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Object Timeline
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1955 |
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Panel, Hand Shadows, mid-19th century
This is a Panel. It is dated mid-19th century and we acquired it in 1955. Its medium is cotton and its technique is printed by engraved roller on plain weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.
The Victorian art of casting hand shadows on a wall or screen was rooted in ancient Egyptian shadow play, requiring only a light source and a vertical surface on which to cast shadows. Its popularity grew in Europe and England during the Middle Ages, when it was used to advance controversial church doctrines. By the turn of the twentieth century, it lost its sectarian significance, becoming instead a way to speak to the imaginations and learning requirements of children.
This object was
donated by
Ruth Van Norman.
It is credited Gift of Ruth Van Norman.
- Book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass
- printed paper.
- Gift of Kent C. Boese, PR4611 .A7 1899; Courtesy of the Smithsonian....
- 28.2012.2
- Design Cards, Inclusive: A Microsoft Design Toolkit, 2015
- digital.
- Courtesy of Microsoft Design.
- s-e-2583
- Book, I Wonder What it's Like to be Dyslexic, 2013
- ink on paper.
- Gift of PUSH.
- s-e-2673
Its dimensions are
H x W: 19.1 × 28.6 cm (7 1/2 × 11 1/4 in.)
It is signed
written in ink on right border, "Nellie"
Cite this object as
Panel, Hand Shadows, mid-19th century; England; cotton; H x W: 19.1 × 28.6 cm (7 1/2 × 11 1/4 in.); Gift of Ruth Van Norman; 1955-119-1
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition IDEO Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection.
