Boy with Broken Tambourine

Thomas Crawford, Boy with Broken Tambourine, 1854, marble, 42 ³⁄₄ x 15 ⁵⁄₈ x 15 ¹⁄₈ in. (108.6 x 39.7 x 38.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1990.27

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Artwork Details

Title: Boy with Broken Tambourine
Artist: Thomas Crawford
Date: 1854
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 42 ³⁄₄ x 15 ⁵⁄₈ x 15 ¹⁄₈ in. (108.6 x 39.7 x 38.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Mediums: marble
Mediums Description: marble
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: State of being — emotion — sorrow
Figure male — child — full length
Object — musical instrument — tambourine
Object Number: 1990.27
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1990.27

Artwork Description

Thomas Crawford was best known for his large public statues, but he also created many smaller sculptures of children. During the Victorian era, the infant mortality rate was high and families often commissioned artists to create idealized portraits of their children as keepsakes. The child in this sculpture looks forlorn as he gazes down at his broken tambourine. The baton in his other hand suggests he was responsible for the damage and is now regretting his boisterous behavior.