The Collection | Collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Portion of a sarong with pattern of birds and flowers in pale red and two shades of blue on yellow ochre ground in the the body or 'badan'. Somewhat similar pattern in larger scale is printed in the same colors on the the head or 'kepala', a wide strip dyed black over the base ochre color. Batiked and patterned on one side only.

Gauze leaf applied with satin and lace. Obverse has satin medallion of a female figure with a lyre in classical dress attended by two cherubs. Decorative motifs are in spangles, lace net and embroidery. Guards are pierced steel. Blade are ivory piquéd with steel ornaments.

This website represents Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s diverse collection, spanning thirty centuries of historic and contemporary design, including the world's coolest office, a large snail shell, snakes, a dragon and four bearded men, a cone propped up on a bench, a pair of colorful hands, a mysterious tv and a perpetual calendar .

This is a kind of living document, meaning that development is ongoing — object research is being added, bugs are being fixed, and erroneous terms are being revised. In spite of the eccentricities of raw data, you can begin exploring the collection and discovering unexpected connections among objects and designers.

If you'd like to see what we've been up to lately you can start by taking a look at the objects we acquired last year or you can browse the objects currently on display in the galleries or you can see objects we've recently photographed .

You can also see our tallest, shortest, widest or narrowest objects - or just search for yourself.

Welcome to our collection!