This early skyscraper stretches the limits of how tall a brick building can be
19th century American sculpture architecture
What does this marble sculpture of Cleopatra tell us about race and the Civil War in the U.S.?
William Wetmore Story, Cleopatra
Enslaved artist David Drake inscribed a poem onto this jug at a time when literacy among enslaved people was outlawed
David Drake, Double-handled jug
How Chicago architecture sprung up thanks to new technology at the turn of the century
Burnham and Root, Reliance Building
This plaque is the only marker of the burial ground of people who died while enslaved by the University of Alabama and its faculty.
Slave Burial Ground, University of Alabama
A conversation that took place on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, July, 2021
Monument Avenue and the Lost Cause
Dedicated in 1890; removed in 2021
Defeated, heroized, dismantled: Richmond’s Robert E. Lee ...
The University of Alabama, Civil War, and slavery; examining the role of architecture as historical marker
Little Round House
A miracle on Bleecker Street, ornament, invention, and one of the great early skyscrapers
Soaring upward, Louis Sullivan and the invention ...
At the Alamo, the representation of patriotic heroism and brave sacrifice eclipses Spain’s earlier colonial presence and the history of the site’s ruination, reconstruction, and reframing.
The Alamo (& Mission San Antonio de ...
This jug is one of the earliest known alkaline-glazed stoneware face vessels made by slaves or their descendants in the Edgefield District of South Carolina.
Cultures and slavery in the American south: ...
Though at first glance this nude seems plucked from classical antiquity, it actually alludes to modern politics.
Hiram Powers, The Greek Slave
The gun that "won the West" also transformed American manufacturing and marketing.
Inventing America, Colt’s Experimental Pocket Pistol
The makers of this ostentatious ceramic jug used images from popular satire to poke fun at the Civil War politics.
Anna Pottery, Snake jug
This eclectic assortment of carved objects speaks to the experience of a formerly-enslaved man in the post-Civil War South.
William Howard (attributed), Writing desk
Two countries honor their love of democracy with a huge statue of a woman! Neither let women vote, though.
The light of democracy — examining the ...
This remarkable work honors those who fought for their own freedom, but acknowledges that the struggle goes on.
John Quincy Adams Ward, The Freedman
The creation of a beloved landmark destroyed a thriving community of African Americans and Irish immigrants.
Seneca Village: the lost history of African ...
This fancy chair was made for outrageously rich Americans, but its modern style owes much to Japanese design.
Herter Brothers, Mark Hopkins House Side Chair
Sullivan believed that “form must ever follow function” and designed this department store with that adage in mind.
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