Skip to main content

Link to Smithsonian homepage

Smithsonian Music

Main menu

  • Calendar
  • Listen
  • Learn
    • Ask Smithsonian
    • Collections Spotlights
    • Music Stories
  • Watch
  • Blog

Boy with Broken Tambourine

Object Details

Luce Center Label
Thomas Crawford was best known for his large public statues, but he also created many smaller sculptures of children. During the Victorian era, the infant mortality rate was high and families often commissioned artists to create idealized portraits of their children as keepsakes. The child in this sculpture looks forlorn as he gazes down at his broken tambourine. The baton in his other hand suggests he was responsible for the damage and is now regretting his boisterous behavior.
Luce Object Quote
"The other child, sad and melancholy in aspect, holds a broken tambourine." Comment by a visitor to Crawford's studio, The Art Journal, vol 6., 1854
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Artist
Thomas Crawford, born New York City 1813?-died London, England 1857
Date
1854
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase
Medium
marble
Dimensions
42 3/4 x 15 5/8 x 15 1/8 in. (108.6 x 39.7 x 38.4 cm.)
Type
Sculpture
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Link to Smithsonian homepage

  • About
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
Back to Top