Fletcher Robinson (Author), Burr Shafer (Illustrator)The cover of “C. Hamilton Blight Looks at Santa Ana”1954Ink on paper; 8 ½ x 11 in.Bowers Museum Collection, 31106.1Burr ShaferAmerican, 1899-1965Illustration for “C. Hamilton Blight Looks at Santa Ana”1954Ink, watercolor, and correction fluid on paper; 8 ½ x 11 in.Bowers Museum Collection, 31106....

Detail of Storyboard Beam, mid 20th centuryPalau, MicronesiaWood; 5 7/8 x 77 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.2019.17.31Gift of Frieda O. Wray from the Estate of Dr. & Mrs. Douglas and Carolyn Osborne Storytelling is Human Culture Humans have long used art to tell stories, give warnings, and keep records.Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form, on display at Bowe...

Content warning: The comics in this post are presented as originally created. They may contain outdated phrases and cultural descriptions which the Bowers Blog does not endorse. Los Angeles Examiner’s “Puck: The Comic Weekly”, c. 1944Hearst Communications; Los AngelesPaper and ink; 21 1/2 x 15 9/16 x 1/16 in.40614.12Gift of Mrs. Peryl Ashton E...

Oak Leaf Ornament, early 20th CenturyUnknown maker; probably United StatesGold; 4 1/2 in.30713BGift of Mrs. Anita L. Alexander Disbe-leaf That It Is 2024 Hard to believe as it may be, 2023 has ended and the new year, 2024, has begun. With high hopes for all the wonderful and exciting things that the new year may hold, today’s post celebrates the pr...

Medicine or Magic Horn (Naga Marsarang), early 20th centuryUnrecorded Batak Toba artist; Sumatra, IndonesiaBuffalo horn, wood, brass, and plant fiber; 12 1/2 × 2 1/4 × 21 in.2004.67.1Bowers Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by Don and Barbara Greek Indonesian Carvings Among the Bowers’ collection of objects from the Indonesian archipelago, some o...

Composite of Vairocana and Vajrasattva Mandalas, 2001-2004Shashi Dhoj Tulachan (Nepalese, 1942-)Natural mineral pigments on canvasL.2012.25.3,.4,.6,.9Loan courtesy of Gayle and Edward P. Roski Returning to a Bowers Near You For most of the past decade Bowers Museum’s Freedman Galleria has been flanked by nine immense paintings by Lama Shashi Dhoj T...

Fly Whisks, 20th CenturyUnrecorded artist(s), Kuba culture; Democratic Republic of the CongoWood, horsehair, and leather; 13 in. eachF79.27.39-.40Gift of Dr. Daniel Solomon M.D. A Shoo-in’ for Success Though not the deadliest insects on the planet, houseflies are without a doubt one of the most annoying. They have a remarkable penchant for getting ...

Detail of Autumnal Landscape, c. 1940Ernest T. Fredericks (American, 1877-1959)Oil on canvas; 30 x 38 in.19963Gift of Miss Sarah Jane Brittenham Estate Heartland Painter Although we are deep into the autumn months, area trees would be looking about as green as ever had they not been so thoroughly denuded by our recent Santa Anas. But in locales nor...

Detail of Ascent, 1961Mildred K. Walker (1915-1995)Sepia conte crayon on yellow paper; 23 x 35 in.37214Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence R. Macaray Ebb of Hallowtide Though Halloween is now in the rear view, today’s Bowers Blog post is published in the slightly belated spirit of October’s spookiest day. Here we look at a small selection of prints and...

Detail of Snow at Nezu Shrine, 1934Tsuchiya Koitsu (Japanese, 1870-1949Woodblock print on paper; 18 x 13 in.98.17.5BGift of Ms. Alice Marshall Ready to Print This past Saturday, Bowers Museum opens its doors to Beyond the Great Wave: Works by Hokusai from the British Museum. As an exhibition of works by one of the most influential artists of all ti...

Autumn Evening, 1921Dwight W. Tryon (1849-1925)Oil on canvas; 11 x 16 in.F7692Martha C. Stevens Memorial Collection Trees Beyond Trees Though the weather seems to be fluctuating between mildly warm and quite warm rather than downshifting into the crispness that is generally characteristic of the autumn season, we are now a good way into fall. Conti...

Detail of Two Girls Carrying Children, c. 1899Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese; 1841–1934); JapanPhotographic printF76.41.53Gift of Herb Hansen Interiors Coming Soon This Saturday the Bowers Museum opens its doors to The Power of Photography, an exhibition curated by the expert collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman. The show closely studies the way in w...

Crop of Autumnal Tints, 1909John Francis Murphy (American, 1853-1921)Oil on canvas; 16 x 22 in.F7663Martha C. Stevens Memorial Art Collection 24 Corot Gold As of last Friday, we have officially entered fall. Temperatures are at least hypothetically beginning to drop, area foliage is strongly considering a change to yellow, orange, or red—or quittin...

The Mayas, c.1999Raúl Anguiano (Mexican, 1915-2006)Oil on canvas99.63.2Gift of Bowers Museum Collectors Council National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Hispanic Americans. This year, the Bowers Blog looks at Raúl Anguiano (Mexican, 1915-2006) an...

Ladle, early to mid 19th CenturyUnrecorded artist; Raivavae or Tubuai, Austral Islands, French Polynesia, PolynesiaWood; 28 7/8 x 5 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.2006.7.2Jordan Community Trust Purchase South Seas Islands Situated in the southernmost region of French Polynesia, the five inhabited Austral Islands are famous for their distinctive wood carvings. Perh...

