Untitled (Teacher)

William Edmondson, Untitled (Teacher), ca. 1932-1940, carved limestone, 12 × 3 7⁄8 × 7 5⁄8 in. (30.5 × 9.8 × 19.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.88

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Teacher)
Artist
Date
ca. 1932-1940
Location
Dimensions
12 × 3 7⁄8 × 7 5⁄8 in. (30.5 × 9.8 × 19.4 cm)
Credit Line
The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description
carved limestone
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — education — teacher
  • Figure female — full length
Object Number
2016.38.88
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.88

Artwork Description

William Edmondson began making gravestones for the African American community of Nashville, Tennessee, around 1927. Using a railroad spike as his chisel, he hammered local limestone into geometric headstones and sculptural forms of animals and people. His figural works are among his most poignant, tributes to everyday heroes, including Black teachers, signaling their elevated status with books in hand, subtly carved into the figure’s side as an inherent part of their identity.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)

Works by this artist (6 items)

View all artworks
William Edmondson, Untitled (Teacher), ca. 1932-1940, carved limestone, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.88
Untitled (Teacher)
Artist
Dateca. 1932-1940
carved limestone
On view
William Edmondson, Crucifixion, ca. 1932-1937, limestone, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Elizabeth Gibbons-Hanson, 1981.141
Crucifixion
Artist
Dateca. 1932-1937
limestone
On view
William Edmondson, Rabbit, ca. 1940, carved limestone, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.241
Rabbit
Artist
Dateca. 1940
carved limestone
On view
William Edmondson, Untitled (Bird), ca. 1937, carved limestone, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.89
Untitled (Bird)
Artist
Dateca. 1937
carved limestone
On view

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Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
Lapstrake I
Artist
Date1980
Georgia gray granite
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John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
Chandelle
Artist
Date1969, revised 2013
Lucite
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Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
Untitled (Shell)
Artist
Dateearly 1930s
mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
Not on view
Emery Blagdon, The Healing Machine, ca. 1955-1986, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and gift of Dan Dryden, friend of Emery Blagdon, the Kohler Foundation, Inc., and John E. and Douglas O. Robson, from the Margaret Z. Robson Collection, VR.2014.49.GRP
The Healing Machine
Artist
Dateca. 1955-1986
mixed media
On view