Weathervane: Pen

Date1872-1900

Possibly by L. W. Cushing & Sons (active 18[72?]-1933)

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Waltham (possibly)

MediumCopper, gilding, and paint

DimensionsOverall: 12 5/8 x 36 1/2 x 1 1/2in. (32.1 x 92.7 x 3.8cm)

Credit LineFrom the collection of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; gift of the Museum of Modern Art

Object number1954.800.1

DescriptionA weathervane in the form of a quill pen with traces of original gilding coated over with yellow paint.
Label TextSeveral manufacturers marketed pen vanes, but this example resembles the one illustrated in L. W. Cushing & Sons' 1883 catalogue especially closely. The arrow-like form of the feather made it well suited for work as an indicator of wind direction.
Early schoolchildren were taught how to cut their own pens from goose quills. The hand-fashioned writing instruments were widely recognized symbols of learning and remained so even after steel pens came into common use in the mid nineteenth century. Because of their association with education, many pen vanes were used on schoolhouses. The Museum's vane was found on a schoolhouse in Pocantico, New York.
ProvenanceFound on a schoolhouse in Pocantico, N Y, by Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY; purchased from Halpert by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; given by the latter to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, in 1939; given by MoMA to CWF in June 1954.

Exhibition(s)