Coverlet, c. 1845Unrecorded American artist; KansasCotton; 82 × 90 in.31045Gift of Daisy F. Brown Woven Stories Coverlets, single-layered bedcoverings, are distinct from quilts but share in a lot of aspects of their creation and use. In the 19th century, coverlets were in many cases one of the few artforms made by American women, who had been denie...

Helmet "Firespitter" Mask (Kponyugu), early to mid 20th centuryUnrecorded artist, Senufo culture; probably Côte d'IvoireWood; 40 x 15 x 14 1/2 in.2022.8.11Gift of Diane M. Conn in Memory of Mace Neufeld Passing On Cultures from around the world have found many different answers to the question of what happens when we die. In some versions of the be...

Bowers Museum's display at South Coast Plaza's Jewel Court, image from Bowers' Exhibit Design Department Trip to the Mall The Bowers Museum is very excited to be collaborating with South Coast Plaza on a temporary display in their Jewel Court that both promotes our upcoming Fall/Winter exhibitions and includes five cases of highlights from the Bowe...

Jacqueline Kennedy Mitzi Doll, 1960-1962Ideal Toy Company (1907-1997); Hollis, Queens, New YorkPlastic, paint, and fabric; 11 ½ in.37944Gift of Mrs. Lilian Norman Gally Doling out Doll Facts Barbie (2023) has driven its dream car past a biopic on the father of thermonuclear weapons to become this summer’s biggest blockbuster film. While dolls ...

Silkwood 2:07, 1893Ella Congdon (American, 1871 - 1920)Oil on canvasR.2014.4.100Bowers Museum Collections In The Beginning The creation of Orange County in 1889 was not universally well received, and its unfolding led to some discontent in the formative years of the new county. Eventually it would be the Orange County Fair, to date one of the most ...

Detail of Untitled, mid 20th CenturyPaul Lauritz (Norwegian, 1889 - 1975); CaliforniaWatercolor on paper; 20 × 26 in.2018.6.19Ann and Bill Cullen Memorial Collection Contemporary-Traditional Artist This week has seen the opening of the Bowers’ second featured summer exhibition: the California Art Club’s 112th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition. In honor ...

Amulet Box (Gau or Gawu), 19th to 20th CenturyTibet Autonomous RegionBrass; 4 1/4 × 3 7/8 × 1 3/8 in.2021.8.52Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Warding Wardrobe In cultures that believe in the existence of supernatural forces in humans’ day-to-day lives, important steps are taken to ensure that individuals are protected from the unseen as well as th...

General Sherman Tree Commemorative Plate, 1946-1950Made by Vernon Kilns; Designed by Orpha Klinker (American, 1891-1964); Text by Harrye Forbes (American, 1861-1951)Fired ceramic; 10 in.31737.1Evylena Nunn Miller Memorial Collection California Legacies History is all around us: the buildings that we inhabit, work, and shop in; the roads we drive; t...

Incantation Bowl, 4th to 7th CenturyUnrecorded artist, Sasanian culture; Babylon Governorate, Iraq Ceramic; 10 in.30892Gift of Mrs. Charles K. Baldwin World of Magic Magic is a subject that is often broached on the Bowers Blog, as almost all cultures believe in ritual practices that allow us to control aspects of our chaotic world. In the 1850s, th...

Figure of an Ibis, 26th to 30th dynasty, (664-341 BCE)EgyptBronze, gold leaf, and wood; 15 in.2002.8.6Gift of Mrs. Ramona Ward Downsizing While ancient Egypt might be best known for its monumental architecture and sculptures—the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, Abu Simbel, Karnak—the vast majority of Egyptian sculpture was much smaller in scale. ...

B.J. MacMullen’s Equipment for Chevrolet, early 20th CenturyLeo Tiede (American, 1889-1968); Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 8 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.37057.128Leo Tiede Photography Collection Family Matters With the newest installment of the thrilling Fast & Furious franchise—a series in which a non-blood related “family” of automotive action ...

Composite of African beaded art2016.15.32, 2002.45.5a,b, 93.59.14, F74.12.10, 99.76.112Gifts of Diane Wedner and Ronald Ziskin, and Anonymous; Bowers Museum Foundation Acquisition Fund Purchase Exciting Things to Come This past weekend marked the close of the Bowers’ Guo Pei: Art of Couture exhibition and the start of a period of preparation for ou...

Concept for RVTO-2A Mission 2 (Not Skylab), 1970Philco Aeronutronic Division, Ford Motor Company; United StatesColor print on paper; 8 1/2 x 11 in.92.41.11Gift of Loral Aeronutronic Mothers and Missions to Space Many will be celebrating May 14, 2023 as Mother’s Day. Here at the Bowers Museum, it is the last day for our breathtaking Guo Pei: Art of ...

A Coruscant gallery and a selection of objects similar to those from a galaxy far, far away. And With You Happy May the Fourth! As we have done for more than half a decade running, on International Star Wars Day the Bowers Blog again takes a trip to a galaxy far, far away and looks closely at some Bowers objects that are visually similar to the ali...

Composite of F81.1.1 (Bowers Museum Purchase) and Village in Taiohae Bay, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands by D Urville (colorized and modified), 1842  A Higher Bar When most Americans hear the word tiki, their mind is transported to the pseudo-Polynesian, pantropical, rum-fueled melting pot that is the American tiki bar. But as American tiki...

