Cathedral Clock Case

1935

Artist unknown (American, active 20th century)
Probably Wisconsin

Tramp art is a movement in wood carving that was prevalent in the United States from the 1880s to the 1940s. Using raw materials such as recycled wood, adhesive, nails, and paint, practitioners notched and layered wood to create rhythmic, three-dimensional surfaces on household objects such as this clock case. The vernacular traditions of chip carving and whittling were practiced by people of different classes and ages across the country and passed on through oral instruction, pamphlets, and the study of existing works.

Status: On View, Gallery 264
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Artist unknown
Title: Cathedral Clock Case
Place: Wisconsin (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1935
Medium: Wood and paint
Dimensions: 55.9 × 47.6 × 20.3 cm (22 × 18 3/4 × 8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Harold Allen
Reference Number: 1997.556

Judith A. Barter and Monica Obniski, “For Kith and Kin: The Folk Art Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago,” (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2012) no. 51.
Paul Jones, “Collection Highlight: Whittling Away in Anonymity,” Art Institute of Chicago, July 28, 2017, https://www.artic.edu/articles/625/whittling–away–in–anonymity.

Art Institute of Chicago, Photography + Folk Art: Looking for America in the 1930s, Sept. 21, 2019–Jan. 19, 2020, no cat.

Harold Allen (1912-1998), Chicago, by 1997; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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