Decorative Sewer-Tile Object with Applied Handles

Copied Unidentified, Decorative Sewer-Tile Object with Applied Handles, 1913, glazed stoneware, 12 3⁄4 x 9 x 6 3⁄4 in. (32.4 x 22.9 x 17.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.42
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Decorative Sewer-Tile Object with Applied Handles
Artist
Unidentified
Date
1913
Location
Dimensions
12 3⁄4 x 9 x 6 3⁄4 in. (32.4 x 22.9 x 17.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums Description
glazed stoneware
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure female — full length
Object Number
1986.65.42
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.42

Artwork Description

Early-twentieth-century factory workers often created whimsical objects as a diversion from the monotony of their jobs. They used any materials that were available and often gave them away as gifts. In these pieces, the artists covered old sections of sewer pipes with clay, then decorated the surface. The molded handles suggest that the pots were intended to be used.