Katsina Figures (Tithu), late 19th to mid 20th CenturyHopi culture; ArizonaCottonwood root, pigment, and various mediums88.7.1, 89.1.17, 89.1.18, 7480, and 20630Gifts of John J. Hawkins, June Kennady Robertson, Miss Prudence Brown, and Mary J. Newland The Earth, The Air, and Everything In Between The Hopi, Zuni, and other Puebloan peoples believe i...

Guardian Sculpture (Hampatong), c. 1930Ngaju or Benoa Dayak culture; Kalimantan Tengah (Central Kalimantan) Province, Borneo, IndonesiaIronwood; 67 × 48 × 30 in.2015.20.1Gift of Mr. Mark Johnson Island Life Borneo, the world’s third largest island, features a rich biodiversity and equally rich diversity of cultures. Of these, Dayak is an umbrella t...

Composite made with NFTs (39135)Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence R. Macaray Way of the Future Are NFTs the way of the future? Many of the smartest minds of today feel that NFTs may one day find their place among other cutting-edge developments of their day like Betamax and HD DVD. Given that these burgeoning assets run little risk of disappearing in...

Fanny Bixby Spencer, c. 1915 Women’s History Month March is Women’s History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the great women who have shaped the course of history and contemporary society. Here we focus on Fanny Bixby Spencer, a Southern California heiress who used her family’s wealth and status to aid victims of abuse and prejudice. As both a ho...

Schabell in the Main Exhibit Room, 1932Unknown photographer; Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 2 3/4 × 4 1/2 in.77.35.1HGift of Carl Schabell Look Up The next time you are in California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos, be sure to tilt your gaze skywards to see the incredible coffered ceilings above. Original to the 1932 constru...

Monkey Orchestra (Affenkapelle), early to mid 20th centuryAelteste Volkstedter Porzellanmanufaktur; Rudolstadt, GermanyPorcelain and enamel98.6.1a-nGift of Mr. Randall Balch Imitation Game Monkeys make for lively subjects and, as anyone who has studied a monkey (even if only on social media) will attest, they are remarkably human in many ways, not ...

Detail of Steinway for Duke, March 1961Leigh A. Wiener (American, 1929-1993); Berlin, GermanyGelatin silver print on ektalure paper; 16 × 20 in.87.6.7Gift of Leigh A. Wiener. ©Leigh Wiener / 7410 Inc. All rights reserved Black History Month Many of the most famous American musicians and singers from the 20th and 21st centuries are Black artists. In...

Detail of Shawl (Rebozo), early 19th CenturyUnknown Maker; Manila or Mexico City, Viceroyalty of New SpainSilk and sequins; 82 x 30 in.2379Gift of Dona Magdalena Murillo A Small World After All We live today in a global society. The produce we eat, the clothes we wear, and the technology we use on a daily basis all might have been produced or assem...

Embroidered Panel, late 20th CenturyMiao culture; probably Guizhou Province, ChinaSilk and metallic thread on possibly silk backing; 14 × 31 1/2 in2017.3.7Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih National Embroidery Month February is National Embroidery Month in the United States, a timely celebration given the significance of embroidery in the Bowers Muse...

Winter Landscape—Sunlit Hill with added groundhog, c. 1925George Gardner Symons (American, 1863-1930)Oil on canvas; 41 x 47 x 1 1/2 in.F7680Martha C. Stevens Memorial Art Collection Groundhog Day Celebration... Again With Groundhog Day again bringing Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous groundhog, from his winter abode to predict an early spr...

Modified detail of F81.109.8Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Reilly P. Rhodes in Memory of Clarence H. Hoiles History of the Zodiac This past Sunday marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year, a holiday closely tied to the zodiac observed by cultures of eastern Asian countries like China and Vietnam as well as their diaspora. The Chinese zodiac of twelve anima...

Bridge Out During Flood, 1938Unknown Photographer; Orange County, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 10 x 8 in.34413.13Gift of Judge Raymond Thompson Calm Amidst the Storm California is right now in a calm between periods of torrential downpours. The fact that the state has been in a drought for almost two decades has made the sudden bursts of rain all ...

Crossbow, 1960sMontagnard culture; Central Highlands region, VietnamWood and bamboo fiber; 28 × 2 × 40 1/2 in.2021.7.9a-cAnonymous Gift Enemy’s Enemy During the Vietnam War the United States and South Vietnam allied with some of the Indigenous peoples of the country’s Central Highlands. Collectively called the Montagnard peoples—a name derived from...

Santa Claus Special at Santa Ana Station, November 27, 1948Unknown Photographer; Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 10 x 8 in.35265.2Gift of Mr. Frank Carter Tis the Season On Friday, November 26, 1948, a throng of parents and their excited children followed the parade route of the Santa Claus Special—a three-car train formed of a 660-horsepo...

Crate, 1931-1933Unknown Maker; Beijing, ChinaWood and metal; 20 × 36 × 20 1/2 in.2020.14.111a,bGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Unsung Heroes In the context of art museums, transportation solutions for cultural artifacts are generally resigned to storage and staging areas. Visitors to the Bowers will note that our staff—like that of most museums—ma...

Artist rendering of a model canoe from Wuvulu (2021.7.49a,b) enlarged and in the oceanAnonymous Gift Close but Far Away Maps of Oceania are often split into distinct cultural subregions, but there is a surprising amount of overlap between Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Despite being only 100 miles away from the coast of New Guinea, the cente...

