Russell T. Gordon, Hot Dog Bridge, 1974, color lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Christopher A. Graf and Janet Graf, 1974.118.12
Family reunion? Week at the beach? Small town parade? Baseball game? Escape to the woods? Working all day? Whatever your plans for America's birthday, we have an artwork to fit. So pour yourself a lemonade, find a spot in the shade, and enjoy your holiday with a dash of American art.
Robert K. Hower, July 4, 1976, Louisville, KY, 1976, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.789, ©1976, Robert K. Hower
Found the perfect spot, now settling in to wait for the parade to begin.
Di Stovall, Ice Cream Orchard, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald A. Brown, 1978.168.18
Perhaps your dream holiday includes ice cream, as far as the eye can see...
Robert Ebendorf, Off the Street, On the Beach, 1992, mixed media of found objects, mostly plastic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Kenneth R. Trapp in honor of Robert Ebendorf, 2003.27.1
Treasures from a day at the beach, a mermaid's dream necklace.
Morris Kantor, Baseball at Night, 1934, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Morris Kantor, 1976.146.18
Baseball, apple pie, and the Fourth of July.
Harry Brodsky, Summer Night, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1982.25.18
We see you: working all day for holiday pay, running home to catch a glimpse of the fireworks display.
Hananiah Harari, Sparklers on the Fourth, 1940, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.55
Don't let life imitate art (careful with those burning hot sparklers!).
Have a happy Fourth of July!
Mimi Herbert, Folded Flag #2, 2001, silk-screened formed acrylic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2002.83
This story was originally published July 3, 2019.
