Collecting250

The Decorative Arts Trust commemorates the United States Semiquincentennial with a celebration of 250 historic objects from across the country.

We invite you to explore this online collection of meaningful and impactful objects that represent independence, identity, and community. Although this resource is by no means comprehensive, we hope you enjoy exploring how objects can tell the story of America and encourage you to explore material culture collections online and in person at the wealth of institutions located throughout our nation.

NEW! Educator Guides

Hot Water Urn

Hot Water Urn

Home > Metalwork > Hot Water Urn Maker Richard Humphreys Date of Creation 1774 Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Materials Silver Institution Philadelphia Museum of Art Credit Line Purchased with funds contributed by The Dietrich American Foundation, 1977...

Hot Water Urn
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Teapot John Bartlam Metropolitan Museum of Art

basket, hood museum of art, aleksandra kudrin reinken

FOLK ART, INSTRUMENTS, AND TOOLS

FURNITURE AND CLOCKS

MAPS, PRINTS, AND PAINTINGS

freedom box, metalwork, jamuel johnson, yale university art gallery

Highlighting Quilts.

Past Highlights

Album Quilt Friends and Family of Samuel Williams Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore Museum of Art

Album Quilt
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Museum of Art

Quilt Jane A. Stickle Bennington Museum

Quilt
Shaftsbury, Vermont
Bennington Museum

Freedom Quilt Jessie Telfair High Museum of Art

Freedom Quilt
Parrott, Georgia
High Museum of Art

quilt, indian bay, textiles, historic arkansas museum

Album Quilt
Indian Bay, Monroe County, Arkansas
Historic Arkansas Museum

quilt, textiles, mary greeen mcpherson, historic arkansas museum

Quilt
West Point, White County, Arkansas
Historic Arkansas Museum

Quilt
Marshall County, IL
Illinois State Museum

Friendship quilt, Unknown, 1845–65, James Island, South Carolina, Kansas Museum of History

Friendship quilt
James Island, South Carolina
Kansas Museum of History

Quilt, Andrea Robinson and Anne Mae (Townzy) Hairston Cook, c. 1974, Letcher County, Kentucky, Kentucky Historical Society

Quilt
Letcher County, Kentucky
Kentucky Historical Society

Licking County Bicentennial Quilt, Licking County Quilters, 2008, Licking County Records and Archives

Licking County Bicentennial Quilt
Licking County, Ohio
Licking County Records and Archives

Quilt, The Lady Friends of the Veteransj, 1893,New England, Mattatuck Museum

Quilt
New England
Mattatuck Museum

Civil Rights Quilt, Hattie Childress, 2001, Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Civil Rights Quilt
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Hawaiian Quilt, Artist unknown, c. 1930, Hawaii, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hawaiian Quilt
Hawaii
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Quilt Grace Snyder 1941–42 North Platte, Lincoln County, Nebraska Cotton Nebraska State Historical Society

Quilt
North Platte, Lincoln County, Nebraska
Nebraska State Historical Society

"Stacked Bricks" quilt, Nettie Young (American, 1916–2010), 1928, Gee’s Bend, Alabama, New Orleans Museum of Art

“Stacked Bricks” quilt
Gee’s Bend, Alabama
New Orleans Museum of Art

Quilt, Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt Committee, 1974–76, Portland, OR, Oregon Historical Society

Quilt
Portland, OR
Oregon Historical Society

Flag Story Quilt, Faith Ringgold, 1985, New York, New York, Spencer Museum of Art

Flag Story Quilt
New York, New York
Spencer Museum of Art

Eagle quilt, Rebecah Foster, 1808, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, Tennessee State Museum

Eagle quilt
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee
Tennessee State Museum

Quilt, Amelia Lauck (1760–1842), c. 1822,

Quilt
Winchester, Virginia
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Quilt, Sarah Jane Bower (American, 1842–1920), c. 1860, Carroll County, Maryland, Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

Quilt
Carroll County, Maryland
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

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(markers approximate)