Object Timeline

1953

  • Work on this object began.

2016

  • We acquired this object.

2017

2025

  • You found it!

Textile, Fish Net

This is a Textile. It was designed by William Ward Beecher and produced by Associated American Artists. It is dated 1953 and we acquired it in 2016. Its medium is cotton and its technique is printed. It is a part of the Textiles department.

William Ward Beecher had no formal art training, but nonetheless developed a trompe l’oeil style that confounded his audiences. In Fish Net, a light blue-gray net seems to hover above a ground of brown pavement. White highlights and dark shadows lend dimensionality, creating visual space between the fishing net and the ground.

This object was donated by American Textile History Museum. It is credited American Textile History Museum Collection.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 167.6 × 87.6 cm (5 ft. 6 in. × 34 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Textile, Fish Net; Designed by William Ward Beecher (American, 1921 - 2006); Produced by Associated American Artists (United States); cotton; H x W: 167.6 × 87.6 cm (5 ft. 6 in. × 34 1/2 in.); American Textile History Museum Collection; 2016-35-43

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1108711617/ |title=Textile, Fish Net |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=6 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>