Detail of Phantom War Shield, late 20th CenturyWahgi Valley, probably Jiwaka Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaWood, rattan and commercial paint2022.10.1Bowers Museum Purchase in Memory of Dr. Peter C. Keller The Ghost Who Walks This past week the Bowers installed a new acquisition in Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands that migh...

Grade Statues, 20th CenturyBanks Islands, Torba Province (two on the left) and Ambrym Island, Malampa Province, Vanuatu, MelanesiaTree fern rootL.2015.22.1-.3Loan courtesy of Gayle and Edward P. Roski Large and Mana Charged A stroll around Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu, reveals the pervasiveness of monumental sculpture on the islands. Now ...

Bismar Scales, 19th to 20th CenturyLaosWood, metal, fiber and tortoiseshell2019.23.71-.80Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Scales of Justice When most think of scales, they likely summon an image of Lady Justice, perhaps guarding the entrance of a courthouse, with golden scales for balancing the deeds of the good, evil, and those difficult to classi...

Cinnabar Tabletop Incense Stand, Qianlong reign (1736-1795)ChinaWood, resin and pigments; 17 3/4 x 14 1/2 x 12 in. 2022.7.3Gift of Dr. Oliver Foo and Sheng Sheng Foo Medium of Great Import (and Export) In China, dating back into ancient times, lacquer was used to create a plastic-like decorative coating for objects made of wood, leather, and metal....

Detail of Untitled, c. 1919Isaac Jenkinson Frazee (American, 1858-1942) after Edgar Alwin Payne (American, 1883-1947)Oil pastel on wood; 12 x 9 in.30365Isaac J. Frazee Collection A Life of Service Of all the early settlers to Laguna Beach who helped turn a tiny community into a major colony for the arts, perhaps none of them is as complex a figure ...

Untitled, 1917Clarence Hinkle (American, 1880-1960); CaliforniaOil on board; 15 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.30361Isaac J. Frazee Collection California Painters Forever As the California Art Club’s 111th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition draws to a close at the Bowers Museum, the Bowers Blog takes the opportunity to feature California artists in the permanent collec...

Ancestor Figures (Korwar), 19th CenturyCenderawasih (Geelvink) Bay, West Papua Province, Indonesia, Melanesia Wood and mother-of-pearl F79.67.1, 85.24.1Gifts of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin R. Gamson and Dwight V. Strong Remembrance The way in which forebears are remembered differs all around the world. In most western cultures, the dead are buried or cremat...

Processional Crosses, 20th CenturyEthiopiaSilver alloy; Various dimensions2022.4.3-.5Gift of The David Poiry Trust Dancing to the Beat of Their Own Drum Christianity in Ethiopia is a product of almost two millennia of practice, isolation, and conflict. For much of the country’s history it has been isolated from other Christian countries, which has ...

San Juan Capistrano Mission, late 19th to early 20th CenturyUnknown Photographer; San Juan Capistrano, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 4 3/8 x 7 1/2 in.6867Gift of Terry Elmo Stephenson, Jr. Breathing Life into the California Missions The Spanish missions have bestowed an undeniable legacy of art and architecture upon California. However, without art...

Mission San Luis Rey, 1895Unknown Photographer; San Luis Rey, CaliforniaPrinted paper; 6 x 8 in.19495Gift of Harrie H. Teaboldt A Dual History of the California Missions The 21 California missions have a dual history. They once served as tools of the Spanish government to colonize California, resulting in the decimation of Indigenous lives and cult...

Detail of The Old Blacksmith Shop, c. 1927Jean Goodwin Ames (American, 1903-1986); Santa Ana, CaliforniaOil on canvas; 24 x 28 in.1581Gift of the Artist Lost to Conciseness Biographies, especially succinct ones, are by nature reductionist, boiling down an entire human life into an easily digestible narrative. Take for example Anthony Heinsbergen, w...

Vessels, mid to late Neolithic period (5000-2050 BCE)Yangshao and Majiayao cultures; ChinaPainted ceramic90.5.64, 91.48.5, 97.119.1, 99.54.1, 2000.39.1Gifts of Patricia de Hoffman, Carroll and Susanne Barrymore, Mr. Lowell C. Martindale, Jr., and Linda Shih Yangshao Culture’s Significance The Yangshao culture, a neolithic Chinese society that lived...

Circular Boar's Tusk, mid 19th to early 20th CenturyPapua New Guinea, MelanesiaBoar tusk; 4 1/4 x 4/12 x 1/2 in.2015.17.24The George Stanley Lodin Collection Artifacts Like Parfait, With Layers Artifacts have layers and layers of stories. While not always told, the stories of previous owners, collectors and lenders are important components of an ar...

Chrysanthemum Petal Bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279)Longquan, Zhejiang Province, ChinaGlazed ceramic; 4 1/2 x 10 13/16 x 33 in.91.48.2Gift of Carroll and Susanne Barrymore A Song Masterpiece: Celadon The modern world has inherited an exceptional tradition from China’s Song dynasty (960-1279): celadon. Celadon is a term for green-glazed ceramic ware, e...

Shields (Wörrumbi), 20th CenturyMendi culture; Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaWood, pigments and fiber; Various Dimensions2017.10.163, 2003.43.3, 2017.10.143Anonymous Gift On the Mendi In an early 20th Century effort to pacify Papua New Guinea, Australian colonial administrators began a campaign of suppressing tribal warfar...

