"Domestic Interior"

Date1910-1930

Artist/Maker George Washington Scott (1871-1945)

MediumSandstone

Dimensions12" x 9 3/4" x 4 1/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1993.907.1

DescriptionA stone carving of a fireplace wall, most likely from a parlor. The scene depicts a portrait of an African-American woman above the firebox alongside a kerosene lamp and potted plant on the mantle. A fire grate, coal bin and tools are shown on the floor.
Label TextGeorge Washington Scott (1871-1945), known as "baby" Scott to everyone in town, was a carver who worked in wood, limestone, shale, and soapstone. A railroad man who lived most of his life in Clifton Forge, Virginia, he spend a lifetime carving and was productive enough to be recognized in the June 1922 issue of the C&O Employees Magazine where the editors described him as widely being known to " pick up a piece of slag from the yard, and with a penknife, carve alligators, frogs, and all kinds of animals." They continued to describe him as "a genius in his line, and [someone who] should be encouraged in this native talent."

Most of the approximately twenty-five extant sculptures attributed to Scott depict various animals carved in low relief or in three dimensions in soapstone, slate, or wood. This depiction of a domestic interior departs from the artist's other subjects and is, arguably, his finest work. The fireplace with coal grate, coal bin and tools, kerosene lamp, potted plant, and portrait of an African-American woman make this an especially appealing domestic vignette that provides a useful contrast to our collection of nineteenth-century interior views.