Objects | Carroll Reece Museum

(TR)1965.073.029.e - Fan, Hand

Woven fan with "Jamaica" and the coat of arms of Jamaica painted on the front. The coat of arms shows two Taíno people on either side of a shied bearing a red cross with five golden pineapples inside it. The female figure on the left holds a basket with pineapples and a fruits and the male figure on the right holds a bow. Atop the shield, a Jamaican crocodile sits above the Royal Helmet of the British monarachy. Although faded, the text inside...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.029.f - Fan, Hand

Woven asymmetrical hand fan with an painted red and green wooden handle attached to one side. The "leaf" of the fan is slightly shaped like the blade of an axe. This fan is possibly from India or South Asia, specifically Pakistan, Bangladesh, or the surrounding area. It is likely made from palm fronds or grasses.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.033 - Sash

This regalia of the "World Sons of Temperance" is a light blue silk sash with hand sewn silver metallic braided trim and matching two-inch fringe. The sash features a tri-colored red, blue, and salmon pink rosette cockade and a silver button with an anchor in the center of the cockade. There is a scrapbook of Jessie Ackermann's in the Archives of Appalachia that connects this sash to other objects that Jessie wore or collected as part of her ...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.036.a - Belt

This beaded belt features shades of pink, gray, and white. It appears to be secured by the three brown threads on either end. Beadwork in belts was a status symbol as well as an important item of personal expression. Stylistic variations such as pattern, color, and color sequence indicated group affiliation. Recently, beadwork has become a symbol of political identity, with color and pattern indicating political affiliation. Zulu beadwork p...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.036.b - Necklace

This long necklace features shades of green, red, and white. It is secured by a button and a loop. The colors of Zulu beads have meaning, both negative and positive. Over time, these have become merely generalized interpretations, as there is no direct correlation between color and meaning. In many instances, this complex visual language has withered and meanings once expressed in the past are no longer understood even among elder Zulus. Co...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.039 - Geta

This is a pair of Japanese geta, which are traditional wooden sandals. Geta often have two 'teeth' (ha) that elevate the foot. The sloping of the ha designates this pair as senryou-geta or nomeri-geta. The footbed of the sandal is made of woven rushes or bamboo strips. The hanao, or straps, are cloth wrapped with thick, woven silk. The ha have small metal plates nailed into the wood and decorated with reflective red designs. These plates help...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.041 - Flag

This is a version of the American flag with 38 stars, 7 red stripes, and 6 white stripes. It was carried by Jessie Ackermann during her eight voyages around the world. The flag features handwritten names of the places she visited.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.045 - Shoe

This is a pair of traditional Chinese Qing dynasty woman's shoes, specifically known as Machu qixie. Qixie, or platform shoes, were worn by women who did not bind their feet. The wooden yuanbao-shaped soles are painted white. There is decorative applique on top with an ornate design featuring hues of bright red and blue on a white background.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.050 - Regalia

Regalia. The stole is blue and red velvet with gold braid and gold fringe along one edge. The edge trim has gold 2" fringe. The letters "DRWG T" are on purple velvet with golden fringe. The letters are "HGLVD" and a gold eight-sided medallion are at the bottom. The opposite side has two eight-sided medallions, one smaller than the other. The stole is lined in red cloth. This stole was presented to Jessie Ackermann when she was made an honorary...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.052.a - Collage

This bamboo and silk collage depicts the "Cathedral De Mexico." The central image is comprised of tiny bamboo-like sticks on a green silk square. The image depicts a church with trees in the front. There is one person and two trolleys also visible in the foreground. It is believed that this collage depicts the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, or the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, a cath...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.052.b - Collage

This bamboo and silk collage depicts the "Castillo De Chapultepec Of Mexico," or the Chapultepec Castle, in Mexico City. The central image is comprised of small bamboo-like sticks on a green silk square. The image depicts an elaborate building with trees in the front. There are two people and two trolleys also visible in the foreground. The Chapultepec Castle is located on top of Chapultepec Hill in Chapultepec park. The name Chapultepec is th...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.058 - Vase

This tall Art Nouveau porcelain vase has all-over decorative slip trailing of birds and flowers. The birds appear to be peacocks or birds-of-paradise. The flowers appear to be tulip motifs. The background is glazed green-blue or teal. The slip trailing is glazed in light golds, yellows, oranges, pinks, and browns. This bright translucent glaze likely contains uranium, as the vase is radioactive. The yellow glaze glows in blacklight. Text on th...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.064.a - Page Turner

This is a Japanese page turner or paper knife is carved from bamboo. Page turners could be used to turn the pages of large manuscripts or folded pages without cutting them. The primary image carved into the curved blade features a women looking at a river. The decorated side is convex.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.064.c - Opener, Letter

This paper knife or letter opener is made of ivory and features an engraving that reads: "From Pikes Peak, altitude 14,147 feet."

