Unidentified
Tramp Art Church
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “Tramp Art Church” now? Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 25A, Washington, D.C. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 25A
Closed· opens tomorrow at 11:30 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
"Tramp" art was created from old cigar boxes by tradesmen at the turn of the twentieth century. Craftsmen chip-carved the edges of pieces of wood and layered them together to create furniture, sculptures, and religious objects. The Crown of Thorns Construction (see 1998.84.52) is named because of the interlocking construction technique, which was supposed to represent Jesus's crown when he was crucified (Helaine Fendelman, Tramp Art, 1975). These objects were not made by vagrants, but by traveling printers, carpenters, and cigar makers who "tramped" from city to city advertising their skills (Lynda Hartigan, Made with Passion, 1990).
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 1998.84.43
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