Detail of The Strenuous Life Playbill, June 23, 1909Hickox Photo; Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print81.11.20DGift of Mrs. D.C. Edwards Life Well Toiled What does it mean to live a good life? For most it is connected to the idea of individual happiness, community connectedness, ethical decision-making, healthy eating or any one of an infinite n...

Walpi, 1919Edward Borein (American, 1873 - 1945); Walpi, Navajo County, ArizonaDrypoint and etching; 8 × 13 5/8 in.2021.2.1Jim and Jeanne Pieper Collection Ash Hill Terrace Soaring high above the canyon floor of the Hopi Reservation in Arizona, Walpi has been the site of a mesa village since the 10th century. Like many Hopi villages, its perch offe...

Cauldrons (Ding), Eastern Zhou to Han dynasty (770-221 BCE)ChinaCeramic and bronze91.48.4, 2005.11.1, and 2010.24.1a,bGift of Carroll and Susanne Barrymore, In Remembrance of Judy Owens, and Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Eileen Mohler Lukewarm Take Though often analyzed mostly through the lens of conquest and war, human history can just as easil...

Ritual Magic Bag with Pouch, mid 20th CenturyPapua New Guinea, Melanesia Palm fibers, bone, wood, beads, feathers and cowrie shell; 11 1/4 × 17 1/2 × 4 in.2017.10.66.1-.3Anonymous Gift Absolutely Enchanting Magic is something that almost everyone grows up with in one form or another: in simplest terms it is the attractive notion that individuals ha...

Vases and Teapot, 1868-1926JapanEarthenware (Satsuma ware), enamel and gold2012.23.1,.36,.47a,bGift of Bernyce Besso Fair is Not Fair In the late 19th and early 20th century the United States and European powers forced isolationist Asian nations like Japan to open to Western markets. The existing governments of the region reacted in vastly differen...

Oil Lamp (Sukunda), early 19th CenturyNewar culture; Kathmandu Valley, NepalBrass; 16 1/2 × 7 × 16 in.2021.8.23Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih There’s The Rub The human fear of darkness is without a doubt born of the unpleasantness of our ancestors being devoured in lonely, midnight recesses by animals that formerly held the title of ‘apex predato...

Pío Pico's Carriage, 19th CenturyCaliforniaMetal, wood and leather; 57 3/4 × 57 1/2 × 132 in.3945Gift of Mrs. Thomas L. McFadden Shared Birthday Holidays, like all traditions, change over time; this is especially true of Cinco de Mayo. Its origin dates back to May 5, 1862 when a relatively small Mexican force repelled a much larger, better-equipped...

Detail of Lost in the Wood, 1928May E. Schaetzel (American, 1870-1952); ParisGouache on paper; 26 1/4 x 20 3/4 in.31414Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jules Schaetzel Anticonfluentialism Uncertainty is the birthplace of anxiety, it is an ailment remedied only by omniscience, and in sufficiently high doses it is suffocating. But it is a boon too. All hope that...

Agate RhytonHarold Van Pelt (American, 1925-)Agate, gold and quartzL.2016.21.21a,bLoan courtesy of Harold and Erica Van Pelt Lapidarist Extraordinaire Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the reopening of Gemstone Carvings: The Masterworks of Harold Van Pelt, an ongoing display of sculptural and functional carvings made by the Californian expert...

Lime Spatulas, 20th CenturyMassim culture; Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaWood, bone, shell, turtle shell, beads and pigments2006.12.1, 2015.7.15, 2017.10.94, 2017.10.114, L.2022.4.8Gift of Mr. Michael Hamson, Anonymous Gifts and Loans Social Chew-bricant Many travelers to Papua New Guinea are struck by the practice of chewing betel...

Ritual MortarSiassi Island, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaStone; 6 5/8 × 19 × 15 in.2011.11.7Collected on behalf of the Bowers Museum by the Roski-Keller-Martin Expeditions 2000-2008 Neo-Prolific The earliest archeological evidence shows humans migrated to the world’s second largest island, Papua New Guinea, at least 50,000 years ago....

Three Spanish Figures (enhanced by Commodify®), c. 1915Charles Percy Austin (American, 1883-1948)Oil on canvas; 72 × 36 in.32195cGift of Mr. Ralph J. Steven End of an Era Lukewarm on the heels of last year’s announcement that the Bowers Museum is implementing Asinus Inc.’s groundbreaking EyinHance™ software, the Bowers Blog is excited to announce a...

Edited Campaign Poster for Douglas Corrigan, 1946American Way Committee and Majestic Poster Press; Inglewood, CaliforniaPaper and ink; 11 x 14 in.93.8.2Gift of Ms. Rosamond Markin St. Patrick’s Day Airshow A day most often paired with green beer, statistically improbable displays of four-leaf clovers, and desperate wishes that the pinch-happy among...

Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle, c. 1900Lou Page Hickox (American, 1874-1915); Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 7 x 4 3/8 in.31008AGift of Mrs. Alice Smith Continental Abode of Waffles This past Tuesday was International Women’s Day, a holiday falling during Women’s History Month which is dedicated to celebrating women and looking at the contribut...

Detail of When King Carnival Reigns in the New Orleans Mardi Gras, La., 1924Keystone View Company (1862-1972); New Orleans, LouisianaPhotographic print; 3 3/8 x 7 x 1/2 in.83.22.63Gift of Mrs. Deirede Fairback Ironically Medieval Both the good times and the bad need to be punctuated with moments of celebration. Certainly, it is the case in many rel...

