J. Fred Woell, The American Scene, 1988, silver and Civil War bullet shell fragment of copper-clad steel, 1 3⁄8 x 1 7⁄8 x 1⁄2 in. (4.1 x 4.7 x 1.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Eleanor T. and Samuel J. Rosenfeld, 1991.114, © 1989, J. Fred Woell
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Artwork Details
- Title
- The American Scene
- Artist
- Date
- 1988
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 1 3⁄8 x 1 7⁄8 x 1⁄2 in. (4.1 x 4.7 x 1.3 cm.)
- Copyright
- © 1989, J. Fred Woell
- Credit Line
- Gift of Eleanor T. and Samuel J. Rosenfeld
- Mediums Description
- silver and Civil War bullet shell fragment of copper-clad steel
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Occupation — military — soldier
- Figure group
- Portrait male — Sanders, Colonel
- Object Number
- 1991.114
Artwork Description
In The American Scene, Fred Woell plays on ideas of the sacred and the secular, contrasting a portrait of Colonel Sanders with a coin portrait of Abraham Lincoln and a fragment of a Civil War bullet. The phrase "Our Lady of the Highway Pray for Us" evokes the restlessness of the American people. Although the different parts of this work initially appear to be unconnected, Woell chose his icons carefully. After all, Lincoln is revered as a leader and healer of our nation and Kentucky was his birth state, long before "Colonel Sanders."