Stairway to heaven? Not quite. A French guildsman crafted this foot-high pearwood-and-walnut spiral c. 1820-40. Exquisite stair models from France and England are at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 3. Stairway to heaven? Not quite. A French guildsman crafted this foot-high pearwood-and-walnut spiral c. 1820-40. Exquisite stair models from France and England are at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 3.

Eugene and Clare Thaw Gift / Cooper-Hewitt Museum, S.I.

What's Up

Paper dolls, Josephine Baker and the Seven Years' War

  • By Amy Crawford
  • Smithsonian magazine, December 2006

Article Tools

  • Font
    		•  Share/Save/Bookmark Share
  • Email
    		•
  • Print
    		•  Digg Digg
  • Comments
    		•  StumbleUpon StumbleUpon
  • RSS
    		•  Reddit Reddit

    Photo Gallery

    Stairway to heaven? Not quite. A French guildsman crafted this foot-high pearwood-and-walnut spiral c. 1820-40. Exquisite stair models from France and England are at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 3.

    What's Up

    Explore more photos from the story

    Escalate

    Stairway to heaven? Not quite. A French guildsman crafted this foot-high pearwood-and-walnut spiral c. 1820-40. Exquisite stair models from France and England are at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 3.

    Assemblyman

    Collagist Joseph Cornell (1903-72) didn't paint or draw, but his boxes and movies inspired Andy Warhol and piqued Salvador Dali. A big retrospective packs into American Art through February 19.

    Make Believe?

    At the Anacostia Museum until April 29, African-American paper dolls from the past 150 years both reflect and overcome racial stereotypes.

    World at War

    The Seven Years' War (to 1763) spanned three continents and involved nine European powers. Paintings and artifacts occupy the Ripley Center starting December 15.

    Jazz-Age Goddess

    Missouri-born Josephine Baker (1906-75)—a cabaret star and secret agent in her adopted France and a U.S. civil rights activist—got 1,500 marriage proposals (she accepted only four). Her story unfolds at the Portrait Gallery through March 18.

    Escalate

    Stairway to heaven? Not quite. A French guildsman crafted this foot-high pearwood-and-walnut spiral c. 1820-40. Exquisite stair models from France and England are at the Cooper-Hewitt until June 3.

    Assemblyman

    Collagist Joseph Cornell (1903-72) didn't paint or draw, but his boxes and movies inspired Andy Warhol and piqued Salvador Dali. A big retrospective packs into American Art through February 19.

    Make Believe?

    At the Anacostia Museum until April 29, African-American paper dolls from the past 150 years both reflect and overcome racial stereotypes.

    World at War

    The Seven Years' War (to 1763) spanned three continents and involved nine European powers. Paintings and artifacts occupy the Ripley Center starting December 15.

    Jazz-Age Goddess

    Missouri-born Josephine Baker (1906-75)—a cabaret star and secret agent in her adopted France and a U.S. civil rights activist—got 1,500 marriage proposals (she accepted only four). Her story unfolds at the Portrait Gallery through March 18.

     
    Comments

    Post a Comment


    Name: (required)

    Email: (required)

    Comment:

    Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.



    Advertisement


    - - - Advertisements - - -


    Heritage Month

    Women's History Month

    Explore how powerful women have shaped American history, from our first ladies to our Navy cadets to acclaimed artists and writers.

    Join Us

    Facebook

    Facebook

    Become a fan of Smithsonian magazine's official Facebook page!

    Twitter

    Follow Smithsonian magazine on Twitter

    Smithsonian magazine presents

    Vote for the 7th Contest People's Choice Award

    Check out the 50 shots our editors named finalists and help pick a winner