Trap Used to Snare Last Grizzly Bear of Orange County, 1865-1888Made by Sewell Newhouse; Oneida Community, New YorkSteel; 34 1/2 x 24 1/4 x 7 3/8 in.2433.1Gift of Mr. & Mrs. William B. Rochester Murder Most Grisly There is a reason that you hear a lot more about mountain lion attacks in the hills of Orange County than you do grizzly bear attack...

Sand and Trees, c. 1950Ralph Love (American, 1907-1992)Oil on canvas; 20 x 24 in.2010.5.1Vernon & Carolyn R. Cunningham Family Trust Saving the Everest for Last Just this week the Bowers Museum opened Everest: Ascent to Glory, an exhibition organized in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and curated by the award-winnin...

Field and Seating Area of the Olympic Stadium, 1932Unknown Photographer; Los Angeles, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.32352A.1Gift of Lonnie Edward Thompson Beijing Olympics 2: Electric Boogaloo The 2022 Winter Olympics are set to open tomorrow, on February 4, 2022, featuring what promises to be yet another incredible display of athl...

Pottery Mask, early to mid 20th CenturyBoiken culture; East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaCeramic; 7 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 5 in.2009.2.1Bowers Museum Purchase Plastic Art, Clay Medium Whereas sculptures and masks were carved from wood by many of the cultures of Papua New Guinea, non-utilitarian ceramics were a rarity for all but a handful of t...

Scholar’s Desk, Ming Dynasty style (1368-1644)ChinaWoodL.2013.9.7Loan Courtesy of Anne and Long Shung Shih All Four What Through the past 2,000 years of Chinese intellectualism, Chinese scholars have been greatly respected for their dedication to the study of philosophy, classical literature, poetry, and the teachings of Confucius. A scholar’s area...

Detail of Photograph of Madame Modjeska, 1894Photographed by Jan W. Idzikowski; Chicago, IllinoisSepia-tone Photograph on Paper; 6 ½ x 4 ¼ in.30926a.2Gift of Percy and Tony Dickel Auld Lang Signs Madame Helena Modjeska wishes you all a Happy New Year from the Bowers Museum! Here she is above, regally dressed for the occasion. In this photograph, He...

Christmas Tree Decorations, early to mid 20th CenturyUnknown Maker; EuropeCeramic and fabric; various dimensions75.22Gift Maxine A. Miller Tree for the Price of One The practice of bringing trees and outdoor greens into the household has been practiced for centuries during the winter season. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, Vikings, and Druids, for e...

Feast Bowl (Pakaka), 20th CenturyMolokai, Hawaii, PolynesiaKao wood; 5 7/8 x 12 x 12 1/2 in.2006.7.3Jordan Community Trust Purchase Molokai Made Dishes such as this one from Hawaii’s Molokai Island are called calabash bowls because their earliest antecedents were cut from gourds. The first Western visitors to the Hawaiian Islands documented the use...

Mummy Mask, 332 BCE-330 CE (late Ptolemaic to early Roman period)probably Faiyum Governorate, Egypt Linen, plaster, gold leaf and pigment; 15 × 12 3/4 × 10 1/2 in.2003.38.1Gift of Ramona Ward Trading Faces The earliest Egyptians to enjoy the ornate decorations and elaborate funerary rites of being mummified were royalty. It was believed that they a...

Morning Mist, mid 20th CenturyJames Patrick (American, 1911 - 1944); CaliforniaWatercolor on paper; 14 × 17 1/2 in.2018.6.21Ann and Bill Cullen Memorial Collection Gloom Havens All those early morning commuters in the central Orange County area will know just how foggy it has been in recent days. While individuals may be split on whether being swad...

Bowers Thanksgiving Showcase83.33.18a,b, 88.33.34, 359276.6-.7 and 32873.8-.9Gifts of Mr. & Mrs. Edgar L. Marchesini, Miss Muriel Anderson, and Dr. & Mrs. Emory S. Moore, Jr. #FoodMotivated Thanksgiving is on the record as being a day about giving thanks, but a quick analysis of the time your average American gives thanks on the holiday as ...

Armistice Day Parade, c. 1920Unknown photographer; Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 4 x 6 in.35223DGift of Mrs. Stella May Preble Nau Estate The Great War The worst war that the world had ever known ended on November 11th, 1918. Exactly a year later Woodrow Wilson led his countrymen in observing Armistice Day to honor the lasting peace that...

Composite formed from several objects in the Gift of Barbara Lackey Sense and Sensationalism Living in Ecuador along the headwaters of one of the major tributaries of the Amazon are the Shuar (Jivaro), a cultural group who have occupied roughly the same territory since at least the arrival of Europeans to the area. They are horticulturalists well-k...

Doctored version of 81.11.25BGift of Mrs. D.C. Edwards Pumpkin Among Kin Though pumpkins take a great many autumnal forms—not the least of which are the delicious Thanksgiving staple of pumpkin pie or the PSLs (pumpkin spice lattes) first brewed in the corporate cauldrons of Starbucks—perhaps the most iconic are the carved pumpkins seen before and ...

Portrait of Madam Helena Modjeska, 1883Wyatt Eaton (Canadian, 1849-1896)Charcoal on paper; 21 x 25 5/8 in.17261Gift of Marylka Modjeska Pattison Google It Those who let Google Doodles break their concentration long enough to investigate what they commemorate will know that this past Tuesday, October 12th was Madame Helena Modjeska’s 181st birthday....

