letters (correspondence)

Place used

Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America

Chatham, East Hampton, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America

Date

March 5, 1800

Description

This letter was written from Charleston, South Carolina, on March 5, 1800, by David Selden to his parents in Chatham, Connecticut. Selden lists several cities he has recently traveled to including New York and Philadelphia, with future destinations including Georgetown and Georgia. After describing the weather and spring blossoms of Charleston, Selden writes, "I cannot but reflect on the awfull sight to be seen at a place called Gadsdens wharf of about four thousand poor africans naked/in a manner/ and lousy[.] The most distressing sight I ever beheld offered for sale every day at Auction to him who will give the most." The letter is posted specifically to his father Reverend David Selden of Chatham, Connecticut, but the salutation reads "Dear parents".

Topic

African American

Africa

American South

Business

Correspondence

Middle Passage

Slavery

Trans Atlantic slave trade

United States--History--1783-1815

Urban life

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2014.174.2

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Documents and Published Materials

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Warren, George Kendall, died 1884

Subject of

Hewlett, Aaron Molyneaux, American, 1820 - 1871

Medium

albumen and silver on paper on pasteboard

Dimensions

H x W: 13 1/8 × 10 in. (33.3 × 25.4 cm)

Type

photographic prints

portraits

Place made

Harvard University, Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1859-1871

Description

This photographic print depicts Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett, the first African American gymnasium coach at Harvard University. Hewlett is seated and is surrounded by a variety of exercise equipment. He wears a striped three-piece suit and a dark necktie. The print is cut in an oval shape and mounted on thick pasteboard that is tinted a light tan around the print. The text "Warren Phot." is printed in the lower left corner of the tinted paper. Written in the top left corner of the reverse in blue ink is the text, "1866-BOSTON / "HARVARD".

Topic

African American

Athletes

Education

Health

Photography

Recreation

Sports

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2014.174.9

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Tobias, William R., American, 1849 - 1920

Subject of

Peterson, Thomas, American, 1824 - 1904

Medium

collodion and silver on printing-out paper

Dimensions

H x W: 7 × 5 in. (17.8 × 12.7 cm)

Type

cabinet photographs

collodion prints

portraits

Place made

Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America

Date

1884

Caption

On March 31, 1870, one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, which allowed him the right to vote, Thomas Peterson became the first African American to cast a ballot in a U.S. election under the provisions of the 15th Amendment. The citizens of Perth Amboy, N.J. were voting to settle a disagreement over whether to revise the town charter or abandon it in favor of a township form of government.

Description

A cabinet card of Thomas Peterson. Peterson is looking at the camera and wearing a three-piece suit with a medal attached to the left side of the vest. The medal was presented to Peterson in 1884 by the residents of Perth Amboy, N.J. in recognition of his status as the first African American voter in the United States under the provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment. The albumen print is attached to a stiff card backer with wear showing around the edges. There is a printed label on the verso that reads, "Inscription on the Medal. Presented by citizens of Perch Amboy, N.J., to Thomas Peterson, the first colored voter in the United States under the provisions of the Fifteenth Amendment, at an election held in that city March 31st, 1870." The cabinet card was printed as a memento for the medal presentation ceremony.

Topic

African American

Emancipation

Men

Photography

Politics (Practical)

Reconstruction (United States History, 1865-1877)

Suffrage

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2015.190

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Robert Houston, American, born 1935

Subject of

Miles Davis, American, 1926 - 1991

Medium

digital

Dimensions

H x W: 5604pixels × 9079pixels

Type

portraits

digital images

digital media - born analog

Place depicted

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1970

Description

This image depicts the musician Miles Davis playing the trumpet. This close up shows Davis from chest upwards. Head bent, trumpet to his lips, Davis grasps the instrument with both hands. He wears a light colored long sleeved shirt.

Topic

African American

Jazz (Music)

Photography

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Greta Houston

Object number

2014.116.30

Restrictions & Rights

© Robert Houston

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Classification

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Chesnutt, Charles W., American, 1858 - 1932

Published by

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, American, founded 1880

Produced by

Riverside Press, American, 1852 - 1971

Medium

ink on paper with gold, cloth, cardboard and acetate film

Dimensions

H x W x D (Closed): 7 1/8 × 4 7/8 × 1 1/16 in. (18.1 × 12.4 × 2.7 cm)

Type

hardcover books

Place depicted

Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America

Place printed

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1899

Description

This book is a first edition, first printing of “The Conjure Woman," a collection of seven short stories, all set in "Patesville," North Carolina and told through the view point of the character Uncle Julius: The Goophered Grapevine, Po’ Sandy, Mars Jeems’s Nightmare, The Conjurer’s Revenge, Sis’ Becky’s Pickaninny, The Gray Wolf’s Ha’nt, and Hot-foot Hannibal. The book has a tan cloth binding. The front cover has three illustrations set in in red blocks at top center of the cover. From left to right the illustrations include a white hare, an elderly bald man with a beard, and a white hare. Title of book, [THE CONJURE WOMAN], is embossed beneath the red blocks in gold serif typeface and author's name, [CHARLES · W · CHESNUTT], centered at bottom of the front cover, also in gold serif typeface. The spine text is all printed in gold serif typeface. The text along the top third of the spine reads [THE / CONJURE / WOMAN]. The author's name [CHARLES W · / CHESNUTT], is embossed on the center of the spine and the name of the publishers [HOUGHTON / MIFFLIN CO] is embossed across the bottom of the spine. The book is two hundred and twenty-nine pages and includes a title page and contents page.

Topic

African American

American South

Folklife

Language

Literature

Race relations

Stereotypes

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2014.280

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

Exhibition

Cultural Expressions

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 050

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture