FPO
1795
11th Amendment
Bans citizens from one state from taking another
state to federal court
1804
12th Amendment
Details guidelines for electing the President and
Vice President of the United States of America
1865
13th Amendment
Abolishes slavery and involuntary
servitude
Portrait of Lucy Lee-Robbins, 1884
Bust of Abraham Lincoln, 1892-1893
American Gothic (Ella Watson), 1942
1868
Great Seal of the United States Tumbler, 1792
14th Amendment
Guarantees equal rights for all persons
born or naturalized in the United States
1870
15th Amendment
Gives all citizens the right to vote
regardless of race
1913
1781
16th Amendment
Creates a federal income tax
1786
17th Amendment
Gives guidelines for electing Senators
Articles of Confederation
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
1919
1788
U.S. Constitution ratification
18th Amendment
Prohibits the sale of intoxicating
liquors (Prohibition)
Large Wisteria Electric Lamp, about 1906
1920
The Wounded Indian, 1848-1850
Norfolk Mace, 1753
1606-1624
Charters of the Virginia Company of London
1607
America’s first English settlement at Jamestown
19th Amendment
Establishes women’s suffrage (right to vote)
1776
1933
Virginia Declaration of Rights - June 12, 1776
Constitution of Virginia - June 26, 1776
Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776
20th Amendment
Sets the beginning and
ending of the terms of
elected federal officials
1791
The Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments to U.S. Constitution)
1 Guarantees freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition
2 Ensures the right to bear arms
3 Bans forced quartering of soldiers during war
4 Prohibits search and seizure without good reason
5 Excuses capital crimes during time of war except in special cases; gives the right to due process;
bans double jeopardy
6 Assures the right to a speedy trial, to confront witnesses, and to have a lawyer
7 Guarantees the right to a trial by jury
8 Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment
9 Protects other rights that are not specifically enumerated (identified) in The Bill of Rights
10 Says that power that is not given to the federal government belongs to the states or to the people
21st Amendment
Repeals the 18th
Amendment
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People), 1992
1951
22nd Amendment
Limits the President
to two 4-year terms
Dem Was Good Ole Times, 1882
1961
23rd Amendment
Gives Washington, D.C., representation in the Electoral College
1964
24th Amendment
Prohibits poll taxes on voters
Civil Rights Act of 1964
1967
25th Amendment
Establishes guidelines in case of presidential death or disability
1971
26th Amendment
Sets the voting age at 18 years old
1992
245 West Olney Road, Norfolk, Virginia 23510
www.chrysler.org • 757-664-6200
27th Amendment
Limits Congressional pay increases
The Declaration of Independence, 1840-1845
CMA-ChesCivics-Oct2010-5.indd 1
The Spirit That Won the War, 1855
The Family, 1893
10/22/10 4:25 PM
Norfolk Mace, 1753
1
The Spirit That Won the War, 1855
5
The Family, 1893
9
Fuller White
Lent by the City of Norfolk, Virginia, L89.1
Tompkins H. Matteson
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 71.2728
Mary Cassatt
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 71.498
What symbols can you find on this object?
How would it have been used and by whom?
How many groups of people are in the painting?
What might each group be talking about?
Use your imagination to step into this painting.
What do you smell? Who is the focal point?
In the Middle Ages, a mace would have been used as a weapon to crush metal armor.
Its spiked head was greatly feared. In later times maces, like this one, were used as
symbols of honor to acknowledge the presence of a public official. Norfolk’s historic
mace was commissioned by a British colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant
governor of colonial Virginia. The mace symbolizes the governor’s power, which came
from the king of England.
Tompkins H. Matteson, a self-taught artist, based
The Spirit That Won the War on a painting he
previously created in 1845. Both paintings feature
a young man being readied for the Revolutionary
War, a recurring theme for many artists of his time.
Matteson purposefully creates groups of people in
the painting and each could tell an independent short
story. In one group, a young man, is flanked by three
women: one who provides instruction, another who
secures his knapsack, and another who offers a satchel.
Mary Cassatt rejected society’s expectations and pursued a career in
art. At the age of 16, she began studying at the Pennsylvania Academy
of Fine Arts. Like many artists of her generation, she traveled and
received professional training abroad. In France, she began to work
with a group of artists who challenged the rules for painting. They were
called the Impressionists. Cassatt was the only female American painter
to exhibit with the group.
The mace is made of interlocking sections of silver and adorned with emblems of Great
Britain. Symbols representing England, France, Ireland, and Scotland embellish the
surface. They stood for the regions claimed by the English king.
Artists continue to explore ideas about patriotism, duty, and politics in artwork. What would a
painting about the American spirit look like today?
How did the power that the mace symbolized change in America?
Great Seal of the United States Tumbler, 1792
2
New Bremen Glassmanufactory
Anonymous loan, L81.1.1
Dem Was Good Ole Times, 1882
6
Thomas Hovendon
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Chrysler Museum Landmark
Communications Art Trust; an anonymous donor; Mr. and Mrs. Richard M.
Waitzer; Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Barry III; and the Museum’s Accessions
Fund, 92.49.1
What do you see engraved on the surface of the tumbler?
How many symbols can you find that remind you of the United States of America?
Look at the expression, pose, and clothing of this man and use three
adjectives to describe him.
How might he describe himself?
Made in an early-American glass factory, this large, transparent
tumbler is engraved with an important symbol of our nation, The Great
Seal of the United States. Most glass of this quality would have been
imported from Europe in the 1700s, but this tumbler was proudly
made in America. Our country has benefited from the talent and
skills of many immigrants, including farmers, artisans, tradespersons,
and manufacturers who supplied needed goods and services to a
growing new nation. John F. Amelung, the glass artist who created
this tumbler, emigrated from Germany to a new country—the United
States of America—and brought his glassmaking skills with him.
Thomas Hovendon thoroughly studied the face of his African-American
subject and neighbor, Samuel Jones. Over two years, the artist captured
Mr. Jones’ spirit in pencil sketches, oil paintings, and etchings. As is common
for this period, he is seen as a stereotypical elderly man of color, projecting a
pleasant demeanor despite great hardship.
Though he was a free man when this portrait was painted, Jones witnessed slavery and involuntary
servitude in his lifetime. Even after the abolition of slavery, Americans of color were not treated equally
and faced discriminatory voting practices. Eventually, these actions were deemed illegal and not supported
by the Constitution.
Since it was first used in 1782, should The Great Seal of the United States still represent this country?
3
Portrait of Lucy Lee-Robbins, 1884
Edward Hicks
Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 76.53.1
Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 71.627
What details from the painting help you to describe
what is happening in this scene?
Describe this woman’s posture. What can you tell about her by how she is seated or by what she is wearing?
Who are the most important figures? How do you know?
Standing at the red-clothed table, from left to right, are John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston,
Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. These men served as the “Committee of Five” and were charged to
draft The Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson would become the author, and the document he wrote
addressed three issues: the rights of man and the need for revolution, grievances in support of a rebellion, and
the formal announcement of independence.
This painting was completed 69 years after the signing of The Declaration of Independence. Why might someone have commissioned this work of art so many years after the actual event?
Parks designed his photograph to look like another famous work of art named American Gothic.
Grant Wood’s painting features a stern-faced farmer holding a pitchfork and standing with his
daughter in front of their gabled home.
Large Wisteria Electric Lamp, about 1906
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People), 1992
10
Tiffany Studios
Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 71.6932
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
Museum purchase, 93.2
What makes this lamp different from one you might find in your home?
Would it have been easy or difficult to make? Why?
What do you see painted on the canvas below
the chain?
12
How is this different from what hangs above it?
1992 marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher
Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. In response to
the traditional celebrations, many Native Americans
and activists made sure that the art world knew
there was another side to this historic event. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a member of the Flathead Nation in
Western Montana, created a series of paintings called “The Quincentenary Non-Celebration.” Trade is one of
those pieces. It is organized into two parts: a horizontal chain strung with symbols of Americanized “Indian”
stereotypes such as toy tomahawks and moccasins, and three panels displaying images of the survival of
traditional beliefs.
How does Smith’s painting differ from more common depictions of the arrival of Europeans in the Americas?
How would Clara Driscoll’s life have been different today?
7
Welcome
We are happy to see you in the Museum today.
You can help us to protect our artworks by…
Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran was a painter, a teacher, and a member of
several French arts organizations. In 1872, he opened a studio in Paris, France,
where he welcomed James McNeill Whistler, a young John Singer Sargent,
and aspiring female artists through workshops called ateliers. One promising
artist of the women’s atelier was Lucy Lee-Robbins.
Edward Hicks was a self-taught artist who first worked as a
coachman’s apprentice. At the age of 32, he began to create
paintings of biblical stories and historical events. His devout
Quaker upbringing and paintings by well-known artists
such as Thomas Sully and John Trumbull were often
sources of inspiration.
Gordon Parks began teaching himself photography while working as a railroad
porter in the 1930s. His breakthrough came when he won a fellowship to work for
the Farm Securities Administration in Washington, D.C. FSA photographers took
thousands of pictures to document the hardships that Americans faced during
the Great Depression, and Parks largely focused on the difficulties that he and other African-Americans
experienced. He met Ella Watson in the FSA building where they both worked. Parks’ photograph of her there
contrasts the proudly hung flag with Watson’s humble tools, a mop and a broom.
Compare the two works of art. Describe what makes them different.
Company policy forbade the employment of married women.
After 20 years of service, Driscoll resigned from Tiffany Studios
because of her upcoming marriage.
In America today, how might we see Samuel Jones differently than Thomas Hovenden did in 1882?
The Declaration of Independence, 1840-1845
Who might this woman be? What makes you say so?
How would the photograph be different without the American flag?
Cassatt portrayed women of her generation, who had limited access to education, no right to vote,
and an extremely narrow choice of socially acceptable professions. How would she portray women
of the 21st century?
Tiffany Studios produced stained-glass lamps, windows, and other
decorative arts objects for nearly five decades. Today, many people
know the name of Louis Comfort Tiffany, but few know any of the
hundreds of employees who served as his designers, glassblowers,
and glasscutters. Recent research has focused on the Women’s
Glass-Cutting Department, also known as the “Tiffany Girls.” Their
department was formed after a strike by the male-only union. With
direction from Clara Driscoll, Tiffany Girls excelled in designing and
producing lampshades inspired by nature. A skilled artisan, Driscoll
designed the Large Wisteria Lamp.
11
Gordon Parks
Museum purchase, gift of the Rose Family Trust, Mrs. Dorothy Vaughn in memory
of Sandra Lawrence, Anonymous in memory of Rosette B. Alford, Calvin and Lloyd,
Inc., Mrs. Connie Coppage, Dr. Kimberly Kinsler, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Loumeau,
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Wright, and Walter P.
Chrysler, Jr. Photography Fund, 2007.17.1
Known as an artist who used the theme of motherhood, Cassatt did not
solely focus on women and children until her late 30s and early 40s.
Painted when Cassatt was 49, The Family captures a mother with her
young daughter and baby. Though her artwork is not political, Cassatt favored giving women the right to vote
and supported the Women’s Suffrage Movement.
Why has the artist placed this young man in the center of the painting?
The Norfolk Mace is the only city mace in the United States that still resides in the city
that commissioned it, Norfolk, Virginia.
American Gothic (Ella Watson), 1942
H remembering that art is more fragile than it may appear.
Please do not touch.
H remaining a safe distance from artworks, especially when
gesturing or pointing.
Dressed in fine black cloth, Lucy Lee-Robbins gingerly leans and rests her right
arm on the chair. A favorite student and model of Carolus-Duran, she began
painting around 1884 and debuted at the Salon of the Société de Artistes
Français in 1887. She wanted the same artistic opportunities that were
available to her peers in the male-dominated French art world.
H enjoying food and beverages, including water, only in Huber Court,
the Museum café, or the gardens.
Born in New York City, Lee-Robbins spent most of her life in Europe. Which important civil right
was not extended to her or to women until 1920?
H leaving large objects, backpacks, and umbrellas at the main entrance.
What civil rights issues are being challenged today by women?
H using writing boards instead of walls, pedestals, or glass cases as a
writing surface. These boards are available at the Information Desk.
H taking photographs without a flash in the Museum’s galleries.
Photography is not permitted in special exhibitions.
The Wounded Indian, 1848-1850
4
Bust of Abraham Lincoln, modeled 1892-1893, cast 1906-1909
Peter Stephenson
Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase, 86.522
George Edwin Bissell
Gift of James H. Ricau and Museum purchase, 86.461
Describe this person’s pose. Look at his legs, back,
and head.
What object caused his wound?
If you were to encounter this man, what would you
say to him?
What materials might the artist have used to create this artwork?
What qualities could describe both this sculpture and Abraham Lincoln as President?
As a child, Peter Stephenson befriended and lived in close
proximity of American Indian tribes. That experience would
leave an enduring mark. Stephenson would use the subject
of American Indians throughout his brief artistic career.
In Vermont marble, Stephenson portrays an injured man, sitting with his back stooped and his weight on one
hand. A wound from an arrow oozes from his abdomen. Sorrow and pain are expressed through his lowered head
and the raised veins of his arm and leg. To viewers today, this sculpture represents the struggle of the American
Indian as tribes were forced to give up their land to white settlers.
Their hardships were not over. In 1868, the 14th Amendment provided citizenship to persons who were born
or naturalized in the United States. Unfortunately, American Indians were excluded. It was not until the Indian
Citizenship Act of 1924 that indigenous people were granted full U.S. citizenship.
How do you define an American? Is it based on birth, age, race, religion, culture, or gender?
8
Be sure to ask a lot of questions about the art and have fun!
The Chrysler Museum of Art is pleased to present its
Understanding Civics Through American Art in partnership with
Chesapeake Public Schools and the Virginia Stage Company,
and thanks to the generous support of
The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation.
At the age of 32, George Bissell was formally commissioned to create
a marble sculpture for a local fire department. This work propelled and
confirmed his passion to become a professional sculptor. After studying
abroad in Europe for a year, he returned to Poughkeepsie, New York, to
begin his artistic career.
Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer, a legislator for the state of Illinois, a member
of the House of Representatives, and the sixteenth President of the United
States. His presidency challenged and ultimately changed the culture of
America and Americans. Because of his prominence, artists attempted
to create and capture his image time and time again. Bissell used a brief
encounter with Lincoln in 1860 as his inspiration for the commissioned bust.
Lincoln, aware of his responsibility as an American citizen, practiced courtesy, trustworthiness,
respect for the rights of others, and respect for the law. What other qualities should an American
citizen embody?
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Chesapeake Public Schools Staff
Dr. James T. Roberts, Superintendent
Dr. Patricia L. Powers, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Mrs. Linda J. Byrd, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction
Mrs. Brenda C. Duda, Supervisor of Art and Foreign Languages
© 2010 Chrysler Museum of Art
CMA-ChesCivics-Oct2010-5.indd 2
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