Skirts (Nshak), early to mid 20th CenturyKuba culture; Kuba Kingdom, Democratic Republic of the CongoRaffia, cotton thread and pigment2019.15.42,.44-.46Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Human Tapestry Donned by cultures across the globe, textiles of all kinds are a second skin, helping to define who we are as individuals. In English, one might say t...

Carved Tusk, late Qing dynasty to Republic of China (1870-1949)ChinaIvory; 69 1/4 in.34475-34476Gift of Vernor G. and Edith P. Rich Relephant Information Ivory remains a hotly debated topic for museums. The rampant poaching of endangered elephants has rightfully led to international bans on the trade of ivory, but many museums around the world hous...

Children’s Festival Hat, Qing dynasty (1644-1912)ChinaCotton, silk and fiber; 11 x 10 in.2001.1.47Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Long Shung and Anne Shih Children of Many Hats Medicine and hygiene standards in rural China during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) meant that many children did not live to see the end of their first 100 days. This tragedy w...

Collage of Anthony Heinsbergen (Dutch-born American, 1894-1981)  and various designs Let Bygones be Restored In the golden age of film, when cinemas were the vehicles of choice for transporting us to universes unknown, every city in the United States had at least one brilliant theater at its center. Though many have since been demolished, repu...

Snuff Bottles, 19th to 20th CenturyHan culture; ChinaVarious mediums97.11.52.1-.2, 97.11.65.1-.2, 98.56.14a,b, 98.56.27a,b, and 99.71.100.1-.2Gift of Dr. Murray and Brett Via No-Smoking Policy Tobacco was first brought to China around the turn of the 17th century.  Portuguese Jesuit missionaries entering the country to proselytize often brough...

Detail of 2018.6.9Ann and Bill Cullen Memorial Collection Georges Paint Gorgeous Gorges Posts about artists in the Ann and Bill Cullen Collection have come in staggered bursts since the bequest was first received back in the late summer of 2018, but we once again find ourselves with a suitable cause to look at this donation as an exhibition dedicat...

Detail of Gong (Kyizi), 19th to 20th CenturyMyanmarBrass; 8 1/8 × 12 1/2 × 3/4 in.2020.14.19Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Melodies of Late Summer Like the visual arts, there is a universality to music that is only affected by a handful of factors. Just as a culture’s paintings are influenced by the brushes they use; their music is a product of t...

Women Riding a Horse on the Steps of a Building, 1960-1980Rene Laursen Photography (American); Irvine, California Photographic print; 10 x 8 in. 31704.138Gift of Mr. Rene Laursen The Ranking Time is an ocean and a river and a sun-dried puddle—there could always be more of it but most of the time we get by and appreciate what we’ve got. This week th...

Roma, early 20th CenturyEttore Forti (Italian, 1880 – 1920)Oil on canvas; 25 1/2 x 45 in.F83.16.2Anonymous Gift Augustus and Everything After Most know August as that sweltering month nestled between Fourth of July and Labor Day. Parents and students alike mark their August calendars as the month that school starts, a wonderful boon or tragic end o...

Cave Figure (Aripa), 1600-1800Ewa culture; Karawari River area, Middle Sepik River region, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea, MelanesiaWood and paintF81.2.1-.3Bowers Museum Foundation Acquisition Fund Purchase Subterranean Features and Foibles Caves are notoriously dark, dank, cold, and dangerous—rife with pitfalls both literal and allegorical....

Gayle's Gift This past weekend the Bowers Museum opened the doors of The Gift of Los Angeles: Memories in Watercolor by Gayle Garner Roski, a retrospective exhibition celebrating the life of Gayle Garner Roski. As a holistic look at the wonderful LA artist’s relationship to the city she was born in and loved, an exploration of Gayle’s personal life...

Rogers is So Sleepy, April 20, 1864William Henri Bonney (American, 1841-1867); Camp Nelson, KentuckyPencil on paper; 5 × 8 in.17450Gift of Mr. R. H. Hill Uncivil at Best Causes are just or unjust, but war is indisputably an awful thing for individuals. Fought over slavery and states’ rights, America’s Civil War was the bloodiest in the nation’s his...

Captain Wanderwell Filming Seminole Women in Front of Car, 1921Unknown photographer; Miami, FloridaPhotograph; 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.95.24.1Gift of the Walter Baker Trust Tall Tale, 6” To Be Exact The best biographical stories are those that are so wonderfully implausible that it is impossible to tell if they are fabricated or just stranger than fiction...

Metate in Form of a Jaguar with Repeating Parrot Motif, 4th-7th CenturyGuanacaste-Nicoya Zone;Costa RicaVolcanic stone; 12 3/8 x 11 5/8 x 30 1/4 in.97.40.1Dr. James Block Pick and Dr. Rosalyn M. Laudati Fund Purchase Food for the Soul A quick glance at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—a food pyramid of sorts for mental sustenance—reveals that physical s...

Toile de Jouy Fabric Depicting America's Founding, 18th to 19th CenturyJouy-en-Josas, FrancePrinted linen; 21 x 21 in.7191a,bGift of Mrs. Thomas Walsh Independence Day Though every day is an opportunity to celebrate one’s patriotism, Independence Day is a special opportunity to enjoy things that truly are as American as apple pie. Given that the Un...

Horse Head Sculpture, late 18th to 19th CenturyTibetan culture; Tibet Autonomous Region, ChinaBronze and pigments; 13 1/4 × 2 1/8 × 5 1/8 in.2021.5.1Gift of Virginia Rooney Head Above the Rest The Tibet Autonomous Region, referred to here as Tibet, is nestled against the Himalayas in the southwest of China. Backed by the roof of the world, the spra...