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.066 - Spoon, Souvenir

This is a large pewter souvenir spoon from Salem, Massachusetts. The bowl is large and shallow with a flat rounded handle with embossed lettering. It reads: "Souvenir From Old Witch House Salem Mass." The Witch House is the home of Jonathan Corwin, the prominent judge during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Daniel Low and Company popularized the souvenir spoon in Salem in the 1890s. This spoon does not have any maker's marks on it.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.068 - Basket

This is a small round coiled basket made of grasses wrapped and tied in spiraling bundles. The bundles are created by staggering each blade of grass to create the appearance of continuous strands. The base is made of birch bark. There are two curved handles on both sides. The black string stitches are spaced to expose the foundational bundles. This might be a sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata) basket from the Ojibwe people of North America. The ...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.070 - Basket

This is an oblong, woven basket with geometric patterns in shades of tan, orange, and brown. The basket features an open-weave style with alternating sections of closer weave, which show the colors in addition to the potential coiled and twined sections. Dr. Lindsey King (ETSU Professor Emerita, Anthropology) explained that this basket was likely made by North American Indigenous peoples along the northwest coast. It is presumed that this bask...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.077 - Pitcher

This small polychrome pitcher was likely made by the indigenous Pueblo peoples of the Southwestern United States, possibly the Acoma. The red, white, and black patterns on the vessel are created by colored slips, or clay slurry with natural pigments, painted on top of a clay body. The pitcher has one curved handle on the side and body that tapers up the vessel's short spout. The specific cultural group of origin and artist is unknown. There i...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.084 - Painting

This is a framed painting on glass depicting a village in Japan on the sea or large body of water. The highlights on the painting are made using ground up shell, likely mother-of-pearl. There are human figure photographs added to the scene, including multiple women wearing kimonos and boats in the water. There are polychrome minka houses near the edge of the water.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.087 - Coin, Commemorative

This shadowbox contains models of Japanese coins that have been out of use for more than 250 years. Many of the coins are golden in color with either impressed or painted with black characters to denote their worth.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.090 - Basket

This is a small, woven straw basket that comes with a lid (b). The basket is very shallow and features a tan hue. It is presumed that this basket was acquired by Jessie Ackermann, a missionary and prohibitionist, during her travels across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.092 - Pitcher

This blue and white pitcher with a yellow rim and handle features the text "Bevi Poco" (Italian for 'Drink Little') painted on the front. In the text Proverbs, Maxims and Phrases of All Ages compiled by Robert Christy, the author mentions an Italian proverb that reads: "Bevi poco, mangia assai - dormi in alto e viverai." In English, this proverb loosely translates to the text: "Drink little, eat a lot - sleep on the top floor and you will liv...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.096 - Flask

This is a hand-painted pilgrim flask, an example of Blue Pottery of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, India. The flask is decorated with both Indian motifs and those influenced by Islamic and Chinese cultures. The dark blue is created with cobalt oxide and the teal blue is copper oxide mixed with white. Pilgrim flasks historically carried water, but this flask is likely a souvenir due to its unwieldy form and decoration. There are two small b...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.097 - Headrest

This is a Chinese porcelain headrest or pillow features a varied green glaze. Ceramic pillows have been made in China for over a thousand years as headrests and decorations. Small porcelain pillows, particularly from the 1800s, are sometimes called "opium pillows" because they were popular for people to rest their heads while smoking opium, an addictive narcotic drug derived from poppy plants. The hole in one side was for storing valuables while ...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.099 - Bowl, Decorative

This polychrome bowl is likely from an indigenous group of the Southwest United States, the Puebloans. The specific Native American culture of origin and the bowl's maker are unknown, although a local scholar believes that the choice of brown paint (as opposed to black paint) on this bowl is indicative of Santo Domingo Pueblo or Kewa Pueblo pottery. The bowl is small and shallow with a highly burnished finish. The bowl is red-orange in color with...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.100 - Basket

This is a small, woven, multicolored hemp basket (possibly originating from an earlier Native American period). This basket is in the shape of a bowl and contains patches of green and red on the interior and exterior. It is presumed that this basket was acquired by Jessie Ackermann, a missionary and prohibitionist, during her travels across the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.101 - Bowl, Decorative

This polychrome bowl is likely from the Puebloans, an indigenous group from southwestern America, specifically the Isleta Tribe of the Pueblos near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Puebloans are often associated with their compact living settlements, called pueblos, and today, they have over 80,000 descendants, with most still residing in northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. This bowl was collected by Jessie Ackermann, who traveled natio...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.104 - Bowl, Decorative

This polychrome bowl is likely from an indigenous group of the Southwest United States, the Puebloans. The specific Native American culture of origin and the bowl's maker are unknown, although a local scholar believes that the choice of brown paint (as opposed to black paint) on this bowl is indicative of Santo Domingo Pueblo or Kewa Pueblo pottery. The bowl is shallow and somewhat burnished on the outside. The rim is crenulated in a way similar ...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.135 - Sash

This uniform banner or sash is from the Independent Order of Rechabites (IOR), an organization that participated in the temperance movement. The sash is off white with blue embroidery that reads "Presented to Sis Ackermann By The W. A. District No 88" toward the top. There are three metal letters, "I O R," and a shield positioned below the embroidered portion. The shield features eight metal points, an "S" center medallion, and a hanging metal ba...

Record Type: Object

(TR)1965.073.153.a - Plate, Decorative

This salad plate has a scalloped edge with an orange trim, a feminine profile in the center, and pink lilies in the background. There is no manufacturer date on the bottom of the plate, but the numbers 5826 are written under the glaze. This plate may be made by Egisto Fantechi in the Liberty Style, an Italian variant of Art Nouveau, but there are no maker marks.

Record Type: Object