J.M. Wyne with Daughter, c. 1918Unknown Photographer; Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 7 x 5 1/8 in.34843AGift of Mrs. Charles Snow Dad-ubon Society As Father’s Day again rolls around, this year the Bowers Blog attempts to offer a rare bit of insight into some of the more common variants of fathers endemic to North America. Rarely studied f...

The State Exclamation The 7th to 13th of June is Museum Week, an annual global event which celebrates museums. The different days of the week are marked with hashtags or themes through which museums can share their collections. Today’s is #EurekaMW, an opportunity to look at some innovations in our collections which may have prompted the maker to s...

Detail of 2017.10.39Anonymous Gift First There Was Orb If you have never taken that extra moment’s pause to ponder the nature of coconuts, consider this post an invitation to do just that. The palm-grown orbs are surprisingly versatile, and their appearance may just drupe you into thinking that they are something they are not. That is not a typo, c...

Maze Stone, date unknownTongva culture; Trabuco Canyon, Orange County, CaliforniaStone1936.1.1Bowers Museum Collection Show and Tell The Bowers Blog has, on several occasions, featured objects from our Margaret & Cleo Key Courtyard. Originally designed to complement the museum’s mission revival style aesthetic, over the years it has been a home...

Detail of F7667Martha C. Stevens Memorial Art Collection Gloom and Bloom While the Bowers Blog tends to feature Southern Californian painters, there is a surprising variety of works by non-Californian artists in the museum’s collection. Searching our Fine Art Department for the dichotomous pairing of a gloomy and sunny painting—it seemed only appro...

36502, 91.26.293, 32211.10 and 1932.2.1Gifts of Mrs. Frank Hodge, Roy and Bentley Dillard and Bowers Museum Collection Author’s Note May 12 was National Limerick Day. It is a holiday which celebrates the birth of the limerick’s creator and titan of absurdity: Edward Lear. His banner creation is a short, often but not necessarily bawdy poem in anape...

Sombreros, c. 1900Unknown Maker; MexicoFelt, cotton, straw, sequins and horsehairF78.44.3a,eBowers Museum Purchase Return of the FifthThough often confused as being a celebration of Mexican independence from Spain, Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) marks the victory of the Mexican army over a much larger colonial force from Napoleonic France. The holiday is ...

Academy Award of Merit (Oscar), 1929California Bronze Foundry; Los Angeles, CaliforniaBronze; 11 3/4 x 5 1/4 in.76.30.15Gift of the Estate of Paula Nelli Premiere Time With the 93rd Academy Awards now behind us and an exciting historic win for Chloé Zhao as the first woman of color to receive an Oscar for Best Picture, one might wonder about the hi...

Detail of 86.47.10Gift of Junius & Angeline HolteDetail of Brocade Worn by Madame Modjeska (5002G)Gift of Myrtle Blakeslee Your First Carson It is a rare history of Earth Day that does not at some point mention Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Though the first day dedicated to restoring the environment—held on April 22, 1970—coalesced from m...

Emancipation Proclamation, 1865Augustus Hageboech (German-born American); Davenport, IowaLithograph on paper; 20 x 17 in.32744Gift of Mrs. Pearl Wall LangMary Lincoln Doll, late 19th to early 20th CenturyUnknown MakerCotton and papier-mâché37951Gift of Mrs. Lilian Norman GallyAbraham Lincoln Doll, mid 20th CenturyMuriel Bruyere; Los Angeles, Califo...

Celestial Crowns, 20th CenturyYao culture; Yunnan Province, ChinaSilver, copper, zinc, cloth and hair2007.23.10, 2015.26.10.1-.2Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih and Anonymous Gift Sweet Sixteen Different cultures around the world come of age at different times and mark that rite of passage in different ways. In the United States a sweet sixteen mig...

Madame Modjeska in her Forest of Arden with EyinHance™ filter applied, 1916Frank Coburn (American, 1862-1938)Oil on wood panel; 20 3/4 x 25 3/4 in. 3821Gift of Frank Coburn Emperor’s New Eyes Every artist to have ever painted a portrait knows that if they fail to capture the sitter’s eyes, that they have failed in their task to capture the ess...

Anne Shih posing in front of terracotta warriors, 2012 Heart of Gold This Women’s History Month the Bowers Blog has looked at some of the great women responsible for building up the Bowers Museum from scratch, instituting a modern system of record keeping for the Bowers’ permanent collection, and donating an incredible collection California scene p...

Untitled Paintings, 1989-1992Ann Cullen (American, 1928 - 2018); CaliforniaWatercolor on paper2018.6.50-.51Ann and Bill Cullen Memorial Collection Renaissance Woman This Women’s History Month the Bowers Blog has focused on some of the great women that have been associated with the Bowers Museum. Today’s post looks at a donor and artist responsible ...

Photograph of Margaret Key, c. 1986 Successors As difficult as it is to start something from scratch, most will attest that picking up someone else’s work can be every bit as difficult. As we dive deeper into Women’s History Month, this second post in a series on the great women associated with the Bowers looks at Margaret Key who started at the mu...

Bessie Beth Coulter, c. 1927Unknown photographer; Santa Ana, CaliforniaPhotographic print; 6 7/8 × 5 in.32505.20Bowers Museum Collection An Object in Motion As any who have ever combatted inertia can attest—presumably all of us—it is far more difficult to start something than it is to keep it in motion. March is Women’s History Month, and this year...